Dist. 220 mulls restrictions to P.E. exemptions

Barrington Unit District 220 officials are clarifying their policy on student exemptions from physical education to better reflect that they're already following state law.

The school board will spell out a new written policy that would clearly allow exemptions only for juniors and seniors involved in sports or other physical activities run by the school.

The district has recently received requests from parents to exempt children involved in sports outside the school district from P.E. classes, Superintendent Tom Leonard said.

But the Illinois State Board of Education's code prohibits physical activities outside a school district from being used an excuse to waive P.E. requirements, ISBE spokeswoman Mary Fergus said.

Parents of student-athletes have long made the case that if their children are already engaged in physical activity through a sport, their time during the school day would be better spent on a class other than P.E., district spokesman Jeff Arnett said.

Over the years, many juniors and seniors have used this option to take an additional AP class or earn credits that would otherwise be available to them only through summer school.

But with a variety of outside activities recently being sought as exemptions from P.E., district officials want to make it clear they're already applying the law correctly.