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Parents press Elkhorn Area School District on middle‑school PE schedule, cite possible statutory breach
Summary
Parents at the Aug. 25 board meeting said a new middle‑school schedule limits PE to a single trimester and asked the board to fix what they called noncompliance with Wisconsin law; district staff said a proposed waiver was withdrawn after consulting the Department of Public Instruction and that scheduling for sixth graders on a 7–12 rotation is permissible.
Rebecca Johnson, a parent of an incoming Elkhorn Area School District middle‑school student, told the board on Aug. 25 that the district’s new middle‑school schedule shows only one trimester of health and physical education and "Physical education must be offered every week, all year long at the middle school level. This is not a suggestion." She asked the board to hold administrators accountable, create a compliant schedule or convene a special meeting before school starts.
Why it matters: parents said the change forces students to choose among music, allied arts and PE, which they contend contravenes Wisconsin statutes and district policy. The dispute centers on whether the trimester schedule meets DPI’s expectation that PE be provided on a regular (weekly) basis and whether a waiver was properly handled.
At the meeting several parents, including Aliyah Ferry and educator‑parent Matthew Gutsch, urged transparency and a prompt remedy. Gutsch, who identified himself as an award‑recognized teacher, said research shows regular physical activity "leads to better learning, improved retention" and argued cutting PE runs counter to those findings.
District staff responded in public comment. A district representative said the board and administration had consulted the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) after concerns were raised, that a proposed PE waiver was withdrawn and that DPI has an interpretation allowing sixth graders scheduled with grades 7–12 to be scheduled on a trimester basis. The district representative said, according to district figures, incoming sixth graders will receive about 2,920 minutes of PE instruction compared with roughly 2,160 minutes in fifth grade, noting the difference is that instruction is concentrated in trimesters rather than spread weekly.
Board members discussed next steps: several said they want to wait for DPI’s formal written guidance before taking policy action, while others were open to a special meeting so parents could be heard sooner. Administrators said they would continue to meet with DPI staff and offered to meet individually with parents who request it.
What remains unresolved: parents at the meeting asked for a clear, timely fix before school begins; the board did not adopt an immediate schedule change and instead said it would await DPI’s definitive guidance and consider convening a special session if warranted.
Next steps: the district said it would follow up with DPI and report back to the board and parents; parents asked the board to prioritize transparency and a timeline for corrective action if DPI finds noncompliance.
