State needs to set GPA standard

I am writing concerning a huge flaw with the academic policy of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. To maintain academic eligibility a student-athlete must merely “pass” all but one of his/her classes. This means that a student-athlete could stay eligible for competition with four Ds and one F (0.8 GPA).

The WIAA allows individual school districts to create their own GPA requirements, with only that one stipulation. Why should this be left up to individual school districts to determine? It can be seen across the state that school districts are plagued by budget shortages and corruption, and this is just one more issue for them to deal with.

The NCAA requires its student-athletes to maintain a 2.0 GPA, and conferences like the SEC are raising that requirement to a 2.5. High school student-athletes are going to be held to a higher standard if they continue to participate in college, so why not raise the bar now? We want kids to succeed in college, so let’s make the WIAA fix this problem sooner rather than later.

Steven Langford Jr.

Washington State University

Senior, Sport Management