Freshmen athletes are prevented from leaving their sport early while upperclassmen with the sixth period sticker face stricter rules, ensuring that they leave campus before sixth period begins. The sticker is a pass that enables athletes in a sport to leave campus during sixth period if they do not have practice.
Although this policy is not new, starting this year, there will be a tighter implementation of the rule prohibiting freshmen from leaving school during sixth period.
“The safety and security of our students are our priority,” assistant principal Dr. Andrea Poma said. “If students are roaming around in cases of emergency, we don’t know where they are. They have to be with a teacher or they can’t be on campus [during sixth period].”
The policy stems from the California Education Code Section 51222(a), where the law requires freshmen athletes to pass the fitness test and have at least 400 minutes of physical education per 10 school days. Additionally, since freshmen athletes have physical education listed on their schedules, they are required to stay during sixth period to fulfill their credits for that class.
“[It] doesn’t feel too bad [staying during sixth period]. A lot of my friends are freshmen, and some of them are in my sixth period for track, so I don’t really mind it,” freshman Dylan Lay said. “But I do look forward to [having a six period sticker] in sophomore year because I’ll have more freedom.”
Beyond the impact the new policy has on freshmen, athletes with stickers are also adjusting to firmer measures. While some athletes with six period passes stay at the cafeteria tables or roam around campus during sixth period, stricter enforcement such as always having an adult present and taking attendance of freshmen athletes at the cafeteria tables are already in place.
“I do think that staff are more strict with athletes with the six period stickers,” sophomore Kirsten Reyes said. “From what I’ve seen, they’ve been a lot stricter on having athletes with stickers at the lunch tables.”
