Dysart committee recommends keeping D‑minimum for athletics; board debates pilot to test raising standard
Summary
After months of committee work, the athletic‑eligibility review found athletes generally have higher GPAs than nonathletes and the committee recommended no immediate change to the district's D minimum; board members asked for targeted pilot data and broader extracurricular analysis including choir and band.
The Dysart Unified School District Governing Board spent substantial time Dec. 15 reviewing a committee report on athletic eligibility and the district's "no pass/no play" practice. The 25‑member committee examined district and national practices, ran surveys and analyzed grade data before concluding it would not recommend raising the minimum passing threshold for participation at this time.
Presenter Craig (committee lead) summarized the evidence the committee considered, including district data showing athletes' grade‑point averages are higher than those of nonathletes: "The GPA of a non athlete, 2.59 versus the athlete, was 2.91," he said during the presentation. The committee also surveyed stakeholders: 939 students and 730 parents responded. On whether a D should count as passing for athletics, the overall survey result was roughly split, with parents and many teachers favoring a higher standard while students favored retaining the D threshold.
Committee members noted pros of raising the bar — higher academic expectations, better preparation for postsecondary opportunities and more current‑gradebook accuracy — and cons, including potential decreased participation and the risk of forfeited games if rosters shrink. The committee highlighted supports already in place districtwide: mandatory tutoring, increased grade checks, coach‑teacher‑counselor coordination, academic contracts and use of student‑athlete peer tutoring.
Board members expressed divergent views. One member argued that athletics and extracurriculars are privileges that should demand higher academic standards and suggested raising the minimum to a C; another cautioned that changing the standard could be punitive to participants and proposed a targeted pilot to capture the true impact. Several members asked the administration to run sport‑level simulations showing how a C‑minimum would affect participation and to include choir/band data if the district wants to assess extracurriculars more broadly.
The committee said it would produce further sport‑level data and the administration agreed to analyze pilot options before any formal policy change.
