BFA should count sports outside of school as a credit, because some teenagers work hard and put in many hours for their sports. BFA changed their standards so varsity sports can count as physical education credits, but if you do a sport outside of BFA athletics they will not count it as a credit. I have been doing taekwondo outside of BFA since I was 5 years old, Tuesday through Thursday, and I am there around 7 hours a week at the least. None of those hours I put in every week will count for Physical education credits at BFA. At BFA I get to co-op outside of school, which means that i get to go to work after I am done my 3 classes I need to complete to graduate. One of those classes being PE, if I got credit for my sport outside of BFA I would be able to work more and have more time to learn at my job. Addison Charion, another senior at BFA, does dance and has for 15 years. She goes to competitions and puts around 7-12 hours into practice a week. Addison does dance class after school, but this can not be counted as a physical education credit, so instead she needs to take a PE class when she could have been taking an academic class that aligns with her interests and future career. People who also play junior varsity sports for BFA athletics do not get credit for physical education even though their sport is at BFA. Varsity and junior varsity are designated teams for sports that kids work hard and put in time for. So both varsity and junior varsity athletes should get physical education credit for putting those hours and work in. The kids that do sports outside of school should also get credit if they can show how they are growing and learning in their sport because they have taken time out of their day, outside of school to practice and learn more about their sports. They should also get credit because BFA does not have a team or club for every sport.
At BFA we don’t have a taekwondo team, field hockey team, or horse riding team and we are missing many more sports. If students want to do any sports that BFA does not offer they will not be given any credit. This might deter students from trying new sports or taking new opportunities.Students who put in the work and effort for sports in and outside of school should be given credit for their hard work and dedication.