(BY CAROL ANDERS TIMES-UNION)
AKRON – A request to the Tippecanoe Valley School Board to allow cheerleaders to attend a competition at Bishop Dwenger School in Fort Wayne did not get enough votes to pass.
The request came before the board Monday. The Winter Classic Cheer Competition is scheduled for Sunday. The school’s bylaws prohibit students from attending school sponsored activities on Sundays.
The policy was changed in March 2015 from allowing activities from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays to no school activities on Sundays. This was the first request of its kind since the policy was adopted.
During the meeting, several board members expressed their opinions. Stan Miller said he did not think the TVMS cheerleaders should attend the competition due to the bylaws concerning Sunday activities.
Miller said, “That to me is family day.” He said he was not willing to vote in favor of the request even though he thought it was a great opportunity for cheerleaders. He went on to say that if they allowed students to attend one event on a Sunday, it would become a regular occurrence.
Member Tom Craft concurred with Miller. He, too, said he appreciated the coach offering to take students to the event, but still supported denying the request. Craft said, “I think we need to accept our bylaws.”
Bryan Murphy spoke in favor saying, “This being a one time thing, I don’t have a problem with it.” Murphy then made the motion to let TVMS cheerleaders participate in the competition. Board President David O’Brien seconded the motion. However, member Todd Hoffman voted against it along with Craft and Miller.
