School board eases eligibility for athletes

The Grand Coulee Dam School District board made two decisions on athletic policy Monday night, one over the objections of one of its members.

School board Director Ted Piccolo had issues with changing district policy so that student athletes can be failing one class and still participate in sports.

The policy requires athletes to carry a 2.0 grade point average (C average) to participate in sports. The change the board approved allows an athlete to carry one failed grade.

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask that a student passes all their classes in order to participate in sports,” Piccolo argued.

Other board members stood by the policy, which was decided in a July meeting but just passed Monday. Some explained that an F was a warning sign indicating an opportunity for coaches to work with an athlete to get the grade improved.

In another matter, the board voted unanimously to move forward on a plan to develop concussion information. The board’s OK is pending an agreement with Coulee Medical Center to partner on the program.

Parents would need to sign on for the program, which would develop baseline data for athletes.

The plan uses a software tool that develops information that is stored in a medical file so comparisons can be made between the athlete’s baseline and a current reading after a hit or fall.

The program is tentative, but offers some solutions in determining when an athlete should stand down because of an injury.

Further brain injury can result if an athlete is put back into play too early, and half of such “second impact syndrome” concussions result in death, according the Cleared to Play, an organization that tracks such injuries.