For student athletes at Tech who train with teams and get plenty of daily exercise, Physical Education (PE) classes can feel like overkill. Some might wonder if they could opt out of PE, or if that is even a good idea. It is indeed possible, but it is a long process, with limited guidance.
According to Mr. Cicolini, the AP of Health and Physical Education, students can opt out of PE if they are on a PSAL sports team for two seasons and the coach of their team, or teams, is a Tech teacher, but they must replace PE with another class. If students meet these two requirements, their coach must talk with Mr. Cicolini to verify they are actually attending practices.
Mr. Cicolini hopes students do not opt out of PE, which he views as “an essential class for developing well-rounded young adults who learn to build lifelong healthy habits.”
Cicolini explained that each year he adds a new activity to the PE program in hopes of keeping students engaged in, and excited about, PE. He added that “in the coming years, I hope to allow juniors to be able to pick their PE, just like seniors already do.”
Some student athletes do not not seem to place the same value on PE.
Neuroscience major Sophie Iizuka (‘26) is on the track team for all three sports seasons: cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. She had hoped to be able to opt out of PE her senior year, as she “feels like PE is not really useful” because she “does not get much exercise.” Iizuka was not aware of the opt out process. “What about me, how do they count track?” she wondered.
Luckily for Iizkua, each season of track counts as a separate sport so she could opt out, but the process can be difficult, even for student athletes. Being on multiple sports teams does not necessarily guarantee an opt out.
Finance major Rebecca Ho Yun (‘26) felt that taking PE “didn’t make sense [for her].” She is on both the girls’ track team and the girls’ varsity basketball team and was interested in dropping PE in her senior year, but she was unfamiliar with the requirements, adding that her coach had “mentioned it,” but she thought you had to be on a sports team all three seasons.
“[Opting out] is not a clear option,” she said.
Ho Yun believes she gains more from attending her teams’ practices than she does from PE, and would prefer to take more classes instead.
Both Iizuka and Ho Yun reported that they knew people on their teams who had wanted to opt out, but were denied. Ms. Luckman, a guidance counselor who supports around 350 students, explained that, of the 10 or so students who had come to her seeking an opt out last year, only one was granted the opt-out. She also mentioned that the Tech website is rarely updated, and a posted policy that students only need seven terms of PE and one of Health is old and likely incorrect.
Chloe Nebel (‘25) is an Industrial Design major and three-season track team member who sought an opt-out, having known a senior on both the track and tennis teams whose credits met the requirement. However, the fine print stood in Nebel’s way as her guidance counselor explained that she could not drop PE because she had a 1-9 schedule, and would have to add two classes.
“When I graduate I’m going to have 10 gym credits, because each season of track gives 0.5 credits,” she explained.
Her guidance counselor had told her those credits did not count, but Nebel did not know this to be true.
The opt-out process sets a high bar that most student athletes cannot clear, and the Tech website may lead them further astray. Despite much ambiguity surrounding the opt-out requirements, student athletes can still opt out of PE if they meet the requirements. A student athlete seeking a PE opt-out should refer to the PE opt-out form on the Tech website and consult with their guidance counselor to ensure they are meeting the requirements to opt out.
