Across the district, student athletes often leave class before the school day ends due to travel and game times overlapping with class schedules. Constantly leaving class can result in a possible strain on a students’ academic life when having to balance the work they miss with limited free time from their athletics.
Junior swim and volleyball player Lauren Dellona believes that the impact missing class has on a student differs depending on which subject is missed.
“For volleyball, I had to leave class a lot more, usually halfway through the period,” Dellona said. “Before (junior year), I mostly missed history or English, which were easier to make up, but this year, I’m worried because I’ll be missing math.”
While repeated early dismissals can negatively affect a student’s academic performance, others believe that it can help promote personal responsibility. Junior track and field athlete Ella Rupel has observed that having sports conflicting with her classes has taught her the importance of time management and communicating with teachers.
“Missing class does interfere with my academics, especially during busy parts of the quarter, but it also forces me to stay on top of my work because I don’t have time to procrastinate,” Rupel said. “I’ve learned to communicate with my teachers and take accountability for my learning.”
On the other hand, many teachers are noticing early dismissals’ impact on their students’ academic efforts. Physical education teacher Brett Hall mentioned that student athletes leave his class multiple times a week, which puts them at higher risk of falling behind.
“People who are in the class (health) tend to do better than people who have to leave, even if the content is posted online,” Hall said. “When students leave early, they miss the discussions, the mini-lectures and the explanations that happen in between, which are often the most important parts of learning.”
Hall believes that the academic effects of early dismissals tend to accumulate over time, negatively impacting students. Students not only miss out on instructional time but also struggle to keep up with the workload.
“The work starts to pile up, and after games, students are usually exhausted or distracted, making it harder to stay motivated and turn work in on time, and that ultimately impacts their grades,” Hall said.
Scheduling constraints have been a factor in determining the extent of flexibility schools have. Boys varsity soccer coach John Nunez explained league rules, travel time and field availability affect game times.
“Away games are usually the hardest because students have to leave class early, sometimes around two o’clock, to travel and have enough time to warm up. It’s not impossible for students to get their work done if they manage their time and communicate with their teachers,” Nunez said. “We always tell our players that school comes first, and if they need to miss practice to finish an assignment or catch up academically, then that’s what they should do.”
Conflicting academic and athletic schedules may not have a simple solution or be easy for all students to balance. Success can depend not on eliminating the conflict but on how well students are supported by their teachers and coaches, and how effectively they manage their academic and athletic time.
“If games are earlier, students miss class, and if games are later, they’re getting home late, staying up late and still trying to finish homework. Either way, it’s challenging,” Nunez said. “At the end of the day, student athletes have to learn how to balance both because that’s something they’re going to deal with for the rest of their lives – having multiple responsibilities and figuring out how to manage them.”