By: Courtney Diddell, Editor
Day after day, season after season, hardworking high school athletes practice everyday after school during the season. Despite this physical activity, they must take a Physical Education course during the school year.
“Since I do sports year round, I don’t think gym is necessary. I think we should just take a test at the beginning of the year and if we pass we shouldn’t have to take gym,” said sophomore Austin Wheatley
All athletes must take PE, but marching band members have an exception.
“Marching band doesn’t have to take gym during our season because of how much work and physical activity we do,” junior Carter Taylor said.
According to the Illinois School Board of Education, the waivers are offered to interscholastic athletics, cheerleaders, and marching band.
Taylor thinks athletes shouldn’t have to participate in gym either, “I ran cross country and track last year, and you’re already dedicated to your sport. If you do something hard in gym, it could wear you down before your event.”
Student services secretary, Laura McPhee, said the waivers are only offered if the school decides to practice the Illinois Code, where they give band members the ability to opt out of gym.
“Marching band gets this option due to their schedule. This way they can fit in their core classes and lunch,” counselor Cynthia Violett said.
Violett said Kaneland made the allowance ten or eleven years ago when switching to the block schedule.
“At that time, it counted for one full credit. Now, with the eight period schedule, it only counts for half a credit,” Violett said.
To get this waiver, band members have to go through a process in which they meet with their counselor, request the waiver, then the counselor has to get the waiver accepted through the school administration.
“Since marching band is a given, prior to the new schedule and how active the band is in the fall, it made sense to us to just accept all waivers. We wanted to start with the marching band first to see how it worked,” vice principal Diane McFarlin said.
Violett said although no athletes have complained about the waivers, some choir participants have complained to the administration that choir should be privileged the same waiver since they have the same problem with their schedules. They don’t get the same option, though, due to the ISBE’s decision on who gets the waiver.
McFarlin said they have been looking at other schools and how they use the waivers for student athletes, but only for the sport’s season.
“There has been no decision, but it has come up in conversation that we might give this opportunity to athletes as well,” McFarlin said.
While the administration is re-thinking this policy, why not consider offering the waiver to all varsity athletes as well as marching band.
