PE waiver option provides flexibility for students
Wooster High School students who participate in interscholastic athletics, cheerleading and marching band now have the option of requesting a waiver of the graduation requirements dealing with physical education.
During their April board meeting, the members of the Wooster City Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a change to the board policy dealing with the physical education requirements.
Under the amended policy, which takes effect for the 2011-2012 school year, WHS students may fulfill the Ohio Department of Education physical education requirement by completing two full seasons of participation in board-approved interscholastic athletics, cheerleading or marching band.
The policy itself puts in place a procedure to waive the physical education requirements and allows students to substitute another elective in its place.
The board initially considered the policy change during its March work session, but opted to table the matter after physical education professional Dr. Tom Montelione presented additional information for the board to consider in making its final decision.
Montelione, who noted that he holds a PhD in physical education and previously taught physical education at the college, noted that “physical activity is not the same as physical education.
“Classes and activities which provide physical activity - for example marching band, cheerleading, school and community sports - have an important, but distinctly different goal in physical education,” said Montelione.
“Physical education prepares the individual for a lifetime of activity rather than just their high school years. Substituting physical activity for physical education solves a very short-term problem, but causes a long-term one in terms of increased costs down the road,” he added.
“The goal of physical education is to develop physically educated individuals who have knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity, healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, to lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases,” said Montelione.
While the number of overweight children nationwide has increased dramatically in recent years, Ohio high school students are among the group of students most affected.
“Thirteen percent of the Ohio high school population is overweight, which is the fourth highest in the nation,” said Montelione, who added that for the first time in history, “nationally, life expectancy for this generation is lower than the previous generation.”
While after further consideration the board decided to adopt the policy change, Superintendent Michael Tefs noted that Montelione will be “a terrific resource on what physical education should look like in the Wooster City School District.”
In the end, the board’s action was based in part on the need to provide high school students with some flexibility in dealing with the ever-growing list of courses required for graduation.
With a finite number of class periods a day, students quickly discover that even by carefully planning a four-year curriculum as they enter high school as a freshman, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get all the required courses into their academic schedule and still have time to take classes that allow them to explore potential career options or advanced courses in the field of study they plan to pursue in college.
As state officials have placed more and more requirements on students, the number of elective courses beyond the required core curriculum has shrunk from seven in 2002 to just five in 2010.
In order to free up their schedules, many students have looked to summer school physical education classes to get in at least one of those requirements outside the traditional school year.
For more information on the physical education waiver option in the Wooster City Schools log on to the district’s website at http://www.woostercityschools.org.
During their April board meeting, the members of the Wooster City Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a change to the board policy dealing with the physical education requirements.
Under the amended policy, which takes effect for the 2011-2012 school year, WHS students may fulfill the Ohio Department of Education physical education requirement by completing two full seasons of participation in board-approved interscholastic athletics, cheerleading or marching band.
The policy itself puts in place a procedure to waive the physical education requirements and allows students to substitute another elective in its place.
The board initially considered the policy change during its March work session, but opted to table the matter after physical education professional Dr. Tom Montelione presented additional information for the board to consider in making its final decision.
Montelione, who noted that he holds a PhD in physical education and previously taught physical education at the college, noted that “physical activity is not the same as physical education.
“Classes and activities which provide physical activity - for example marching band, cheerleading, school and community sports - have an important, but distinctly different goal in physical education,” said Montelione.
“Physical education prepares the individual for a lifetime of activity rather than just their high school years. Substituting physical activity for physical education solves a very short-term problem, but causes a long-term one in terms of increased costs down the road,” he added.
“The goal of physical education is to develop physically educated individuals who have knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity, healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, to lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases,” said Montelione.
While the number of overweight children nationwide has increased dramatically in recent years, Ohio high school students are among the group of students most affected.
“Thirteen percent of the Ohio high school population is overweight, which is the fourth highest in the nation,” said Montelione, who added that for the first time in history, “nationally, life expectancy for this generation is lower than the previous generation.”
While after further consideration the board decided to adopt the policy change, Superintendent Michael Tefs noted that Montelione will be “a terrific resource on what physical education should look like in the Wooster City School District.”
In the end, the board’s action was based in part on the need to provide high school students with some flexibility in dealing with the ever-growing list of courses required for graduation.
With a finite number of class periods a day, students quickly discover that even by carefully planning a four-year curriculum as they enter high school as a freshman, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get all the required courses into their academic schedule and still have time to take classes that allow them to explore potential career options or advanced courses in the field of study they plan to pursue in college.
As state officials have placed more and more requirements on students, the number of elective courses beyond the required core curriculum has shrunk from seven in 2002 to just five in 2010.
In order to free up their schedules, many students have looked to summer school physical education classes to get in at least one of those requirements outside the traditional school year.
For more information on the physical education waiver option in the Wooster City Schools log on to the district’s website at http://www.woostercityschools.org.
Published: May 24, 2011
