Some gym teachers in Orland Park-based Consolidated High School District 230 may find themselves teaching different courses once an expanded physical education waiver policy takes effect.
Supt. Tim Brown said the policy changes, approved earlier this year by board members, will not mean a loss of jobs, but some gym teachers will teach other subjects in which they are qualified.
“There will be some shifts from p.e. to other areas, I’m sure,” Brown said.
The district currently allows junior and senior members of varsity athletic teams to skip physical education for one semester if they enroll in another course.
The new policy will expand that option this fall to varsity cheerleaders and pompoms, junior and senior marching band members and junior driver’s education students.
Driver’s education is considered a health and safety course by the state.
However, beginning with the fall 2001 semester, anyone who chooses to skip would not have to take a substitute class, except students taking driver’s education. District officials have said that renovations will provide enough space by then to accommodate the additional students expected to choose study hall rather than gym.
For students eligible to skip gym, the district will avoid scheduling physical education courses in the first and last periods to avoid the temptation of shortening the school day.
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“I feel this is great for kids,” school board member David Dore said. “They will have more control over what affects them.”