By Eduardo Galindo
Over the summer on June 27 the district’s Board of Education approved of a program that allows sophomores athletes to use their PE period to instead work on assignments from other classes.
The new study hall program “allows students to complete homework in school so they don’t rush it after sports”, as explained by Mr. Keller the athletics director. This gives students-athletes time to manage their schoolwork during their sports season, and would reduce the stress and workload that comes with managing school and sports. This also allows students to focus on other activities that they might be interested in but not have the time for.
During PE classes, student-athletes will go to room 133 where they will use the time to complete homework or whatever work they have. There will be an adult in the room to take attendance and if the students get more than one unexcused absence then they could risk getting removed from the program.
When students are using the study hall program their PE grade doesn’t change during the time their sport is active. Keller explained “Their grade when they leave is the same as when they get back.”
However, many concerns have been raised about this program, whether it actually helps with students’ workload and if we should be taking time out of PE to help with it.
One of the concerns is over whether students are using this program as a way to get out of PE instead of the actual use of the study hall. Mr. Moss, a PE teacher for sophomores, said, “When a student goes to study hall to work on stuff that’s fine but when they are going to skip PE that’s not the purpose of the study hall.” There is nothing at the moment ensuring that students aren’t using the program to skip PE but there is an adult there keeping them on task.
Every study hall period “the adult in the room is charged with keeping the kids on task” as explained by Keller. There is going to be someone there taking attendance and supervising the students, making sure that the students get all their work done for the day.
But Moss brought up another issue that on “Mondays they will have homework but after study hall they still have homework.” Students can’t finish all their work for the day if they don’t get all their classes before having study hall. “Having it in the 1st or 2nd period doesn’t help them when they have academics afterwards. What are they going to complete in their study hall if they don’t have their classes for the day?” further explained by Ms. Mugs, the other PE teacher for sophomores.
While students won’t be able to complete all their work for the day, this program does relieve the workload that student-athletes get. Bianca (10) a student currently taking the program has mentioned it’s “hard to have time after school to do work in depth, with this, we have extra time to work on it.”
Along with the other concerns one of the downsides of the program is that “they will miss certain units of PE that they maybe should have”, as said by Keller. PE teaches stuff like first aid and CPR, vital skills that can save someone’s life. Moss explained “It all depends on when they do sports. We do first aid and CPR at the end of the year in May so anyone doing sports in spring will miss out on life skills we teach.”
