Old policy was out of whack

In the letter "School board sends wrong message" (March 1), the writer chided Modesto City Schools for revising its policy regarding citizenship and extracurricular activities. She said, "it's all about winning, right?"

Wrong. It's all about giving our kids a fair chance to participate in activities.

Under the previous policy, a student could have a 4.0 GPA and still be ineligible for sports, leadership, cheerleading, etc. All it took was a missing assignment in two classes to make them ineligible. It also made students ineligible to finish a class for which they would receive a letter grade. It was a such a misguided policy that no other school district in California had it.

How did it work? Under the old policy teachers could use unsatisfactory citizenship marks to discipline students for missing assignments. Even if the student ultimately got all A's, the two unsatisfactories would make them ineligible for any extracurricular activity—for months. In contrast, a student who is suspended for fighting may participate in activities once the suspension is over.

The old policy gave overzealous teachers too much power. Fortunately, it has been revised to allow good students who miss some assignments the chance to keep participating in activities.

CURTIS TAYLOR

Modesto