The Board of Education of Oak Park School District 97 will hold a Public Hearing on June 10, 2025, at 7 p.m., during the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting.
The purpose of the hearing will be to receive public comment on a waiver of the physical education requirement as outlined below:
105 ILCS 5/27-6 (a) reads as follows:
Pupils enrolled in the public schools and State universities engaged in preparing teachers shall be required to engage during the school day, except on block scheduled days for those public schools engaged in block scheduling, in courses of physical education for such periods as are compatible with the optimum growth and developmental needs of individuals at the various age levels except when appropriate excuses are submitted to the school by a pupil's parent or guardian or by a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 and except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section. A school board may determine the schedule or frequency of physical education courses, provided that a pupil engages in a course of physical education for a minimum of 3 days per 5-day week.
Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is requesting a modification of the 3-day per 5-day week physical education requirement for students at the middle school level. The district has engaged our community stakeholders - including students, families, and staff - in the design of a new middle school master schedule. The community has been clear that it values the holistic development of middle school youth, including access to movement and physical development. The requested waiver seeks to secure this interest and responds to the need for more time for core subjects, social-emotional learning, and career exploration.
Therefore, we are asking that physical education with a licensed physical education teacher be limited to an alternating schedule of 3 days a week per 5-day week, followed by 2 days a week the following 5-day week. While a waiver is requested to accommodate this change, our students continue to have access to additional physical activities on a daily basis. Specifically, all students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade participate in a daily lunch/recess period of 35 minutes with at least 17 minutes of access to physical activities and equipment. This means students will have access to at least 85 additional minutes of physical activity per week.
As authorized in Section 2-3.25g of the School Code [105 ILCS 5], an eligible applicant, as defined in 2-3.25g(a) or any Independent Authority established under Section 2-3.25f-5 of the School Code, may petition for:
- Approval of waivers or modifications of State Board of Education rules and of modifications of School Code mandates, which may be requested to meet the intent of the rule or mandate in a more effective, efficient or economical manner or when necessary to stimulate innovation or to improve student performance (Section 2-3.25g(b) of the School Code); or
- Approval of waivers of School Code mandates, which may be requested when necessary to stimulate innovation or to improve student performance or the intent of the mandate in a more effective, efficient, or economical manner (Section 2-3.25g(b) of the School Code).