WESTFORD — The School Committee approved new district graduation requirements after weeks of discussions.
Continuing a conversation from May 12, the committee met to consider changing the graduation requirement policy for Westford Academy students, particularly whether to reduce physical education credits from 12.5 to 10 over a student’s four years in high school.
At the previous meeting, the school committee went back and forth about whether to combine physical education and health courses. A student survey asking whether they preferred reducing credit requirements or having more flexibility with electives was also brought up.
School Committee Vice Chair Kathryn Clear said the earlier conversation had stayed with her.
“This feels really complex in some ways, in terms of the conversation and where we had ended up,” Clear said.
She suggested separating the discussions, focusing solely on the PE requirement instead of combining it with the visual and performing arts requirements, which were both debated in the last meeting.
Committee Member Tom Laflamme said that if the proposed reduction in PE credits is adopted, the committee would be trusting educators to create a plan outlining how the changes would be implemented. This would involve collaboration across disciplines and determining where other subjects might cover similar standards.
Committee Member Bill McDonald said that he took a lot away from the student survey.
McDonald said that 356 students responded, representing approximately 33% of the sophomore, junior and senior classes. He said that when they were asked which subject they would like to see a credit reduction for a majority of students would choose multiple subject areas, with 35% saying that they would decrease physical education and health.
He continued saying that when they were asked what subject areas they would increase, almost half of the respondents said they wanted no change in requirements.
“I believe these responses validate an academically rigorous curriculum for students to learn and grow, but also acknowledge the high-pressure environment, which I think we’ve talked about a few times today that exists at WA and across the district,” McDonald said.
McDonald also mentioned that freshmen were not surveyed in the group, even though these choices would affect them.
McDonald said he favored pausing the discussion.
Committee Chair Valery Young said that when considering the graduation requirements on both district and state levels, it’s clear that there have been changes that have happened in recent years that have reduced some of the flexibility students have. She said the amended policy could mitigate some of those consequences.
“So I would also support this idea of thinking about what’s in front of us right now that was vetted through a working group and thinking about PE,” Young said, “I think this is a moderate response that has been recommended to us, vetted to us and feels measured compared to the changes that have happened that have reduced some of that flexibility.”
The committee ultimately voted to approve the policy, the vote passed 6-1. McDonald was the dissenting vote.
