*The names of these interviewees are pseudonyms to protect their privacy.
Academic probation—a policy that allows students to temporarily continue playing sports without meeting GPA requirements—has been a hot topic of discussion at District board meetings for the past two months. Still, the District has yet to come to a decision regarding M-A’s academic probation policy, instead pledging to discuss it sometime in the future.
The Board’s delay comes just months after it required all schools in the district to abolish the longstanding policy. The decision targets only M-A, though, as the rest of the schools in the district eliminated academic probation years ago.
What is academic probation?
Academic probation is a temporary grace period that allows students who fall below the minimum academic eligibility requirements—a 2.0 GPA and no more than one “F” grade—to continue participating in school sports.
As soon as a student falls below a 2.0 GPA, coaches are notified and the student is taken off the lineup for the following game. With academic probation, students and their parents are given the option to sign a paper agreeing to the conditions of academic probation, thus agreeing to enter the semester-long probationary period. As soon as the form is approved by an athletic director, the student is free to continue competing with the team.
Academic probation was introduced during the spring athletic season in 2021, following the hybrid-learning semester when students alternated weekly between in-person and virtual classes.
After the removal of the policy earlier this year, students with a sub-2.0 GPA are still permitted to practice with the team but are not allowed to participate in games until their grades improve.
This ends up as more than a temporary setback for athletes, as many of them are taken off the starting lineup in practice when grades drop, according to Varsity Football Coach Chris Saunders. Students who stay under the 2.0 GPA threshold for more than a couple of weeks may lose upwards of half a season of practice with starters, affecting their long-term status on the team.
The initial rationale behind probation was to account for the unique challenges that prevented students from maintaining a 2.0 GPA at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included decreased motivation to maintain the GPA requirements while sports were temporarily paused , along with family and financial struggles. During virtual learning, many students did not have adequate access to home internet, proper devices, or the time to dedicate to online learning. “A lot of our athletes were struggling at that time,” Athletic Director Steven Kryger said.
“We thought this was an opportunity to give some of those athletes a second chance. I think if we didn’t have academic probation, some of those kids may have checked out.”
Athletic Director Steven Kryger
M-A isn’t the only school with Academic Probation. Kryger claims that nearly 85% of Central Coast Section (CCS) schools have some form of policy. When the policy was instituted in M-A, three key changes were made to align with district interests. First, the eligibility window for academic probation was limited, requiring students to have at least a 1.5 GPA. Second, the probationary period was capped at a single, semester-long use across a student’s entire high school career. And third, students were only allowed to have up to two “F” grades.
Kryger also noted that the policy has served nearly 130 students in its history.
The Case for Keeping Probation
“It’s not something that can be used more than once. It’s not repeatable. It’s not a loophole,” Kryger said, regarding the rationale behind the policy. “It’s a lifeline to keep kids engaged, focused, and motivated, as opposed to hitting a wall and dropping out.”
Many coaches refer to academic probation as a “second chance,” arguing that probation fills a critical gap for students who momentarily fall behind but remain capable of recovery. “It allows someone to not be penalized for a setback or falling behind,” Saunders said.
Kryger added that the policy has been immensely successful in the past, claiming that an estimated 80% of students who go on probation manage to get their grades up past a 2.0 GPA in the following semester. We feel like we’ve had really great success with it,” Kryger said. “A number of athletes have used probation and gone on to graduate and play at the next level.”
Kryger isn’t alone—many students find their grades increased after going on probation. “After probation, I had definitely gotten better grades than I did before,” Michael* said. “Football was at stake.”
Saunders also mentioned that students who go on probation frequently get additional support in the form of weekly progress reports and tutoring at football’s 7th period study hall. Although these benefits are undoubtedly helpful, it’s unclear whether they apply to all students. “I didn’t get any additional help when I used it [Academic Probation],” Jeff*, a member of the Football team, said.
The Case Against Keeping Probation
Though the majority of athletes interviewed argued that probation helped them, some described it as entirely ineffective. “It didn’t motivate me to do any better; it just gave me a free pass to keep playing sports when my grades were bad,” Max*, a junior said.
The process to get approved to go on probation is fairly simple too. “I got a form to sign, and I signed it,” Max said. “Then, I could play sports for another two or three weeks.”
Some teachers also express concerns about the policy. “I don’t know which one of my athletes is near or on academic probation,” English teacher Erin Walsh said. “Nobody tells us.”
According to Walsh, the lack of communication about whether students are on probation means teachers aren’t able to give added or customized support to students who need it.
Despite these concerns, Walsh is broadly supportive of a reformed probation process. “I support it [academic probation]. I like that it’s kind of a ‘Probationary Semester,’ where you can still play for a little bit, but you have to get your grades up soon.”
Some teachers also express concerns that the guardrails—tutoring, a dedicated study hall, progress checks—that larger athletics programs like football have don’t apply to all sports. For instance, if a wrestler goes on academic probation, they don’t get any extra support.
“I think as a general rule, I’m always open to a better way [to run academic probation],” Kryger said. “Could there be a better way to do academic probation? Maybe.”
It remains unclear when the Board will decide on whether to reinstate Academic Probation. Until then, M-A’s coaches and athletes will be left without a probationary option.
