By: Annabelle Williamson
Before there were waivers that allowed students to disregard a year of PE, students across VUSD were required to take 4 years of PE in their high school career. The introduction of sports into this equation allowed for students to get the credit of 4 years of PE in 1 year. Now with the Band/PE waiver that has recently passed on April 9th, students in Marching Band, Colorguard, and Cheerleading will also be able to waive 3 years of PE granted that they pass their freshman year of PE.
Dr. Oto, VUSD Superintendent, voted ‘yes’ during the vote on the waiver. He speaks on the boards vision for learning and teaching. “The advantage for some students that comes from the newly adopted PE waiver for marching band. Color guard and cheer will allow students to participate in those activities and simultaneously meet the requirement for a second year of PE and also have the flexibility to take another course that helps prepare them for their futures.” Many other districts neighboring VUSD has also allowed a waiver similar to this to pass. The policy that we have adopted encompasses those districts ideas as well.
“What we seek to do is to provide students with instruction and experiences that allow them to be prepared for the adult lives that they wish to lead.” -Superintendent Dr. Oto
There are 8 content areas that allow the California Department of Education to distinguish between physical activity and physical education. This is what the board was most concerned about. These 8 areas include the following: the effect of physical activity upon dynamic health, mechanics of body movement, aquatics, individual sports, gymnastics/tumbling, team sports, rhythm/dance, and combatives.
Mr. Ray, Redwood’s Band Director, sees the waiver as a support system for the sophomores going into band again. “I think it will help with enrollment… it will alleviate schedule conflicts for sophomores. Right now most of the students either take summer school or a pre-first class in order to stay in band… by having the waiver it helps those kids.” Even though there was question on whether band actually meets the requirements for minutes and PE does, during marching season band currently meets around 850 minutes per week which is double the requirement. “It’s a minimal impact on the campus. We did the study and right know it affects around 12 kids… Some of the things have been blown out of proportion.”
Angela Sanchez, VUSD’s Area Superintendent made her intentions with the waiver known during the April 9th board meeting. She expressed her concerns on the policy and she wanted to make sure the students were going to get the physical education in band that they are promised in PE, “I want to know that all these people that are getting the waiver are getting the physical activity.”
“If we are approving something like this I want to prove something worthy of our students”
-Board Member Lucia Vasquez
Coach Roebuck, PE teacher at Redwood, spoke to the Gigantea about how this change will affect the PE department at Redwood. “It definitely will open doors for students to only take one year of PE. It could ultimately cost us a period or two of physical education as it grows. As the years continue and the waiver continues to get bigger, it could cost us…” Roebuck understands the students need to dismiss their 2nd year of PE to continue their education with band but the things that students learn in this “glorified recess” cannot be made up in Band, “The marching piece of it isn’t educational, it just fits the exercising requirements versus the learning process of it… there’s not any learning value to the waiver.”
Eric Chavez ‘22, is in Marching Band this year and plans to be taking advantage of the waiver his sophomore year. “I think a lot of kids will be happy that they feel included with sports too. It has always been a big controversy about this so I think that kids will now feel included and they will want to be in band more so it counts as PE credit… they will have purpose to go to band.” Chavez doesn’t think that Band is equal to PE on a physical activity level as of right now but sees changes occurring in the way Mr. Ray will continue with Marching Band next year.