Church vs State

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by SAump

I ask that you remain calm and reasonable and hear my question before you slam "the door" back in my face. I bring this question up before a group of umpires for discussion. I apologize if this encroachment upon your civil liberties causes any personal discomfort.

A wealthy televangelist owns a very large privately funded school. He doesn't believe it is fair that his students compete in the same "league" with much smaller private schools in the local area. They win their division in every sport every year. Sometimes, even the JV squad manages to take 2nd place. There are other large private schools much further away but travel restrictions prevent those schools from competing outside of state competition.

This wealthy minister is suing the state of Texas for equal protection under the law. The state of Texas has always practiced a sort of seperation between church and state {eg. abolish school prayer}. In high school, there has always been a distinct seperation between private and public school systems with two distinct governing bodies set up for high school athletics.
The minsters question is simple. Why shouldn't his school be allowed to play in the "UIL" which controls high school athletics for public school systems. After all, those parents who choose to send their children to private school are also paying taxes to support the same public school system which denies them equal access.

How should the high court decide?

I cannot speak for every state, but in the four states that I have officiated H.S. basketball (Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and California) there is no seperation of public and private schools. I also know that there is no seperation in the following states, because I have friends that officiate in them: Indiana, Kentucky, Tenneessee, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, Mass., Vermont, and Maine.

I knew that private schools, particularly Catholic schools, can have some very powerful programs in some sports. For instance, our sons' swim for Toledo (Ohio) Start H.S. and the swimming secionals are today. Toledo St. Francis de Sales H.S. is going for its 42nd or 43rd (I cannot remember which) straight sectional championship. But that is life.

I feeling is if that the school has the money, let him in.

MTD, Sr.