The end of a long period in Collinsville High School history may be drawing to a close when the final waiver to exempt all juniors and seniors from physical education is soon submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education.

CHS upperclassmen have been exempt from taking physical education since at least the early 1970s, Vicki Reulecke, Director of Curriculum & Assessment, said. However, Illinois law has changed, restricting the number of school-wide physical education waivers a school can receive.

CHS is currently operating under the penultimate waiver it can receive, which expires at the end of the current academic year. The final two-year waiver that can be submitted, under current law, will cover the school through the 2015-2016 school year.

Reulecke said waivers were granted to all juniors and seniors at CHS in the past because the district has been able to demonstrate that there are a sufficient number of students in one of several eligible categories, including:

• Students in other activities that provide physical fitness opportunities, such as Reserve Officer Training Corps, the band or an athletic team
• Students in Advanced Placement classes that offer college credit
• Students who need additional support in study hall
• Students in vocational school where extended classes do not allow time to take PE and meet all other requirements for graduation

The end of the school-wide waiver does not mean all future CHS juniors and seniors will be required to be physically active on campus. Individual waivers will be available for students in ROTC, the band or on an athletic team. Students with other classroom requirements that cannot be fulfilled if they are required to take physical education, Reulecke said.