A Michigan high school is facing scrutiny after parents raised concerns over a gym class policy requiring female students to disclose information about their menstrual cycles if they want to make up swimming days missed because of their periods. Under the policy, which appears in a Lakeview high school gym syllabus, female students who miss swimming because of their periods must have a parent submit a written note or email identifying the length of their menstrual cycle before they can make up the missed days. The syllabus states: “Female students will be given the opportunity to make up days, which are missed only because of their menstrual cycle.
A written/email note from a parent stating the length of the menstrual duration is required, so the student can make up the days.” “Students will complete dry land workouts to be able to make up the days,” it continues. Each day that is not made up will be considered a non-participation day and place the student on the grade reduction scale.” The requirement caught the attention of Andy Amsdill, whose daughter attends Lakeview high school. Amsdill told WXYZ Detroit that he was stunned when he saw the requirements in her gym syllabus.
Menstrual cycle length can sometimes be difficult to predict, and the US National Institutes of Health estimates between 14% to 25% of women experience menstrual irregularities. Irregular periods are even more common in young girls. Amsdill later told CBS News that other parents contacted him after he spoke publicly about the syllabus, saying they were glad he had brought attention to the issue.
Among them was Bryan Shishakly, whose daughter is now a sophomore at Lakeview. Shishakly said she faced the same requirement during her freshman gym class last year and that it affected her grade. Given our commitment to partnering with parents to address any issue that might arise, we immediately sought to schedule a meeting with the parent to engage in a conversation about the concern.” It added: “We look forward to meeting with the parent in the coming days and working collaboratively with that objective.
The Lakeview school district remains fully committed to educational excellence and best practices in all it does.” It remains unclear whether the same requirement appears in other gym class syllabuses at Lakeview high school, or whether the district intends to remove it following the criticism. The controversy has also prompted Amsdill to question whether the policy could be in violation of title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Lakeview public schools addresses title IX on its website and includes a separate guide aimed at helping students identify sexual harassment.
The guide defines it as “unwanted sexual remarks or behaviors” and says that can include “comments about students’ bodies or how they look or act.”
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