During a regular meeting on Jan. 8, the Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Board of Education unanimously approved a recommendation from D209 administrators to excuse some juniors and seniors from the state’s physical education requirement.
According to a notice released by D209 officials last week, those students will be exempt from the PE requirement “in order to take courses required for completion of an International Baccalaureate diploma or leading to early college credit, with prior approval from the superintendent.”
During the Jan. 8 meeting, D209 board member Della Patterson said that officials should clarify for members of the public that not all three schools offer full IB courses, yet. Proviso Math and Science Academy (PMSA) is the only school that offers full IB courses.
Nicole Howard, D209’s assistant superintendent for academics and student and family services, said that there has not been any “recent discussion” about implementing an IB Diploma Programme at Proviso East or West, although West officials are looking to turn in the necessary paperwork to land the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCC) by 2021.
The IBCC program is more career-oriented than the IB Diploma Programme at PMSA, with the former program leading to a certificate.
“It appears as though there will be this big IB program for all three schools,” said Patterson. “If I were on the outside looking in, and didn’t know any better, that’s what I’d be thinking.”
Howard said that the IB-related waivers applicable only to students at PMSA, as well as the early college credit waivers applicable to students at all three schools who are taking AP and dual-credit courses, will be available next academic year.
