Ludlow out

[Unregistered]

At the risk of placing reaponsibility, but what is the higher priority, education or ludlow soccer? Furthermore, I believe it is the 'student' that is responsible to attend class, learn, and get good grades. Thereafter some form of a parent should be overseeing the process. The third layer is the school. Although the latter has an obligation to track the students, I would not minimize the role and contribution of the former two. Or, have we deteriorated so much such that all blame falls on someone else for an individual's actions and outcome. Maybe someone can cry racism!!!
I hope in all of these concerns for the ludlow soccer team and the end of a streak of tournament appearances, someone will be concerned enough to look into the education of these kids.....perhaps the student themself....or their parents

While I'd prefer to think a family would be aware of any academic issues, sadly sometimes it doesn't happen. My wife is a HS teacher in a nice (but not overly affluent) Boston suburb. Some of the stories she has about kids and their f'd up families (who on the surface seem "normal") would break your heart. Not so much inner-city poverty stuff but psychological abuse, absentee parents, substance abuse, etc.

Besides, even if the family was uninvolved or simply unaware, it is still the school's responsibility to check on the eligibility of each and every player.

[Unregistered]

The kid was ineligible academically because of poor grades. He had failed, or had done very poorly in two classes the year before, and his GPA was struggling. The failures from the school year prior carried over and took away eligibility.

[Unregistered]

Article only says academics - is that grades or eligibility? Either way the AD has a whole lot of apologizing to do to the players who worked hard all season.

Perhaps, the AD has some responsibility, but what about the student himself? Or, is he, his family, and the team all 'victims' in white-America? Perhaps we can blame the teachers as well!!

[Unregistered]

While I'd prefer to think a family would be aware of any academic issues, sadly sometimes it doesn't happen. My wife is a HS teacher in a nice (but not overly affluent) Boston suburb. Some of the stories she has about kids and their f'd up families (who on the surface seem "normal") would break your heart. Not so much inner-city poverty stuff but psychological abuse, absentee parents, substance abuse, etc.

Besides, even if the family was uninvolved or simply unaware, it is still the school's responsibility to check on the eligibility of each and every player.

Correct, but it is still the kids responsibility to get the school work done and concentrate on education. Unless the new-age 'unemployment' has become a career job...

[Unregistered]

Correct, but it is still the kids responsibility to get the school work done and concentrate on education. Unless the new-age 'unemployment' has become a career job...

OP here. If the parents are setting a bad example (and many do) then the student will be the same - unless the school or a mentor or teacher take him under their wing and try and guide them. Unfortunately that happens more in the movies than in reality.

[Unregistered]

OP here. If the parents are setting a bad example (and many do) then the student will be the same - unless the school or a mentor or teacher take him under their wing and try and guide them. Unfortunately that happens more in the movies than in reality.

Now we get into politics. Where is massachusetts on the 'no child left behind', or was that just a Republican initiative? Where is Massachusetts on assuring that the students get educated in each town, or is the solution to remove the smarter kids and place them in stronger academic communities? Where is Massachusetts on making sure that their teachers pass minimum standards, or is the teachers union too strong to make sure that all teachers are proficient at what they are teaching? Where are the community leaders and organizers in corralling the kids to do what is right....or are they just ruining the country right now?

Finally, I don't want to minimize the responsibility of the child and parents to seek out what is right.

By the way.....I haven't mentioned sports here at all as it should be a lower priority.

[Unregistered]

Article only says academics - is that grades or eligibility? Either way the AD has a whole lot of apologizing to do to the players who worked hard all season.

I think the Parents and the player also should be apologizing. Every student receives their grades at the end of the school year. If these parents have ever been to school sports meeting, they should know the rules and have not put the team in this position to start with.

[Unregistered]

I think the Parents and the player also should be apologizing. Every student receives their grades at the end of the school year. If these parents have ever been to school sports meeting, they should know the rules and have not put the team in this position to start with.

Agreed. But also agree with other poster that some parents are clueless and completely detached from what is going on with their kids and/or don't give a cr*p about others. They are in the minority of course, but there's enough rotten apples in the bunch.

That kid will have a rough time walking the halls at school.

