Confusion surrounding physical education requirements at Central has drawn controversy and a mix of emotions, as many people report that students in IB, MYP, AP, or non-honors classes are held to different standards.

Oftentimes, students entering Central as a participant in the Middle Years Program, the traditional passage to IB, are excused from taking the otherwise required two years of physical education due to their involvement in the sport.

Miles Kay, a junior, was allowed to forgo gym classes as a result of his MYP involvement. “I was allowed to earn gym credits for playing sports, an option that wasn’t given to my friends who didn’t pursue MYP,” Kay said. He did not continue in the IB program, but was allowed to keep his gym waiver. As a result, Kay’s GPA has been raised by the ability to opt out of a non-honors course.

IB students are regularly excused from gym courses, which Tom Wagner, data administrator, partially attributes to scheduling conflicts. “IB students have the opportunity for PE substitution because, due to the science and world language requirements, there isn’t room in their schedules,” Wagner said. However, IB students are also required to play a sport and take a full schedule of courses in order to receive the waiver. These standards are not mandated by the International Baccalaureate program, but were instead implemented by the school after realizing the difficulty that physical education courses caused in IB scheduling.

One AP student, who was never involved in IB or the MYP program and preferred to remain anonymous, received a gym waiver for playing a sport. She was given one semester credit per full year of participation; thus, she was only required to take one year of gym to graduate, an entire year less than a regular student.

Wagner, however, said otherwise. “It is, for some reason, thought that students can simply play a sport and earn a credit… It is not simply play a sport and earn a credit,” he said.

The requirements for gym waivers follow a foggy model that seems to vary by student. Due to the confusion, the anonymous student received a gym waiver after weeks of talking to multiple school officials, and involving her parents. “First my parents called a couple administrators and that didn’t work. Then I went to my counselor and requested to set up a meeting with my administrator. Then, the next time I went in, [my counselor] just gave me the [gym waiver] forms,” she said.

The standards ultimately are handled on a student-by-student basis. For AP students, playing a sport does not always mean they will be excused from gym. For IB students, playing a sport results in a waiver. Wagner recognizes the appeal for gym waivers. For many students in honors and AP courses, it offers a way to boost their GPA due to the non-honors credit that physical education courses require. However, he does not think that students should be so driven by their desire to raise their class rank.

“Colleges and universities are not looking for students who kill themselves for hundredths of points on a GPA. They are looking for students that will bring diversity, integrity, grit and a wide variety of experiences to their campus. They’re not after GPA and class rank driven robots,” Wagner said.

To students, however, the difference in requirements is a frustrating obstacle to reaching their full potential. The anonymous student said, “Absolutely, the rules should change. If a student is playing a sport, especially a varsity sport, and has a schedule of rigorous classes they should be able to make a case to their counselors to get a waiver.” In the following years, it is possible that the guidelines to physical education waivers will be streamlined. Until then, students will be faced with an unclear system that causes confusion.