THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040214
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 46 lines
The School Board may vote this evening on whether to require students participating in any activity governed by the Virginia High School League to maintain a 2.0 grade point average.
It would make Virginia Beach the third district in the area to go beyond VHSL requirements that students take and pass five classes. The VHSL oversees high school athletics, forensics, debate and some other activities.
Superintendent Timothy R. Jenney has recommended the gradual phase-in of a 2.0 or C minimum semester grade point average beginning with next year's freshman class. That requirement would include ninth- and 10th-graders the following year, ninth- through 11th-graders in 1999 and all high school students in 2000.
The primary recommendation of a district committee was that the Beach keep the VHSL's requirement for activities governed by the league. The committee, made up of administrators, coaches, teachers, activity coordinators and parents, also offered an alternate recommendation, however, that is similar to Jenney's.
The committee's alternate proposal would require a minimum 2.0 semester grade point average. Students would be allowed one probationary semester while in high school during which the VHSL minimum would still be required although the GPA might slip below 2.0. Under current VHSL rules, a student could have a D-minus average, but continue to participate in activities.
According to statistics collected by school officials, 80 percent of all athletes had a 2.0 or better for the past school year. However, in football, 40 percent of the participants had less than a 2.0, and 44 percent of the boy's basketball players were below that mark.
A school division survey of those involved in fall sports found that almost 60 percent of coaches and about 65 percent of parents supported requiring all C's while less than 40 percent of students who responded favored the suggested minimum.
Locally, Portsmouth and Suffolk have begun requiring a 2.0 minimum GPA for participation in all extracurricular activities. The State PTA passed a resolution in November which encouraged school boards to require a 2.0 for participation in interscholastic activities. MEMO: The formal meeting of the Virginia Beach School Board begins at 6
p.m. in the School Administration Building of the Municipal Complex.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOL BOARD