SILVERDALE — Two physical-education teachers expressed opposition to a Central Kitsap School District plan that could allow student athletes to waive up to half of their PE classes.

“We think we should be trying to improve physical education, not setting it backward,” said CKSD teacher Lars Jorstad, who has taught PE and biology for 26 years.

He addressed his comments to the CKSD school board recently.

“The Center for Disease Control reports that obesity rates have doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the last 30 years. We believe that students should be more active, not encouraged to be less active. We believe students should be taking courses like weight training and innovative fitness in addition to competing in sports, not in lieu of competing in sports,” Jorstad said.

[ RELATED STORY: Students in dance, cheer and marching band could waive PE credits ]

Two PE credits are normally required for graduation, but the proposed plan would allow athletes involved in Washington Interscholastic Activities Association school-directed sports to waive two half-credit PE classes, up to one full credit equivalent. Students are not granted credit for waived PE classes, but the waivers allow students to take other classes instead.

One full year of cheerleading or one year of competitive marching band (but not regular marching band) would also count toward a half-credit PE waiver.

Other activities outside of school such as soccer and lacrosse could possibly also be waived as they fit under the “other good cause” waiver rules. Activities that are outside the school and WIAA system would have to meet a certain standard of rigor, however. Sailing club would not be eligible for the waiver.

All students would still be required to take two non-waivable half-credit PE classes: “health” and “introduction to fitness.”

Only half a PE credit could be waived per year, so a three-sport athlete, for example, couldn’t bank two half-credits in a single school year.

The policy mainly applies to the high schools, but also would apply to middle school. Students in the seventh grade could waive one semester of PE by participating in two seasons of sports or activities, but eighth graders couldn’t waive high school PE classes.

If adopted, the policy would be phased-in so that the school could work out any kinks. In the fall of 2015 school processes for the policy could be put into place. Then, in February, 2016, the initial half waiver would be implemented. In February, 2017, the second half waiver would go live.

“I think there will be a high demand,” for the program, said Franklyn McKenzie, CKSD director of secondary teaching and learning. “It’s hard to say.”

If a student athlete were injured and was unable to complete a sports season, it would be up to the coach to determine if the student would earn a waiver or not.

If the policy was popular enough to causes more students than usual to sign up for no-cut athletic programs, additional coaching resources would be allocated to that sport.

McKenzie said that if every student were to take advantage of the policy the districts’ physical education staff could potentially be reduced by half because students would then be taking only half as many PE classes.

“That would certainly be the worst case scenario,” McKenzie said, as it is unlikely that all students would waive the credits.

PE teachers unhappy with plan

Jorstad said he and his colleagues were “pretty disillusioned and pretty disappointed” with the direction the district was taking regarding PE.

Jorstad said the policy wasn’t good for the students or teachers.

“It assumes that all of these variety of activities are going to actually be as credible and meaningful as what is actually going on in the classroom. And so when you take the second year of physical education classes like weight training, like cross training, like innovative fitness – these classes teach concepts that are supposed to implement what happens in the introduction to fitness classes that happens the year before.

“We question whether a band student, for instance, is actually going to be taught about the overload principle. Are they going to be taught about specificity training? Are they going to be taught how to implement those concepts into their workouts? They’re going to learn those things in a second-year physical education class. Are they really going to learn that stuff in band? I don’t think so.

“And lastly, we’re just pretty disappointed because we just don’t feel that PE is valued. And that’s really why people are so emotional about it because it really doesn’t feel like PE is really valued … if it was valued you probably wouldn’t be waiving it.”

PE teacher and coach Mark Ward echoed Jorstad’s comments.

“To say that our athletics could take the place of our PE program is embaressing at best,” Ward said.

Ward said that state-caliber athletics such as the cross country program is only a month and a half long – not enough time to match a full semester’s worth of a PE class, he said.

“Even the kids that make it to state have the shortest season of all sports, September and October … it’s just wrong.”

Football, too, didn’t have enough activity, Ward said.

“I love football, I coached it for nine years … but if you’ve ever watched an actual football game and clocked how much activity is going on, a professional game has three minutes of physical activity. The study was done by Harvard – three minutes. And you’re saying that is going to count as a PE credit. Unfortunately our district has a long and rich history of disrespecting PE and it starts at the elementary level.

“Childhood obesity (and) our own obesity is going through roof. And instead of pushing our kids where we can do something about it, we’re taking it away in favor of standardized testing and advance placement classes. It’s all great, but where is it going to stop? Is my daughter going (to participate in a) CSTOCK play and ask for a waiver for her fine arts credit? Why shouldn’t she? If we listen to music in the weight room can we get a music credit? We’re doing two things: it’s physical, it’s music. It’s the same thing you’re asking with marching band.”

In other CKSD news:

• The district is seeking bus drivers and teachers.

• The district is in the process of changing its Web and email name from www.cksd.wednet.edu to the simpler ckschools.org.

• The district is looking into working with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office to add a School Resource Officer – or SRO – that could work within the school district.