No Pass, No Play

Question

K. Reiter

It’s the law in Texas, and not just a suggestion. The No Pass, No Play law was passed in 1984 by Ross Perot. It stated that in order for students to be able to participate in extracurricular activities such as band, sports, cheerleading, or choir, they must maintain a passing grade in all of their classes.

After the law first went into effect, coaches and parents all over the state were outraged. More than 15 % of all varsity football players and 40 % of all junior varsity and freshman players in the state found themselves sitting on the bench under the Friday night lights instead of playing in the game. The penalty was a 6-week suspension. However, in 1995, it was reduced from six weeks to only three weeks.


Students who do not pass their classes will not be able to participate.

The University Interscholastic League, or UIL, seems to take the heat when it comes to enforcing the law. Many people blame the UIL for students not being able to play and don’t realize it’s actually the law. There is nothing the UIL can do about it.

Freshmen usually fall prey to the law during the first grading period. Many drop the ball and are not able to participate from the get-go. But his law doesn’t only affect high school athletes. It’s pertinent to even elementary students. Elementary students participate in UIL events such as storytelling, oral reading, and number sense starting in Kindergarten. They compete against other schools and often other districts. If their grades are not passing, then those students will not be able to participate. It’s just that simple.

Because many people think it’s a UIL rule and not a state law, they want the UIL to fix it. Many excuses are offered for why students do not have a passing grade, and they expect leniency. The bottom line, it’s the law. Some school districts will allow a little leeway if students are taking advanced classes. They don’t want to discourage them from taking on a challenge.

Schools are not required to report the data of No Pass, No Play, so there is no accountability of the school districts. The hope is that school administrators, teachers, and coaches are fair when it comes to No Pass, No Play. The idea of the law is to make students realize the importance of academics and not put all of their eggs in one basket. Many high school athletes want to become Pro athletes, but what if that doesn’t work out? They will need something to fall back on.

Even though the law can sometimes cause teams to have to forfeit and great musicians to have to take a bench, the goal is that more positive comes out of it than negative. Hopefully, if students fail one grading period, they will learn their lesson, and it will not happen again. Sometimes, lessons must be learned the hard way.

The author organizes the passage so that the reader understands—
Responses
A the steps to take to file an exception to the lawthe steps to take to file an exception to the law
B that the law pertains primarily to high school football playersthat the law pertains primarily to high school football players
C why the law was created and how it effects studentswhy the law was created and how it effects students
D why academic grades should not affect athletic play

Answer 1

The author organizes the passage so that the reader understands:

C why the law was created and how it affects students.

The passage discusses the purpose of the No Pass, No Play law and its implications for students across various grade levels, highlighting its impact not only on high school athletes but also on elementary students involved in extracurricular activities. It explains the reasoning behind the law and addresses the consequences of not maintaining passing grades.