FREE PRESS

A growing number of schools are pressuring the state to change its two-decade-old standard of allowing students to play sports with grades as low as four D's and two F's.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association, which regulates sports in nearly 1,600 schools in the state, has not formally discussed academic requirements since enacting the standards in 1986.

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But that could change soon, as schools, which can stiffen their own standards, complain that more should be expected of students.

"There is now more sentiment, rather than less, for the minimum standard to be increased," said Jack Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. "It's a new phenomenon."

But the MHSAA board, comprised of athletic directors and other school administrators, won't act on academic standards for at least another year because of other priorities, members said. And some members are reluctant to meddle with eligibility rules.

"I'm not against higher standards for individual schools, but to me, it's a local issue," said Paul Ellinger, MHSAA board president.

A Free Press survey of 45 school districts found that about half use the state's minimum standards. Only six of the districts require a C average, but five of those allow students to fall below a 2.0 grade point average as long as improvement is shown.

In those districts, the schools with stronger athletic programs -- especially in football -- tend to use the minimum standards while those that struggle the most set the bar higher.

Mt. Clemens High School, for example, opened this school year by requiring student athletes to maintain a cumulative C average. As a result, nearly half of the Battling Bathers football team was benched.

The team ended the season 1-8 and would have done better if the nine players weren't ineligible, said Coach Wayne Poole.

"There are school districts where athletics trump academics," said Greg Murray, president of the Mt. Clemens Community Schools Board. "Kids cannot compete in the real world with D's and F's."

Voices on both sides of the debate are passionate.

Some argue that higher standards boost academic achievement, preparing students for college. The philosophy: If students really want to play sports, they will study hard.

Critics counter that sports are a motivator for students who might otherwise drop out. They say athletes with poor grades often improve under the leadership of coaches. Higher standards, they add, deter students from taking challenging classes.

Contrasts in football, basketball

School administrators agree that athletes generally perform better than other students. The question is whether sports help to boost student performance or student athletes simply tend to be higher achievers.

"If a majority of our athletes are performing high academically, it's a chance to give an athlete with lower academics an opportunity to interact with the higher-performing students," said Todd Beiderwolf, executive director of secondary education at Warren Consolidated Schools, which uses the MHSAA standards. "It's positive peer pressure."

Whatever the case, schools with lower academic standards tend to have more success on the gridiron.

Take the final 16 playoff teams in Division I high school football this season. Nine use the minimum standards. One of them with higher standards, Troy High School, has no minimum GPA but requires students to pass five of six classes.

And of the seven football teams with perfect regular seasons this year, four apply the bottom standards. By contrast, four of the five winless football teams reached by the Free Press have higher standards.

The same isn't true in basketball, which is dominated by Detroit Public Schools, the largest district in the state. The district stiffened its standards in 1983 after star athletes weren't getting the grades to enter college. The district's 32 high schools require athletes to maintain a C average or they are placed on probation.

While some students are "falling by the wayside," grades generally have improved, said Lafayette Evans, director of athletics at DPS.

"Most students will meet whatever challenge you set forth," Evans said. "If you have low expectations, they won't challenge themselves."

Saginaw High School, a basketball giant that struggles with a high dropout rate, credits its C average standard and weekly progress reports with getting 26 athletes into Division I colleges since 2000.

One of them is basketball star Draymond Green, who on Wednesday accepted a full scholarship to Michigan State University. The 6-foot-7 forward said higher standards motivated him and his teammates to study hard.

"If you love to do something, and you want to take it to the next level, you do whatever it takes," Green said Friday. "You don't have a choice."

Some coaches, administrators and students question whether lower standards give teams a competitive advantage.

"I think the standards should be the same for everyone so it's fair," said 17-year-old Richard Magee, who plays soccer, baseball and tennis for Mt. Clemens High School. "You can't compete if a lot of your players are ineligible."

On top of the game

Some schools have found ways to raise standards without jeopardizing their strong sports' programs.

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian ended this year's regular football season 9-0, despite a requirement for athletes to maintain a C average. Students who fall below a 2.0 GPA are closely monitored and have three weeks to boost their grades with the help of tutoring. If improvements aren't made, the student is benched for a semester.

"We have found that kids put on probation turn around their grades," Athletic Director Josh Bailey said. "If we make a kid ineligible right away, they don't come back. Probation is a string to keep them alive."

Mt. Clemens plans to take the lead in urging the state to tighten standards. At the annual Association of School Boards meeting next year, Mt. Clemens school officials intend to craft a resolution urging the higher standards.

"I would hope the Michigan High School Athletic Association would step up and apply a standard that truly prepares young people for the 21st Century," Mt. Clemens Superintendent Charles Muncatchy said. "Having students eligible to play sports in high school and not prepared for life doesn't make sense to me. It's a disservice to students."