End make-ups for physical education

Unsigned Editorial

Students taking physical education are held to the same expectations for missing classwork as academic classes. However, this policy creates unnecessary stress as students are required to complete missed activities before school or during office hours with exercises.

Students should not have to make up for the missed exercise when they are out due to an excused absence, injury or sickness. When excused they are supposed to be released from an activity without penalty.

But currently, if a student is unable to participate during class, some P.E. teachers assign written classwork while other teachers still require students to make up days, and sometimes weeks, worth of P.E. When students miss school, classwork, homework, tests and quizzes pile up. When academics become overwhelming, students’ mental health suffer. Only 30% of students in America take P.E. all four years of high school. If students are only taking the required two years of P.E. to graduate, the make-ups have no long-term fitness effects. The additional worry of having to exercise only creates resentment towards P.E. It is an unnecessary task added to students’ to-do lists that lead to wasted time.

Whereas missing a math lesson would affect learning the next day, P.E. is not foundational. Missing a period does not affect the next day’s activity, so excusing the student is more logical than requiring them to make up P.E.

P.E. offers teamwork and time outside in fresh air which benefits students’ mental health. They are able to form bonds with their peers and try out different sports. However, when students make up P.E., they typically do it alone or with other people they are not acquainted with. This does not allow them to receive P.E.’s benefits, but instead declines their mental health.

This policy is purposeless, taking away time students can use to complete other assignments and having very little beneficial effect. Students do not lose any skills learned before their absence and requiring them to make up P.E. does not improve their fitness mindset. As this issue results in negative feedback, changes made would earn better responses and improve the stigma surrounding P.E.