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District 97 Board approves physical-education waiver after teacher warns cuts would reduce health instruction
Summary
Oak Park Elementary School District 97 closed a public hearing and voted to submit a physical-education waiver request. Brooks Middle School health teacher Jennifer Rhodes said reducing class time will force cuts to health curriculum and may worsen achievement gaps for neurodivergent students.
The Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Board of Education on Aug. 12 voted to submit a physical-education waiver request after closing a public hearing that drew no public commenters. The board moved to open the hearing and later approved sending the waiver request for review.
The vote followed public comment from Jennifer Rhodes, a health teacher at Brooks Middle School and member of the Oak Park Association (OPA), who said a proposed schedule change that shortens class periods would require removing whole units from health and physical-education curricula. "There will indeed be lessons and entire units that'll be cut from the curriculum that only allows for 50 minute classes," Rhodes said.
Rhodes told the board she had solicited student…
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