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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — After a special-needs Wichita athlete faced pushback for wearing a letter jacket, school board members are getting ready to discuss the issue and possibly make changes.
The board is hearing a report Monday from the Tri-County Sports League, a league for high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Officials said the report will include a recommendation that schools award regular varsity athletic letters to its athletes who meet eligibility and participation requirements, The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/1DpMsxy ) reports.
Superintendent John Allison has told board members that once the Tri-County Sports League finalizes its guidelines for eligibility, lettering and other issues, participating schools would abide by them.
Issues arose after East High student Michael Kelley, who has Down syndrome, started wearing a jacket bearing a varsity letter his mother had purchased. His mother said Michael was told he shouldn't wear the jacket, although district officials have said no one asked Michael to remove it. Michael has since worn it to school and other events without incident.
During a previous report to school board members, Bryan Wilson, chairman of the Tri-County league, said his board planned to recommend that freshmen members of the league receive certificates of participation. Those in 10th grade and beyond would receive regular varsity letters - the same ones awarded to other athletes at the school - if they attend at least 70 percent of practices and games and exhibit good sportsmanship.
The district does not have a policy on varsity letters. At Wichita high schools, the awarding of athletic letters is guided by the Greater Wichita Athletic League, whose handbook outlines requirements for earning a varsity letter in various sports.
The practice of awarding letters, pins or honor cords for other school-sponsored activities is at the discretion of each high school. Some schools award the same letter for every activity. Others, including East High, have different ones.
Michael Kelley and his teammates on East's Tri-County team earned letters in the shape of an "E." Michael's parents said he and other special-needs athletes deserve the same emblem - a dark blue "W'' with "East" embroidered in white capital letters - that East High varsity athletes receive.
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
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