Seniors should get more choice when taking PE

According to registrar Robert Wise, nearly 1 in 4 current juniors still have not fulfilled their PE credits. In most cases, they need to get just one more semester of PE under their belt.

In the past, they could have fulfilled that semester in the fall or spring of their senior year. But starting next year, seniors will be required to complete their PE credits in the fall.

This policy is well intended and probably smart for some students but it also unnecessarily inflexible for students who have a track record of reliability.

In making this rule, the school did not seem to take into account the academic workload of first-semester senior year, which can be as busy and arguably even more important than junior year due to college applications.

Giving some seniors the choice to take PE in the spring semester allows them to structure their schedule in a way that will be the most convenient for them.

The new policy is meant to prevent the possibility of a student failing to make a spring sports team or missing too many practices for the sport to earn the missing credit. In the worst-case scenario, failing to fulfill the PE credits second semester might prevent a student from graduating.

Even so, the administration should make it possible for select seniors to fulfill PE credits during second semester after evaluating their performance and overall attendance in high school.

The only part of the policy that should continue is that seniors who aim to try out for a winter or spring sport should be automatically enrolled in second-semester PE class before they are accepted on the team. This is a good precaution to ensure that they complete the required PE credits, even if they do not make the team.

Given the reality of what it means to be a senior these days, more flexibility is needed in scheduling, not less.