Detroit — A new policy that temporarily lowers the academic eligibility bar to play sports at Detroit Public Schools is expected to boost the number of high school athletes.
But interim Superintendent John Telford hopes it does something more — keep students in school long enough to graduate.
The new district guidelines, approved by the school board late last month, lower the minimum grade-point average at the beginning of the school year for students to be eligible for sports to 1.67. The current standard is 2.0.
The mid-school year change was championed by Telford, a former track star and DPS teacher. He said it would trim the district's nearly 60 percent dropout rate by allowing more students to become "hooked" on sports.
It also aligns DPS with the majority of the school districts in Michigan, Telford said. "So many in athletics will go above and beyond the minimum because the coaches get so involved with them and their lives," he said.
By the end of the first semester, which for DPS is Jan. 11, the GPA requirement reverts to 2.0. Telford added to that a new requirement of 90 percent attendance in all core classes.
"I believe 1.67 is too low of a standard. It's an entry number. We don't want them to stay there. We want to have a 2.0 in all classes," Telford said.
Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts signed off on the policy change last week.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...ard-sports?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|s
But interim Superintendent John Telford hopes it does something more — keep students in school long enough to graduate.
The new district guidelines, approved by the school board late last month, lower the minimum grade-point average at the beginning of the school year for students to be eligible for sports to 1.67. The current standard is 2.0.
The mid-school year change was championed by Telford, a former track star and DPS teacher. He said it would trim the district's nearly 60 percent dropout rate by allowing more students to become "hooked" on sports.
It also aligns DPS with the majority of the school districts in Michigan, Telford said. "So many in athletics will go above and beyond the minimum because the coaches get so involved with them and their lives," he said.
By the end of the first semester, which for DPS is Jan. 11, the GPA requirement reverts to 2.0. Telford added to that a new requirement of 90 percent attendance in all core classes.
"I believe 1.67 is too low of a standard. It's an entry number. We don't want them to stay there. We want to have a 2.0 in all classes," Telford said.
Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts signed off on the policy change last week.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...ard-sports?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|s
