GPA Standard Attached To New London Extracurriculars

Starting next school year, student athletes and club members in the will be required to meet a minimum grade point average to participate in such activities.

The Board of Education voted 6-1 on Thursday to establish the GPA standard for extracurricular activities at the policy’s second and final reading. The policy will go into effect for the 2012-2013 school year, when participating students must meet a GPA of at least 1.7, the equivalent of a C- average. This will go up to 2.0 for the 2013-2014 school year.

The policy does not affect co-curricular activities such as the band or Junior ROTC.

However, Superintendent Nicholas Fischer said the policy may be waived in any year if the district does not appropriate the funds necessary for academic support.

Extracurricular requirements

Under the policy, students participating in extracurricular activities must meet the minimum GPA, while athletes must also meet the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference standards. Athletes who do not meet the minimum GPA will be placed on academic probation for five weeks and may rejoin a team or club if their performance has improved to the minimum level.

During academic probation, students must attend after-school private academic support classes run by coaches and other staff, be on time for all classes, and complete all class assignments. The eligibility of students coming into a new school will be determined based on the records from their previous school.

The Policy Committee also added a section to the policy establishing a “Mitigating Circumstances Committee.” This group consists of one designee each from the superintendent and principal, the coach or advisor of an activity, and at least one teacher. This committee will review the personal and academic circumstances presented by coaches, teachers, and/or parents and be able to recommend that a student be able to participate in an extracurricular activity.

Support and opposition

The proposal has garnered . Those in favor describe the measure as a positive step in improving academic standards in the schools and encourage students to work harder to improve their grades. Those opposed say it could drive students away from positive activities and that it unfairly targets only a certain population of the schools on academic standards.

Juan Roman, who coaches football at , said prior to the vote on Thursday that coaches already hold student athletes to high standards. He said only 35 of the high school’s 230 student athletes have GPAs below 2.0.

“Six hundred and sixty-two kids aren’t being addressed,” said Roman. “Six hundred and sixty-two kids can walk across the stage with a 1.0 and graduate.”

Board member Barbara Major, who opposed the policy at the vote, agreed.

“If we’re going to look at achievement, we should look for it everywhere,” she said. “We shouldn’t just look at extracurriculars.”

Some board members also questioned how the policy would be affected if the district is unable to appropriate the estimated $30,000 needed for academic support. Board President Bill Morse said he supports having a line item for this expenditure each year.

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