The physical education requirement for future graduates of the Shawnee Mission School District will be diminished by a half credit to make room for new graduation requirements state education officials approved last fall, district school board members decided this week.
On the recommendation of the district’s graduation task force, board members voted 6-1 on Monday to cut the PE requirement from one credit to a half credit.
The change won’t affect students in high school now but will be a reality for incoming freshmen starting next fall. The 2028 graduating class will be the first with the lowered requirement.
Board member Jamie Borgman cast the lone dissenting vote.
New state requirements led to the change
The change was necessary to accommodate a major revision of the state graduation requirements by the Kansas State Board of Education.
The state board reduced the English language arts credits from four to 3.5, while adding a half credit of speech, debate or journalism.
It also will require one credit in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) class for the first time. The STEM class will be an advanced class and would be in addition to the three credits each for math and science already required.
The new standards allow for the half credit in physical education, accompanied by a half credit in health and a half credit in financial literacy.
In addition, two “postsecondary assets” aimed at college placement or real world experience will be required of graduates. Those could range from apprenticeships, involvement in groups like scouting and 4-H, participation in athletics, 90% attendance or high scores on college placement tests.
The number of credits required to graduate is not changing
The district will still require 23.5 credits, which is more than the state’s minimum of 21.
David Stubblefield, associate superintendent of leadership and learning, said district officials wanted to fashion the adjustments so the total required credits would remain the same.
“We felt like increasing (the total credits) would create another barrier to graduation for a lot of our students,” Stubblefield said.
The decision to cut back on the PE requirement was a difficult one but was necessary to leave enough of an elective pool to support the other changes, said Darren Dennis, the district’s chief academics officer.
Shawnee Mission’s Real World Learning program often draws from a student’s elective choices, he said.
There was some pushback to slashing PE requirement
The district formed a committee of teachers from a variety of disciplines across the district that has been meeting since last spring, Stubblefield said.
The decision didn’t come easily. After a lot of passionate and thoughtful conversations, Stubblefield said, the committee approved the cut to PE by a one-vote margin, 13-12.
Brian Vesta, department head of the physical education department at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, voiced concern during the public comment time prior to the vote on Monday.
Reducing the requirement comes at a time when the district seemed to be going in the other direction by starting soccer and football in the middle schools, he said.
“It feels like a giant step backward from where I thought we were heading,” Vesta said.
Physical activity has been shown to help with anxiety and depression, he added, and may also improve grades and test scores.
Vesta said students who were the most exercise averse will end up being most affected by the cut.
He told of a student who said his exercise class made her realize she was out of shape and begin to make changes in her lifestyle.
“This is a student who would never have taken PE if it was not required,” Vesta said. “These are the students who we would be doing a disservice to if we make this change.”
During board discussion later, Stubblefield pointed out that the cut is only in the minimum requirement. Students can still take more physical education than that if they want.
Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at roxieham@gmail.com.
