Athletes at Hellgate High School are granted exemption from Physical Education classes.
In many schools across the United States, student athletes are finding a way to bypass mandatory Physical Education (PE) classes, thanks to PE waivers. One such school is Lincoln High School in Seattle, Washington, and another possible contender could be Hellgate High School, following the persuasion of the Montana State Government.
Lincoln High School offers PE waivers to students who participate in school sports or organized athletics outside of school hours. To qualify for a waiver, students need to accumulate at least 80 hours in one semester. For those filling out the waiver for directed athletics and participating in a sport not related to the school, an additional page is required, including the dates of practice, hours of practice, and the coach's signature.
The waiver form also asks students about their previous PE semesters, if they've filled out the form before, if they've been a class teacher assistant or have had any open periods, and which category they fit into. The categories include directed athletics, physical disability, religious belief, military science, employment, and a catch-all category for any other reasonable individual cases.
In contrast, Hellgate High School requires students to take three semesters of PE class to graduate, amounting to approximately four hours of PE class per week. If a student at Lincoln High School is not enrolled in a PE class through either a fitness education class or by completing a competency test during the sport's off-season, they are still required to fill their sport's off-season with a PE credit.
Fitness education is still a requirement for students at Lincoln High School, even if they have a PE waiver, and can be met through a fitness education class or by completing a competency test. Over 30 states have a physical education waiver form as an option for schools to adopt, but Montana is not currently one of them.
Many students involved in outside sports or athletics believe they meet or exceed the school PE requirements. For instance, Piper Wells, a student at Hellgate High School, spends '15-20 hours a week' on her softball team. With the signature of the student's coach and a parent or guardian, schools can either accept or decline the waiver.
It's important to note that the requirements for PE waivers vary from state to state and school to school. For a state to offer a PE waiver, the state government must pass legislation allowing schools within the state to create waivers. Each school district can then decide whether or not to provide the waiver in their school.
Having a PE waiver can help student athletes get other necessary credits done instead of spending three semesters in a PE class when they are already getting a healthy amount of physical activity daily. This flexible approach to PE requirements can benefit both students and schools, allowing students to focus on their sports while still ensuring they receive proper fitness education.
