Beaufort County schools suspend student-athlete GPA requirement, citing COVID
Student-athletes in Beaufort County School District won’t have to maintain a 2.0 GPA — a “C” grade average — to participate in sports this school year. But students below that benchmark won’t be allowed to participate in games or competitions, just practices.
District officials hope that suspending the policy for one year will “extend an olive branch” to students who struggled academically during the COVID-19 pandemic by letting coaches support and monitor them to get their grades back on track.
The district’s previous standard, which Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said was one of two in the state that go above the requirements of the South Carolina High School League, meant that students below a 2.0 average could not stay on the team.
To remain on the team, students below a 2.0 will still have to maintain an overall passing average and keep their GPA above a 1.0 — a “D” average — which is in line with the league’s requirements.
They’ll also be monitored by their school’s athletic director and eligibility coordinator and have weekly check-ins with coaches. Their GPA will be reported at the end of every week, and in order to participate in games or competitions, they’ll need to have been above a 2.0 at their last check-in, according to district spokesperson Candace Bruder.
“Everything about this proposal is data-driven and student-centered,” said Carlos Cave, the district’s lead athletic director. “What we’re basically asking is that we be allowed to more closely work with and extend the olive branch to kids who have struggled during the pandemic.”
The school board voted 9-0 at its June 29 meeting to recommend that Superintendent Frank Rodriguez suspend the 2.0 requirement for the 2021-22 school year. Members David Striebinger and Angela Middleton were absent.
Mel Campbell, a former district teacher who represents parts of northern and mid-Hilton Head Island in District 10, said he made the original motion to suspend the requirement so that students whose grades dropped during the pandemic would have the support system of their teams to re-engage them.
“A lot of athletes, they’re supported by the coaches and they need to be participating in it,” he said. “Those grades went down during the pandemic, and they’ll be disengaged. It’ll hamper them further than if they were on the football field or the basketball court or tennis court or whatever.”
The GPA requirement is suspended only for the 2021-2022 school year, according to the board’s motion, though the suspension could be renewed for next school year.