Editorial: School Sports Should Count As Gym Credits

Every student in the Shawnee Mission School district is required to have at least two physical education classes in order to graduate. Nine hundred and fifty-seven of these students participate in an after school sport, but are still required to take two gym classes. If a student is putting time and effort into a sport for East, then it should be considered the same as physical education class. Students should be given the option to waive a gym credit if they are an active participant in a high school sport.

Regular and vigorous participation in physical activity and the ability to understand tactics and concepts of sports are part of the curriculum for physical education classes. Along with the physical aspect of the curriculum; participation, appropriate behavior and actions during activities are to be taught. All of these skills and concepts are easily taught and learned by playing any of the sports offered at East.

Any sport at East requires both social and physical participation. This includes good sportsmanship, the ability to follow rules and guidelines, and the skills required to play that sport.

If parents or administrators are worried about the level or amount of physical activity a student is receiving, then a gym class is not the answer.  A study over the nutrition and physical activity of Kansas public schools by the Kansas Health Institute showed that high school students are active for less than three quarters of a physical education class period. The participation in a high school physical education class drops from the elementary and middle school level. Also the exposure to and interest in taking a gym class drops once a student reaches high school.

The amount of  time committed to an after school sport is greater than in gym class. A majority of sports practice about five days a week for at least an hour and half, and then compete in one to two games throughout the week. An athlete at East puts in roughly 10 hours a week, whereas a physical education class is about four hours a week, only if the full 50 minute class period is used for activities.

A policy like this would require certain guidelines and requirements to make sure that a student is participating in a sport to their full capability. A coach or supervisor would have to sign off in order for a student to use that season as a physical education credit.

An after school sport is an extracurricular activity that a student is not required to participate in to graduate. If a student decides that they wanted or needed to take a physical education class, the school should still offer a selection of gym classes. But schools would not need the same number of classes or teachers, which would save East money and other resources.

More than half of East is involved in an after school sport but all of these student-athletes have to set aside time in their schedule to take a class that has similar skills and concepts to the sport or sports they play. This is waste of not only time and but also resources for the student and the school. The option of using a high school sport as a physical education credit is a more logical and effective way to involve East students in daily physical activity but also teach important skills to live a healthy life.