About PE class

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>Hope this is the right place to address my question. If some of you play violin seriously, please share your experience on school PE class, especially team sports class.</p>

<p>You are a senior, study violin seriously with daily practices and constant performance at national venues, and for this senior year, you will do college auditions additionally. But then, school mandate you to take PE team sports( freshmen PE) now, saying it’s required for a diploma. Of course, when you were a freshman, you were allowed to skip it, because the school leader then said all you needed was 3 (whatever) PE classes. But that old leader is gone, and now new leader request you take the course or you would not get a diploma. Now, you find no way out. Should you be concerned about potential injuries in fingers, wrists and hands in this important time? Thanks.</p>

2

<p>That’s very unfair for the student who is now a senior and had classes planned out to have to now add, at the last minute, a mandatory course, PE or not.</p>

<p>check if the PE class is a county or state requirement. If not, you could switch schools.</p>

<p>Some counties and states allow students to take PE “online”.</p>

<p>I’ve never heard of a senior being required to take PE.</p>

3

<p>Thanks. No PE online is allowed. No PE anywhere but in school allowed. No other PE courses can be substituted. It has to be the team sports only, and it has to be taken in school only.</p>

4

<p>Are you positive this is what is happening? Normally they would give you at least a year’s warning for something like this. They would say “Starting with the class of 2015” or something. It seems very unfair to make such an abrupt change without more advanced warning for seniors. I had one semester of PE waived my senior year for special circumstances. Talk to your guidance counselor, perhaps, and see what you can manage.</p>

5

<p>Thank you, ImThinking. Yes, it’s happening now, and I see no way out for NatureChild. Unfortunately, nothing is working for us. No one can be waived from any PE classes, at any time, and under any circumstances. By the way, may I ask what was your special circumstances looked like?</p>

6

<p>Dancers get exemptions from PE all the time and I think your concerns are very legitimate. I would hire an advocate of some sort to help come up with a solution. Is there anyone in the school who might understand that the risk of injury is a valid worry at this point?</p>

7

<p>My daughter just went through auditions this spring. She was very busy and would have missed a lot of school 2nd semester, so she took two classes double-blocked in fall semester and didn’t have many classes 2nd semester.</p>

<p>The special circumstances are that your child may be traveling to many auditions, and missing several days of school in every week there is an audition. He/she needs fewer classes senior year, not more. Also, because your child is a serious musician, he/she should stay out of PE during senior year.</p>

<p>If you can afford private school that is an option.</p>

8

<p>Thank you, both compmom and woodwinds !!!</p>

9

<p>Maybe your family physician could write a note that would allow you an exemption if he/she is willing? Just anecdotal, but my son broke a finger playing football in a mandatory PE class his freshman year 2 weeks before he was due to go to Interlochen. It didn’t end up being very serious and he was able to go, but it does bolster your concerns. Is your school leader the same as the Principal? If not I would go up the ladder to someone who has the authority to exempt you from the class. Good luck!</p>

10

<p>Thank you, cellomom2. Yes, your son’s experience is what I am concerned. If NatureChild has been told earlier, could have done this PE through past summer schools. But, being told only now, give no way out. Yes, we are concerned mainly it’s because the senior year with performances and auditions ahead.</p>

11

<p>The OP talks about “school leader”- is this a private school or part of the public system? If private, have the parents speak to the principal, and if that goes nowhere, request a meeting with the board members.
In a public system, there are also avenues of appeal: begin with the head of the PE dept and then the principal. If no satisfaction is obtained, make an appointment with the asst. superintendent for instruction and then, if necessary, talk to the superintendent.
Do you have something in writing, such as a course manual, that shows that only 3 years were required when the student began high school? If the information was verbal and given by someone no longer there, has everyone else in the upcoming senior class been caught unaware? There is strength in numbers, so I’d imagine that there would be many complaints forthcoming.
There are kids who, for health reasons, can not take part in physical exercise so there must be options available.</p>

12

<p>Nature7, my son’s school attempted this kind of shenanigans at the 11th hour over changes to grad requirements and PE. There is usually a process through which you can have that class overrode at the district level…but it requires the principal to go to bat. If the principal WILL NOT got to bat for your son, I’d suggest immediately complaining to the Superintendent and the School board at an open public meeting covered by the press ;)</p>

<p>Your concern is 100% legitimate. </p>

<p>The options the folks in your district ought to be able to cook up include substituting a personal health course, or something low risk such as participation in an EC such as cross country or other “individual” non-violent sport. That approach was what saved us.</p>

<p>Good luck. Stick to your guns. This grad req thing is nonsense.</p>

13

<p>Glad you are getting help from all these nice folks on the music forum :)</p>

<p>I wonder if this new requirement (being required by the new “leader”, anyway) has to do with all the publicity about obesity, type 2 diabetes etc., in the last couple of years. It must be a state or even federal requirement, implemented at the district level.</p>

