Attendance among student-athletes is crucial for their success on the field and in the classroom. However many athletes fall short of the rules and don’t see the importance of attending their classes.
There are many different requirements that MCPS has placed to try and combat absenteeism among student-athletes. A Student Parent contract is signed during the registration process for each and any sport. Some requirements include: Students need to attend all their scheduled classes to participate in a practice or contest on that day, if during a season a student has an unexcused absence the student can not compete in the next contest after the violation has been verified and a student-athlete must obtain a 2.0-grade point average. Overall, this forces students to attend school, allowing them to maintain the 2.0 GPA minimum. WJ follows this policy very closely, as it is enforced by our Athletic Specialist, Larry A. Hurd Jr., and our many coaches.
“If you miss any part of the class you are not eligible to play that day or practice,” softball coach Richard Carter said. “It is very important for my athletes to take education seriously to be a strong representative for our team.”
Although the coaches see the importance and benefits of the policy, many student-athletes have problems with it.
“I think the policy makes sense but I feel like it shouldn’t be as strict just because you are missing one period,” junior Lana Eganova said. “Especially if you have an emergency or something and you can’t get it excused it also puts a bad impression on your coaches which adds a lot of pressure onto student-athletes.”
Many student-athletes feel the same about the policy which has made it hard for coaches to enforce.
“I don’t have a problem with the policy however, it is hard to enforce because some teachers will mark my athletes tardy and some don’t so it can be hard to keep it consistent,” Carter said.
Some athletes see the benefits but still have their critiques about weakening the level of strictness.
“I don’t have too strong of an opinion, I just think it is a bit too strict honestly,” junior Ariel Stone said. “Although it keeps kids in class, I would enforce a multi-strike policy where you could miss class 3 times before they kick you out, etc.”
There also is a difference in the way the regulations are enforced between different sports.
“I play both girls’ lacrosse and flag football at WJ and in lacrosse, they are super strict to make sure you are not absent and if you are it should be excused. However, with flag football, there seemed to be a lot more leeway. They still enforce it but it is not as strict,” Eganvoa said.
Regardless of all the critiques, the regulations are a great way to show student-athletes the true importance of academics.