KHSD clamps down on student competition travel
| Wednesday, Jan 06 2010 06:20 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jan 06 2010 06:27 PM
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Frontier High School cheerleaders during a homecoming rally in October.
In December, Frontier High's cheer team members competed at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and their effort earned them a spot at a February competition in Las Vegas.
But under a new Kern High School District policy limiting team trips -- academic and athletic -- for budget reasons, they're not being allowed to go.
That's despite the fact the cheer team raised money so neither the school nor district would have to worry about paying.
"We had our whole heart in it, but they said 'No'," Frontier senior Vanessa Hestlow said. "It's frustrating. Why wouldn't you want our school to be represented? We have a great name."
The reason, KHSD spokesman John Teves said, is that the district is trying to reduce the costs of student travel and potential liability claims. Administrators established the policy this year during the budget crunch with input from principals.
The new line drawn: only competitions teams have won their way into are eligible, such as CIF, state or national ones. Invitational trips are discouraged, particularly trips to places more than 150 miles away, and especially trips out of state, Teves said.
Athletic and academic programs are affected equally.
"We're trying to make ends meet for 38,000 students and 18 campuses," Teves said.
Jason Hodgson, assistant principal for instruction at Frontier, had to deny the cheer team the trip based on that new policy. He said the decision was tough, but necessary.
Although the Las Vegas trip is called a national competition, it is not a "top team" event and didn't qualify, Hodgson said.
"They are an outstanding squad. They work extremely hard, and we're extremely proud of them," Hodgson said. "But we have to draw the line."
The district this school year has granted several out-of-state trips including to Bakersfield High's choir to a regional event in Tucson and various Future Farmers of America students to a national convention in Indianapolis. Frontier, so far, has not granted any out-of-state, school-sponsored trips to its teams.
Last February, South High's Reserve Officer Training Corps drill team was granted a trip to Las Vegas. So was Frontier's cheer team to compete in the same Las Vegas event it qualified for this year.
The district is receiving roughly $50 million less from the state annually and operating with 300 fewer employees than two years ago. The expectation, Teves said, is that the district will have to cut more money in the future.
It's important, Teves said, for the district "to weigh our responsibility to taxpayers." Even if teams sign waivers and get their own insurance, for example, districts could be liable if a problem arose.
"We would still be the deep pockets somebody would go after," Teves said.
Just last year, a settlement was reached in the case of a Stockdale High School freshman wrapped in plastic wrap and duct tape during a school trip in 2006. The students were in Stockton for a debate competition. The district, students involved and some parents paid out a total of $260,000, and five upperclassmen were expelled; the district's share was $42,500.
The new policy is not a result of the Stockdale High case, Teves said.
Still, cheer students and parents say the decision is not fair. Students signed releases and raised money from car washes and selling candles and cookies. Plus, they said, they qualified for the event.
"They earned it," said cheer parent Renee Myrick, Vanessa's mother. "This has been my daughter's fourth year in cheer and so far her biggest disappointment. This could have been a great year."
