Honesty penalty reduction removed, academic eligibility requirements changed
By Kellen Olshefski
Editor
The Elkhorn Area School District Board of Education approved several changes to the district high school’s co-curricular code of conduct at its meeting Monday night.
First and foremost, District Administrator Jason Tadlock said semester grades will no longer be given priority over term grades relating to academic eligibility, as term grades are more consistent among sports offered.
One of the larger changes, according to Tadlock, refers to a student previously having to receive a passing mark in at least six classes. Previously, a student could also not have failed two or more classes.
Under the new code of conduct, students must receive a grade point average of 1.65 or better and have no more than one failing grade.
Associate Principal Dan Kiel, who was later approved by the board as the district’s new athletic director, said part of the reason is with the different arrangements and flexibility with students schedules in today’s world, students aren’t all taking six classes, noting a block EMT class as an example.
“If you fail that class, now they’re down to five and by grading policy they’re ineligible even if they were on our grading scale they might have passed,” he said. “It gives us more flexibility in dealing with the different schedules kids have now.”
In attempting to avoid inequity with fall sports, which often start several weeks before the start of school, Tadlock said they struck out the requirement students must achieve minimum academic ability for an additional 15 days and also added student athletes may take a summer school class at Elkhorn, another accredited high school or online course to obtain academic eligibility.
A provision was added to the code of conduct that would allow the high school principal to evaluate academic eligibility on a case-by-case basis due to extenuating circumstances.
Tadlock said this can come in to play, for example, when a student has a devastating family tragedy.
“They’re really distracted and the last thing we want to do is come down on them with an academic eligibility piece if that’s interfering,” he said.
Under the section concerning the selling, providing, possession, transport and consumption of alcoholic beverages, controlled substances and tobacco products, the school has now included the use of e-cigarettes, which will be treated in the same manner as other violations. In addition, the district has removed the honesty penalty reduction policy, in which students who come forward within one school day, in person, to an administrator or athletic director to admit a violation would have their penalty reduced by half.