[Unregistered]

I'm as interested in the administration's response as anything. What are they appealing in MIAA's decision? It's good point offered by someone regarding prior violations, but is that really the best course? There's a lot of valuable learning from mistakes and failure; it's a teachable moment for the entire school that could benefit far more people than than just those closely involved. It is unfortunate that an entire team pays such a high price, I feel for them, but as a matter of principle doing the right thing is always more important.

[Unregistered]

Parents and students: how many of you know the eligibility criteria to participate in HS sports, or do you not know because school has said that they are the one who determines eligibility?

[Unregistered]

Parents and students: how many of you know the eligibility criteria to participate in HS sports, or do you not know because school has said that they are the one who determines eligibility?

The information is provided by the school, if a parent or student chooses to ignore the information, that's on them. If they do so because they have an excellent student who is in no danger of ever being ineligible, I'm OK with that as a practical matter.

Parents who don't know their kid's grades at all or whose kid gets poor grades and eligibility could be in doubt, but at the same time they rely entirely on the school to police the issue, again, that's on them.

Ignorance does not excuse anyone's culpability.

[Unregistered]

Parents and students: how many of you know the eligibility criteria to participate in HS sports, or do you not know because school has said that they are the one who determines eligibility?

Both my daughter, her father and I know the requirements to make her eligible to play HS sports.

They are stated clearly every season at mandatory parent/student sports meetings and our High School athletic handbook. They are also listed on the HS Schools Athletic website.

In addition at the beginning of the year each grade has an orientation during the 1st week of school (during the school day) and the administration goes over the requirements again at that time with the students

[Unregistered]

Both my daughter, her father and I know the requirements to make her eligible to play HS sports.

They are stated clearly every season at mandatory parent/student sports meetings and our High School athletic handbook. They are also listed on the HS Schools Athletic website.

In addition at the beginning of the year each grade has an orientation during the 1st week of school (during the school day) and the administration goes over the requirements again at that time with the students

Was a high school coach in another sport for years and have had several of my own children go through high school sports. Never once attended a meeting where all of the criteria for eligibility were laid out. Do know however that the criteria actually differs from school to school based upon their particular graduation requirements and that many of the issues that make kids ineligible in cases like this are not real obvious until the guidance department starts doing their ticking and tying after the rush of the new school year is over.

[Unregistered]

Agreed. But also agree with other poster that some parents are clueless and completely detached from what is going on with their kids and/or don't give a cr*p about others. They are in the minority of course, but there's enough rotten apples in the bunch.

That kid will have a rough time walking the halls at school.

Given some of the anti-parent venom that you typically read on this forum this post is pretty funny. Guess we want whacko parents to push the schools but when it comes to pushing club soccer coaches that is completely out of line. Which is it?

Schools are like every other governmental bureaucracy you have ever run across. They chug along following the same timeline year after year and no one who works there is super invested in getting to the end of the administrative tasks on it until that timeline says they are supposed to.

This has the smell of a summer school issue. Kid probably was a borderline flunk at the end of the year and was told right at the end that he had to go to summer school if he wanted to remain eligible. The kid either didn't follow through on doing that or didn't get the grades he was supposed to. Usually the guidance department starts pulling student records to check this stuff a couple of weeks after the start of school and then forwards a report to the AD. Obviously the AD got the report, realized the problem and then did the right thing by reporting it.

[Unregistered]

Was a high school coach in another sport for years and have had several of my own children go through high school sports. Never once attended a meeting where all of the criteria for eligibility were laid out. Do know however that the criteria actually differs from school to school based upon their particular graduation requirements and that many of the issues that make kids ineligible in cases like this are not real obvious until the guidance department starts doing their ticking and tying after the rush of the new school year is over.

Taken at face value your comments indicate to me that (a) your AD is incompetent and (b) your school has higher minimum eligibility requirements than the MIAA requires.

With respect to the first point, if your meeting didn't cover the basics and at least reference a more complete document, then I'd say the incompetent label is fair. I find it hard to believe a school governed by MIAA didn't offer a grade level orientation, provide the eligibility requirements in document form, such as an athletic department handbook, and direct parents and students to an athletic department website where they could access the information as well.

With respect to the second point, are you suggesting that schools aren't governed by the MIAA eligibility requirement (i.e., fall participation requires passing for the previous academic year the equivalent of four traditional 1-year major English courses)? I'm not aware of any public school who imposes more stringent standards than the MIAA requirements, and if there are examples, I'd love to know how they get away with it without being challenged.