Now here’s an issue on which we can argue both sides. And we hate when that happens.
Extracurriculars for, elementary, middle school and high school students are indisputably a wonderful thing. Clubs, sports, organizations, arts, all work to draw in students and draw out talents and enthusiasms which enrich young lives.
Right now the District 97 elementary school board is rewriting its policy on which students can participate in these activities. At issue is how strictly should the schools enforce the requirement that a student maintain a specific grade point average in order to be allowed in an activity.
We agree with the argument that the school’s top job is academics, that co-curriculars are a privilege to be earned by getting decent grades. But we also agree with the argument that a kid drifting off academically might be salvaged by participating in a club or sport. Better to have the co-curricular connection than no connection.
This leads us toward what seems to be the position of Superintendent Al Roberts. His view is that the required GPA should be raised from 2.0 to 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) but that the building principals should be given discretion to make allowances for a specific kid, a kid they presumably know best.
Flexible policies are usually the best.