Student Eligibility

Omaha Public Schools (OPS) is looking at toughening their eligibility requirements for student-athletes including maintaining a 2.0 (C) grade point average and a passing grade in every class to participate in athletics. OPS high schools currently follows the eligibility requirements of the Nebraska School Activities Association in which a student must earn at least a D in four classes the previous semester. Most students take seven classes each semester. Here is the Bancroft-Rosalie School eligibility policy for participation in extracurricular activities taken from the student handbook. "To be eligible for extra curricular events or contests, the student must be passing six of the seven classes of which they are enrolled. Teachers will update all grades for students (7-12) by 8:15 on every Tuesday. After the second week of each semester if a student is not passing six of their classes they will be put on probation for their first offense, (students will get one probationary week each semester) after that they will be ineligible for all activities the following week. Eligibility will run from Monday to Monday. Students must meet the eligibility status to participate in any activities or contests. Parents will receive a letter from the school when their child is ineligible which will inform them of the classes and grades that their child is down in. The letter will also include the date of the week when they will be ineligible. The policy is not constructed to unnecessarily punish any student. The school is first an academic institution. To be eligible to compete in extracurricular events sponsored by the school, the students must first meet the academic requirements. All other eligibility policies as stated by the Nebraska School Activities Association must be in compliance [passing four classes the previous semester]. Students not passing four classes for the semester will be ineligible for the succeeding semester." The idea of requiring a 2.0 grade point average (or a 77% average) to eligible the next semester is worth looking at. That might decrease the number of students who do just enough to pass (69%). But it might also lead to students taking classes they know they will do well in rather than challenging themselves with more rigorous coursework.