While many may take issue with the policy, what has been done is
that it’s now clear and clearly communicated to the entire
community
It ought to be clear now: Gilroy High School cheerleaders will not be going to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in 2008.
That clarity is a huge improvement over this year, when the Gilroy Unified School District’s policy was so unclear that cheerleaders raised funds for the trip before district administrators gave them what seemed to be a final no-go decision.
The policy was so unclear this year that GHS Principal James Maxwell originally approved the trip before a split GUSD school board overruled him.
The policy was so unclear this year that the school board – split again – eventually reversed itself.
People can quibble over Mr. Maxwell’s assertion that “for a nonacademic field trip, anything over two full days is excessive,” and they will, but at least next year, nobody can say that they didn’t know well in advance that the Pro Bowl trip was not happening.
While it’s a big disappointment for the cheerleaders, who earn the invitation to perform at the Pro Bowl with high scores at a summer cheer camp, it’s a big improvement in district communication, if nothing else.
Unfortunately, ambiguities remain.
Not everyone agrees with the school district’s policy definition of “excessive” time away from school – is it really two consecutive days? How about non-consecutive days? How many is “excessive” when the days aren’t strung together? For example, athletic teams can miss more than three non-consecutive days of school. What’s the right limit in those cases?
While Trustee Jaime Rosso said that “Nobody’s got the bandwidth to revisit the policy,” that needs to change. Given the academic performance issues at Gilroy High School, perhaps clarifying the policy’s current ambiguities ought to be higher on trustees’ to-do list.
For now, clarifying the status of the cheerleader’s trip is a step in the right direction.
