As the P.E. swimming unit rolls around each year, a familiar, years-old conversation rolls through the girls locker-room: the swimming absence policies’ unfairness toward girls. This is not a new complaint. Since middle school, some female students have expressed frustration over the rules surrounding absences during the swimming unit, feeling that not participating due to being on their period should not count toward an absence threshold.
According to an unwritten policy that many P.E. teachers explain at the beginning of the swimming unit, students cannot miss more than three or so days of swimming during the three-week-long unit, or they will have to make up missed days by temporarily joining another P.E. class. For most female students, only being allowed to miss three days is an unrealistic expectation. Periods last an average of three to seven days, and in a week with four P.E. classes, a student skipping necessary days while on their period is likely already at or over the maximum number of permitted absences.
Some P.E. teachers are aware of this and are flexible about the number of days a student can miss. However, a significant number of students would be surprised to hear that specific circumstances are taken into account, and there is an evident mismatch between student and teacher views of the policy.
Therefore, the swimming absence policy should be standardized among and clarified to all P.E. classes, and revised to allow specific excused absences.
Each year, some female students inevitably exceed the absence limit. Even students who do not exceed the limit can be reluctant to miss days for other reasons, such as being sick, as they have already missed several days. While making up missed swimming by joining another class isn’t necessarily considered a punishment, it is often regarded as an inconvenience, and many students strive to avoid needing to bring swimming gear to school for a second time.
Beyond this unfairness, the policy is enforced differently depending on the class period. Some students recount missing several extra days of swimming without consequence, while other students who missed just four days had to make up lost time. This is likely because the specifics of absence rules, including the days a student can miss and the strictness of the policy, depend on the teacher of a class. However, the varying enforcement isn’t the only inconsistent part of the policy — while some teachers easily accept an explanation that a student is on their period as a reason to miss swimming, other teachers require a nurse’s note. If a student shows up to class without a note and explains that they are sitting out due to being on their period, in certain P.E. classes they will be told to go to the nurse to get one. This feels like an unnecessary hassle that only adds stress.
The swimming unit policies should be revised to reflect the realities of students. Female students should not feel compelled to participate in swimming if they are feeling unwell, simply because they may have already not participated in swimming while on their period, and the policy should not differ depending on the teacher of the class. Revisiting these policies, clarifying the details of the absence threshold, and accounting for excused absences will remove unnecessary stress from students and allow their health to feel respected.
