There is general agreement among educational experts in the US that a student who participates in a sport in high school will benefit in many ways by doing so, such as: improving their health and fitness; developing leadership skills, self-discipline, respect for authority, competitiveness, cooperativeness, sportsmanship, and self-confidence; expanding network of friends and acquaintances; and just having fun.
At Skyline, we believe that a student will reap the full benefits of participation in tennis only if the student participates in all scheduled practices and matches with other schools. To implement our 100% participation requirement, we use the "attendance model" which is required by the Issaquah School District for class attendance at all of its high schools...which is that "absences from attending classes are either excused or unexcused".
Excused Absences
Excused absences are "absences due to influences outside the control of the player". Missing a scheduled practice or match will be deemed to be an excused absence in the following examples: player is sick; player missed one or more classes due to sickness earlier in the day; player has a pre-scheduled medical appointment; player donated blood at school; player has an injury that hinders performing at a normal level; player is required to participate in an extra-curricular function [e.g. DECA, Band, Orchestra] which is related to a graded-class that school term; player had to make up a missed class or take a missed test; player is away on a college visit; player is away on a vacation with their family; a player is unable to participate in tennis due to a family emergency.
Unexcused Absences
Unexcused absences are "absences resulting from decisions made by the player which are generally under the player's control". Players, and their parents, are expected to make a reasonable attempt to identify and resolve any conflicts the player has with their tennis schedule well before the scheduled event occurs. Examples of unexcused absences include missing a mandatory practice or match due to any of the following reasons: player was practicing with another sport’s team, such as an elite soccer team; player was doing homework or was studying for an upcoming test; player was participating in an after-school group project or a school sponsored club activity which is not related to a graded class that semester [e.g. class council, Link Crew, Honor's Society, etc.]; attending Drivers Ed classes, SAT training classes, and music lessons; working at a job; tutoring, baby-sitting, attending family celebrations such as birthdays, and attending religious functions.
PE Credit for Playing Tennis
District policy enables a student to fulfill up to a maximum of 1/2 unit of required participation in PE activities through participation in school sports. A student who participates on a sport's team for a season will result in the number of units of PE they must participate in to graduate to be reduced by 1/4 unit. Skyline's tennis team's philosophy requires that to earn this PE credit a player has no unexcused absences during the season.
IB Activity Hours
District policy enables a student who is working towards earning an IB Diploma to earn "Activity Hours" towards meeting the requirements of the IB diploma by playing on a sports team for one or more seasons. The number of hours that the player can earn is the "actual number of hours that were spent participating in practices and in playing matches." Skyline's tennis team's philosophy requires that to earn IB activity hours a player has no unexcused absences during the season.