Teacher Union President Suggests Amendment to Athletic Eligibility Proposal

Beachwood Federation of Teachers President Evan Luzar supports raising the bar for athletic eligibilty in Beachwood City Schools.

But he believes that the  goes too far.

"I am fully in support of raising the standard. I think that it's a great idea," said Luzar. "It's going to make Beachwood a better place."

Luzar spoke at a recent meeting of the and said that raising the minimum grade point average to 2.0 would leave students with a C-minus average out.

Luzar added that his position is not neccesarily the opinion of the Beachwood Federation of Teachers, who have not taken an official position on the measure.

He proposed using a C-minus average as the bar – a 70 percent score, or a 1.7 GPA in Beachwood City Schools.

"It's my belief that if a kid has five classes and he has a 70 or above he should be able to play," said Luzar. "A kid who's getting three Cs at Beachwood High School is doing something. That kid is deserving of the honor of playing a sport."

Beachwood City Schools is considering raising the bar above the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s, requiring that students achieve a 2.0 GPA in the preceding quarter and no failing grades,  principal Bob Hardis said at the Sept. 26 meeting. The proposed standards would allow athletes who raise their grades four weeks after the start of the season to participate.

OHSAA mandates that athletes pass five classes in the previous quarter to participate in sports. This means students can fail some classes to participate, and there is no grade point average requirement.

The Board also discussed gathering data to determine the number of students who would be impacted if the measure passed.

The measure was last addressed at the Oct. 24 meeting of the Board of Education but no vote was taken. It was not addressed at Monday, Nov. 14 meeting and has not been scheduled for another reading. Watch for more updates on this story as they become available.