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Seymour Board adopts revised PE makeup policy after parent concerns
Summary
The Seymour Board of Education approved a revision to Policy 6163.5 governing makeup work for physical education in grades 6–12 after public comment raised fairness concerns about written assignments and medical exemptions.
The Seymour Board of Education voted to adopt a revised Policy 6163.5 governing makeup work for physical education for grades 6–12 after public comment and board discussion.
Parent commenter Jody told the board she appreciated the policy committee’s work but asked the board to limit written makeup assignments because written work is not part of regular middle-school PE and can unfairly penalize students who are stronger in physical activity than writing. “Written assignments aren’t part of the regular PE curriculum at the middle school level,” Jody said, adding that grading students on the quality of those responses can feel like a double penalty for some students.
Board members said the revision narrows the requirements and leaves the choice of written work versus a physical activity to teacher discretion, while still requiring makeup work after in-school or out-of-school suspension and exempting students who miss class because of school-related obligations such as guidance meetings or extracurricular events. The board also discussed how the policy treats students with medical excuses and how high-school scheduling and re-registration practices interact with the requirement to make up PE credits.
The revised policy sets that students who miss PE because of suspension must complete a makeup assignment; students who miss for school-related functions (for example, a field trip or a scheduled school activity) are exempt from makeup. For medically excused absences and for high-school scheduling questions, board members and administrators said existing procedures such as 504 plans or re-registration rules remain relevant and that the district will monitor the policy’s implementation and return to the board if problems arise.
A motion to accept and adopt the revised Policy 6163.5 was made and seconded by board members; the motion passed. Board members said they will monitor equity and consistency in applying teacher discretion for makeup assignments and revisit the policy if necessary.
The board noted the revision applies to grades 6–12; the elementary grades are not covered by this policy.
Board members asked administrators to provide the relevant physical education standards to members so they can see how missed standards are addressed in makeup work and to clarify how medical excuses are processed for students nearing graduation.
The district superintendent, Dr. Compton, and administrators answered questions about implementation and recordkeeping during the discussion. The board indicated the policy change will be observed during the coming year and brought back for reconsideration if it produces inconsistent outcomes.
