THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408120615
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
The School Board on Thursday unanimously voted to soften the blow for high school students who wish to participate in extracurricular activities, but whose grades don't pass muster.
Instead of strictly enforcing its 2.0 minimum grade-point average rule, as the district had planned to do beginning this fall, the board voted to grant some struggling students ``probationary status'' for the first six weeks of each semester.
Students with semester grade-point averages of 1.65 to 1.99 will be targeted. A 2.0 is the equivalent of a C average.
In effect, students who barely missed the eligibility mark will have about a month and a half to rebound from poor academic performance in the previous semester without losing for months at a time their chance to do things like play football or join the cheerleading squad.
``It seems like a pretty fair way to do it,'' said David Arthur, a 16-year-old honor student and member of Lakeland High School's baseball team.
High school administrators and football coaches had urged district officials to make the concession. Nansemond River High School football coach Jerry Varacallo told the board that many students had begun to shun more rigorous, college-preparatory classes to meet the 2.0 requirement.
The concession will not water down the policy, said Parris D. Carson, an assistant superintendent. The district, he said, just wanted to give a little more breathing room to students whose bad work in only one class may have spelled overall doom.
Moreover, Suffolk will set up after-school tutorial programs at Lakeland and Nansemond River high schools this year to help all high school students master their course work.
Students with the probationary status will be required to attend.
``There are some good points in it academically,'' as well as socially, for students, said board member Calvin Jones, referring to the tutorial program and the six-week grace period.
Students on probation will be expected to bring their average up to 2.0 or better. They will, however, be allowed to participate in school activities that fall outside of the regular school day. Students can say goodbye to teams or clubs for the rest of the semester if the goal is missed.
They can receive the special status only twice in four years of high school, Carson said.
The district has steadily raised its minimum grade-point average requirement for those in extracurricular activities. The idea, officials said, is to make sure academics remain the top priority. The 2.0 rule officially began last year.
Over the past four years, however, administrators have granted some students the special probationary status, all remnants of which were supposed to be eliminated for the upcoming year.
KEYWORDS: SUFFOLK SCHOOLS SUFFOLK SCHOOL BOARD
by CNB