No Gym Class for Athletes?
An idea originating with the East Hampton School District’s athletics committee made its way into open discussion during Tuesday’s school board meeting: a pilot program that would allow student-athletes to opt out of gym class and instead take a study hall, giving them more time for schoolwork.
Athletes spend a lot of time at practice and at games, often far more than their UpIsland peers because of the long distances involved in traveling to and from away games.
According to Jackie Lowey, a school board member who sits on the athletics committee and strongly supports the idea, athletes often leave their teams in order to focus more on academics.
Specifically, Ms. Lowey said, when it comes time to choose classes, especially as juniors and seniors, athletes are increasingly choosing academics over sports, and fewer are participating in sports during all three seasons.
Ms. Lowey said the idea also has the support of some parents, including one who spoke up at the meeting to say her daughter “finds it difficult to get through the year, keep those grades up, and get enough sleep. . . . I don’t think she needs her P.E. class as much as she needs to put the time back into her studies.”
However, East Hampton’s athletic director, Joe Vas, said he was generally opposed to the idea, saying that gym classes and the phys ed curriculum covered more than just working out.
“I think athletics and P.E. are not the same, Mr. Vas said. “You get something completely different from phys ed classes. I understand it’s tough, especially if you have teams that go late into the season. But I’m not convinced it’s the way to go.”
He questioned whether other Long Island schools were doing the same. “I don’t really find people doing it,” he said. “Middle Country tried it and walked away from it.”
Mr. Vas did say, though, the idea “warrants more discussion,” based on research.
The discussion included a brief debate over how the athletes’ study halls would be staffed and supervised, although one high school official said the staff could probably make it work. Another official, Bob Tymann, assistant superintendent, suggested athletes could choose to take a study hall instead of gym only on days when their teams have away games.
Claude Beudert, a middle school teacher who is also a coach, told the school board that such a pilot program should be offered to both varsity and junior varsity athletes. “I think kids would get a great deal out of it,” he said.
JP Foster, the school board president, suggested that a separate initiative the board has been discussing — one that would add wi-fi internet access to the school buses used to transport athletes to away games — could have a more profound impact on the athletes’ ability to get their homework done.
The superintendent, Richard Burns, said it may be too late to arrange such a pilot program for next year, and suggested a formal presentation on the topic be scheduled in September or October.