<p>Maybe you can find the source of the required 4th PE and appeal there, at the higher level,if need be. The state depts. of health usually have a liaison person. The school nurse would know.</p>

<p>If you son is healthy then his MD could write a note saying that he is fit and healthy, and does not need the PE. A violin teacher could write a letter saying he needs to time to practice and should avoid injury. </p>

<p>He could also off to do a substitute- I like kmcmom’s idea of a personal health course. He could do nutrition, a cooking class, a paper etc. </p>

<p>But honestly, your son has enough to do! Does the “leader” know what is involved in this level of playing? It’s not exactly lying around on the couch playing video games!</p>

<p>Appeal to “leader”/principal, then superintendent, then School Committee/Board/district, then state, then feds! Do it in writing as well as in person or orally. You could consider an attorney or advocate.</p>

<p>One of my kids skipped a variety of bureaucratic obstacles to her particular performing art and got a diploma with North Atlantic Regional High School. Not a diploma mill, and it can be googled online. She did fine with college and conservatory admissions.</p>

<p>To me, this issue is larger than just PE but is evidence of school leadership that is rigid and does not understand that individual needs of students may vary.</p>

14

<p>Our school has always required 4 years of PE and the only way out is to be injured. There have been people that didn’t graduate over PE. I think you may have an injury :)</p>

<p>That being said, at our school it’s in the handbook that your graduation requirements are what they were when you were an entering Freshman. Is this maybe in writing somewhere on your school’s website?</p>

<p>You can participate in a team sport and minimize risk. Don’t play to hard! Use protective hand equipment if necessary. </p>

<p>Talk to the Principal. They may say “rules are rules” but they most ALWAYS have discretionary powers to alter rules to accommodate special circumstances.</p>

15

<p>Our school system added another required course for all 10th graders in the state. Fortunately my daughters missed this. The way public schools are going, I see more musicians opting out and signing up for online schools such as North Atlantic Regional High School. Mine was able to attend public school because we have several alternatives in our county and we live in a large metropolitan area. If there had only been one school and no options, my daughter would have switched to a private online high school.</p>

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<p>Thank you ver much, Mezzo’sMama, kmcmom13, compmom, redeye41, and woodwinds. You have given kind sharing advice. Many years ago, my older one was in school PE, he was sent to ER because his finger was sprained badly by dodgeball. His swollen hand became almost double sized. It happened only a week before the scheduled international piano competition, and had to miss it. So, with my own experience, I am indeed a little bit more cautious than usual.
kmcmom13 - thank you for saying that my concern is 100% legitimate. In another thread, someone thought the concern was a joke. The course can not be substituted by any others.
compmom –in school, the appealing leads nowhere, the principal saying is the law. You guessed right that this issue is larger than just PE.
redeye41 – no accommodation is expected.
woodwinds – no classes, online or not, out of school are allowed.
I think I have heard enough to know what I should know, so thank you all.</p>

17

<p>Juste want to clarify that North Atlantic Regional High school is not an online school and offers no online courses. They look at what you have done, in terms of classes and activities, and grant credit, and tell you what else you need to study or do, then grant a diploma. Aventa and Virtual High School are online course companies though.</p>

<p>The principal has a boss or supervisor to whom you might be able to appel-?</p>

18

<p>oops, still cannot edit typos!</p>

19

<p>Nature, in our state it is also newly “the law.” Is there another school or college nearby where your son can dual enroll that has a PE class the is personal fitness as opposed to team sport? Just a thought. Of course, dual enrollment also requires the blessing of the principal, so the district is likely your next stop anyway, but by having several “suggestions” about other ways to meet the “law” that consider a student’s individual education plan helps officials “feel” like helping and reminds them what they’re supposed to be doing :)</p>

<p>Also, if the curriculum requirements changed recently, there is also the possibility of your sons requirements being “grandfathered.” Good luck in your next steps.</p>

<p>My brother-in-law is a professional musician and previously taught students in a performing arts program. And I can assure you that his professional opinion about this would align with your own. If you can help them understand that while the risk might seem remote, it could sideline his college career, you may get farther. Most educators are a bit ignorant of what’s involved in acquiring acceptance at a good music school. Even though my son’s school was generally outstanding in its support of him overall, I had to explain a lot in the process of his junior and senior years about how things worked. The result of this not only remedied some curricular issues, but also allowed him to dual enroll at a local university to pick up some additional keyboard and recording classes to enhance his portfolio and strengthen his application.</p>

<p>So IME, its worth “educating” the educators :)</p>

20

<p>At my school students in your situation routinely bring in a doctor’s note stating. that for medical reasons they cannot participate in PE for three -or x - weeks.</p>