THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180524
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 56 lines
The School Board on Thursday unanimously approved a revised version of a ``waiver'' policy it added in August to its 2.0 minimum grade-point average rule for participation in extracurricular activities.
The final version remains nearly the same:
The policy gives only students new to the district a grace period to meet the minimum GPA requirement for participation in high school extracurricular activities.
Such students may participate in the activities in Portsmouth if they had been eligible to do so in their previous school districts - even if they did not transfer to Portsmouth with a 2.0 - or C - average.
But to remain eligible, those students must acquire at least a 2.0 by the end of their first grading period in Portsmouth, or by the end of their first full grading period in Portsmouth if they arrive after a certain point.
The board added the policy in response to the case of former Virginia Beach student and star football player TaRon Anderson.
Anderson, a junior, now lives in Portsmouth with relatives and plays varsity football at I.C. Norcom High School.
He had been eligible to participate in extracurricular activities in Virginia Beach. But he did not have a C average when he enrolled at Norcom this year.
He has said that his mother's death last year took his mind off schoolwork at Tallwood High in Virginia Beach, his previous school.
So far, Anderson and one other student have gained eligibility for fall sports under Portsmouth's policy, an administrator said.
Portsmouth's 2.0 rule, approved in 1993, took effect this school year.
The administration found that it needed to clarify some unforeseen details in the waiver policy - like the length of a grace period for students who transfer into the district around the middle of their first grading period in Portsmouth.
Some parents also complained, saying some students already in the district might deserve a break.
The final waiver policy approved Thursday was not expanded beyond transfer students, however.
As part of its action, the board also approved changes in the extracurricular eligibility rule itself, which includes the policy.
Most of the revisions reworded what was already in place or cleared up what may have been confusing.
Suffolk is the only other South Hampton Roads district that requires a 2.0 for extracurricular participation.
Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Norfolk follow the Virginia High School League's standard, which requires that a student pass at least five classes to be eligible to participate in activities ranging from cheerleading to wrestling.
The league does not require a certain GPA, however. MEMO: More details in Sunday's Portsmouth Currents. by CNB