Student-athletes all around Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) have to follow the requirements to graduate like the rest of the students. But it isn’t necessary, since student-athletes are being physically active within their sports. Athletes shouldn’t be required to earn physical education credits the same way that non student athletes do. Student-athletes should still be offered the choice of these physical education classes, but if they participate in a sport outside of school, they shouldn’t be required to earn these credits in school. Instead, student athletes will have the choice to count their sport toward their PE credits needed to graduate.
In LPS and specifically at Lincoln East High School, students are required to earn 10 total physical education credits which comes out to two semesters of a PE class. It is really important that students achieve this goal before graduation because teenagers need to be active and get daily exercise in these classes. But there are many disadvantages to this rule.
While that all seems good on the surface it can actually be really negative for student-athletes who make up a decent portion of the school. Since it is a graduation requirement to earn 10 physical education credits, student-athletes have to figure out different classes that won’t interfere with their sport. Athletes are required to take rest days to be at their full potential for their competition the next day, but if they happen to be in a PE class at the time, it can lead to conflicts since students are required to participate in class every day.
“In PE you are being athletic, so if you are doing a sport, you are already getting the physical activity you need,” Mira Johnson, a 3 sport student-athlete who participates in Lincoln East Softball, Dive, and Track, said. “So you get the same amount of activity in a sport, sometimes more, as you do in class.”
Many students here at Lincoln East think it is fair to allow student athletes the opportunity to allow their sport to count toward their PE credit, but there are still a couple of different stances on the topic. With many people posing the question, “What is considered a sport?” And others wonder if we allow other school activities that are physically active these chances to earn credits in a new way even if they aren’t generally considered sports.
“I do feel like the Show Choir should have the chance to earn credits outside of classes,” Daphne Otu, who participates in Lincoln East Show Choir said. “Just because the dancing we do can be really difficult and intense…and Show Choir is competitive since we go to competitions.”
The way to solve this is by allowing sports to be graded based on attendance and effort. If a student shows they are willing to do what it takes for their sport, by contributing to their team, and creating an environment that helps their fellow athletes thrive, they earn an A. This allows the class to count toward PE credits and can be an easy way to boost your GPA. By making sports another class helps staff know whether or not you put in enough work to earn physical education credits through your sport or not.
Student-athletes put so much work into being the best version of themselves for school and their sport. To let them continue to achieve their academic and athletic goals, we need to consider choices that will benefit these students. Granting student-athletes the choice to earn PE credits through their sport allows for these students to thrive more while in the school and achieve their goals.
