Lynchburg schools loosen student-athlete grades policy

By Annie McCallum
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: June 18, 2008

Lynchburg City School Board members confronted a powerful dilemma Tuesday when they asked: How tough is too tough when it comes to middle school athletes and academic standards?

Al Coleman, director of secondary education, said the interscholastic athletic policy that outlines standards for student athletes has always been a source of contention. Education officials found themselves in the middle of the policy debate at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Coleman said that athletes must maintain academic standards, but being too strict takes away an athlete’s chance at participation and in essence a connection to their school.

“Do regulations lead to a decrease in number of participants?” Coleman asked. “It’s hard to quantify.”

Without firm numbers on how many middle school

athletes have been affected by the current policy and after much debate, board members voted 6-1, with two members absent, to amend the policy slightly. Board members also plan to continue studying the policy and asked for more data on middle-school athletes.

Rising seventh- and eighth-graders who make an F in a course in the final marking period, but pass the course for the year will be eligible for fall athletics. Before the change, students promoted to the next grade with a failing mark in the last marking period couldn’t play sports in the fall.

“I don’t like the idea that we’re telling a child he can’t participate in extracurricular activity, but he’s being promoted to the next grade,” board member Ellis “Mac” Frankfort said. “There seems like a disconnect there.”

Board member Leslie Faircloth disagreed and voted against the change. He said the strict policy isn’t having a visibly adverse effect.

“If we made a mistake I would be very willing to correct it, but I haven’t seen that yet,” he said, later adding, “Rushing to lower the standards worries me greatly. I acknowledge the importance of athletics to our students, to our school, but we’re talking student athletes, student being the operative word.”

Still, other officials felt athletics might be the only way to reach low-achieving students and cutting them off from sports because of low grades might do more harm than good.

“Pulling that piece away might hurt them,” Deputy Superintendent Roger Roberts said.

Julie Doyle, board chairwoman, said it wasn’t that long ago the policy came to the board for consideration and it was made stricter, but perhaps with unintended consequences.

“The key message is not to get our (athletic) program stronger, but to keep our kids in school,” she said.

Sports, Doyle added, often help students stay involved and stay connected.