Dozens of students run on the reddish track under the hot sun, faces contorted in various expressions of discomfort. Their feet slap against the rubber track, in time with their labored wheezing. A few of the students, however, fly around the track with bored expressions, barely out of breath.

Student-athletes should be able to opt out of P.E. classes.

Forcing student-athletes, who are already physically active, to attend P.E. class is redundant and takes away time that they could use to further their academics.

According to a study from the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the number of U.S. students injured each year during P.E. class activities jumped 150% between 1997 and 2007, with an average 36,000 hurt each year as of 2009, and allowing student-athletes to not participate in P.E. class would not be as likely to get injured, which would jeopardize their athletic performance.

The purpose of P.E. is to encourage students to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, but student-athletes likely know more about nutrition, exercise and how to take care of themselves than a class could teach them, due to first-hand experience and their coaches’s knowledge.

Student-athletes work hard in and out of school, balancing sports practice with homework, sleep and a social life, so the least schools could do to help them is let them sit out of unnecessary P.E. classes.