By Nabi Dressler Executive News Editor |
Next school year, information processing will no longer be a D214 graduation requirement and members of NJROTC and marching band will not be required to take a physical education class during the semester that is affected by their extracurricular. These changes were passed by D214 yesterday, Oct. 18.
Info processing will still be an offered elective. According to P.E. division head Jovan Lazarevic, the gym waiver available will be a closed study hall, just like varsity athletes.
According to School Board president Jim Perkins, the elimination of the info processing requirement had been an idea for a couple of years, but this was the first time D214 got to discuss it.
Perkins said because students have computers at home, they already obtain the skills taught in info processing.
“So many students come in now already knowledgeable about technology,” Perkins said.
Perkins hopes students and parents understand the skill of a student enough to decide whether he/she should take info processing.
“If [students] need [info processing], it’s there for them to take,” Perkins said.
According to Perkins, with the elimination of the info processing graduation requirement that “ate up one class time,” the change “does open up new avenues” for students to explore other courses.
Students who have already taken info processing will still possess the credit from the class that goes toward their total credits required to graduate.
No changes to graduation requirements like E-consumerism have been made.
The new gym waiver will let NJROTC and marching band members take a closed study hall in place of a physical education class for the whole semester.
The point of this, according to Perkins, is to “ease the pressure of their academics,” since marching band is such a time-consuming activity. If they choose to take a study hall, band members will be able to work on their schoolwork during the day as opposed to after a practice at night.
Overall, these changes will allow students more time in their schedules to take classes they’d like to take and have more time to get schoolwork done. At the same time, it is up to the students to decide whether to still take info processing and P.E.