Local schools react to Dayton schools lowering GPA rules for sports

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MENOMONEE FALLS WI (CBS 58) -- The school board in Dayton, Ohio is raising eyebrows. The board voted to lower the required GPA for student athletes to a 1.0. Students with low test scores will have to get mandatory tutoring.

This begs the question, how do local schools enforce academics for student athletes?

At Menomonee Falls High School, the Athletic Director says, of course, they want to be proud of their athletics, but when it comes to student athletes, the student part comes first.

Brett Tamblingson is a student-athlete at Menomonee Falls High School, “Sometimes it’s a hard balance.”

Student athletes at the falls have to maintain 1.7 GPA to stay eligible to compete and if they don’t, they have to meet with the athletic director and tutors to get their grades up.

“We want them to do well in class but we want them to do well in sports as well,” says Ryan Anderson, Athletic Director for Menomonee Falls High School.

Anderson says he knows some kids want to just focus on athletics instead of academics but he uses that to help them.

“Sports are their motivator. If their grades are an issue, they know they can’t play.”

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association says student athletes must have no more than one failing grade from the previous school year in order to compete. Individual schools and coaches can raise those standards at their discretion but they cannot lower them.

The WIAA says there hasn’t been talk of lowering GPA standards in Wisconsin like Dayton Public Schools just voted to do.

“I believe you have to start somewhere. A 1.0 GPA is really low but some schools don’t have any,” Anderson said.

There are about 1,300 students here at Menomonee Falls High School and the athletic director says he has to meet with about 12 students or so a year about their grades.

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