WWYD / How Upset? High School Schedule - JROTC Related

[Roc A Bee]

I’d be a 10.

I’m in CA and they need 2 years of PE. Usually they start as a freshman but don’t have to. I’d also ask about PE in the summer (a lot of kids do it in the summer here to free up a period).

[macmars45]

I'd be a 10. I'd be at the school demanding to speak with the principal and counselor asap.

Their scheduling problems are not the students/parents to solve. The saying "not my monkey, not my circus" applies nicely here.

[livinitup]

Aug 13, 2025 12:16:51 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

It’s CA. Freshman PE is mandatory all year. I don’t think there’s a waiver option for this year but we will ask. They told him they might be able to switch him to normal PE next quarter but IDK how that will work because it seems like they will always have the same issue…

Is the school saying this is a PE class (that meets the state requirement ) for JROTC students + non-JROTC students?

Or is your kid in the JROTC program now?

[litskispeciality]

I'm overly passionate about this, but the number of responses that kids make up PE/gym in the summer to free up space during the year makes me ragey. Exercise is important, but 1 year max of PE, dance, some kind of physical requirement is PLENTY. Students shouldn't have to give up summers off to make up gym, unless maybe they fail.

[windyseas]

Aug 13, 2025 15:48:47 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

I'm overly passionate about this, but the number of responses that kids make up PE/gym in the summer to free up space during the year makes me ragey. Exercise is important, but 1 year max of PE, dance, some kind of physical requirement is PLENTY. Students shouldn't have to give up summers off to make up gym, unless maybe they fail.

When I was in high school, you could pay to get your PE credit in the summer.  Many kids did this because summer PE was more fun than PE during the school year - plus you didn't walk around school sweaty. 

My parents were too cheap to pay for summer PE, so I took it during the school year.  It was a waste of time, really.  We didn't do much other than flirt with the opposite sex.  

[sonrisa]

Aug 13, 2025 15:24:38 GMT -5 livinitup said:

Aug 13, 2025 12:16:51 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

It’s CA. Freshman PE is mandatory all year. I don’t think there’s a waiver option for this year but we will ask. They told him they might be able to switch him to normal PE next quarter but IDK how that will work because it seems like they will always have the same issue…

Is the school saying this is a PE class (that meets the state requirement ) for JROTC students + non-JROTC students?

Or is your kid in the JROTC program now?

The child has been given a PE uniform that says ARMY on it for a class that will have a JROTC guided curriculum. The same army deployed to terrorize California civilians and violating CA civil rights protections for LGBTQ people. 

Whether they will be fully enrolled in JROTC or just joining them for PE, that would be completely not okay with me.

[jinkies]

We don't have JROTC, but I'm overly invested and have now googled. The military regulations require parental consent to join JROTC.

So I don't think this PE class in any way implies that your kid is now in JROTC. I think a counselor screwed up and didn't see that they had overloaded a certain PE class, and now they are scrambling to find an alternative that causes the least amount of headache with changing schedules. I would bet that this will appear on your kid's transcript as a regular PE class, that just happens to mostly have JROTC kids as his classmates.

I hope you update after talking to the school!

[lillaguma]

My kids are just in elementary, but when I registered them I could select that I didn't want them contacted by military recruiters and that will last all throughout their school career in our district unless I decide to change it. Curious if that would apply to this sort of situation? I'd really like to know why they selected the five kids that they did, are they the only ones with this particular scheduling issue or was there some other reason they were singled out?

Either way, I'm team burn it down.

[minniemouse]

As a parent of a junior in HS and a 7th grader, I’d be livid. The school had to know that gym class was full before school started, and no student should be asked to make a decision on the spot like that, especially for a program like ROTC that has a lot of extra requirements, uniforms, etc. at our school, parents have to approve schedule changes if the class or level is changing. We have no say (and are not notified) if it’s an even swap to balance classes. For example, my younger dd’s homeroom was too full last year and they moved her and a few others fo another one 6 weeks into the school year. She was really upset but there was nothing we could do, since it was an even swap (and it was just homeroom, not a graded class).

[eb777888]

If it turns out that it's just doing PE with the JROTC kids, I personally would not have a problem with that. I understand why some would and whether or not you do is what matters. Joining the JROTC program would be a big fuck no and David wouldn't want to do that anyway. I know he'd be really upset to give up his AP English class so I'd be open to other options and yes, even summer school. PE is not a big deal to me and I wouldn't care if he didn't have to take it at all.

[ellipses84]

Aug 13, 2025 15:48:47 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

I'm overly passionate about this, but the number of responses that kids make up PE/gym in the summer to free up space during the year makes me ragey. Exercise is important, but 1 year max of PE, dance, some kind of physical requirement is PLENTY. Students shouldn't have to give up summers off to make up gym, unless maybe they fail.

DS has actually been doing 2 hours a day for of Football practice 4 days of week basically all summer (half the days are weight lifting / half are field drills ) but that doesn’t makeup for PE for him. DH hasn’t heard back from the school all day and was preparing to go down there in person tomorrow morning. Apparently they just called him back…I’m still at work and need to talk to him when I get home.

[macmars45]

Aug 13, 2025 17:49:24 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

If it turns out that it's just doing PE with the JROTC kids, I personally would not have a problem with that. I understand why some would and whether or not you do is what matters. Joining the JROTC program would be a big fuck no and David wouldn't want to do that anyway. I know he'd be really upset to give up his AP English class so I'd be open to other options and yes, even summer school. PE is not a big deal to me and I wouldn't care if he didn't have to take it at all.

If he's just doing PE with the JROTC kids he doesn't need the army shirt the school gave him to wear for that PE time slot. 

[emujane]

Aug 13, 2025 17:04:02 GMT -5 lillaguma said:

I'd really like to know why they selected the five kids that they did, are they the only ones with this particular scheduling issue or was there some other reason they were singled out?

Either way, I'm team burn it down.

My gut says they figured that kids in the advanced track were going to be unwilling to give up that English class and would be easy to bully into the simple solution for the school.
Team burn it down

[UMaineTeach]

Burn it down. You can’t conscript students for them to have access to advanced classes in public school. Freshman can’t volunteer for service.

[ellipses84]

Update…the Athletic Director (not the assigned counselor DH contacted) called and talked to DH, apologized for how everything was handled, explained a little about why but ultimately didn’t solve anything. We can meet with him in person tomorrow after a meeting we are attending about something else. DS brought home the Syllabus and consent forms, which basically make it seem like he’s joining the full program, not just taking it the PE class. The PE class is graded on things like wearing the dress uniform all day on certain days of the week, having military standard hair, attending mandatory events outside of school in uniform including one on a Saturday this quarter, etc. in addition to the things that happen in class like drills, memorizing the creed, etc. Of course, DS not wanting to make waves or have his parents embarrass him by making a big deal out of it, is saying he’ll just do it and he can handle a challenge. DH thinks there could be some good things about it like getting him to speak up, the leadership aspect and making him wear nice clothes/ pay attention to his appearance (he’s a huge introvert and I made him do cotillion/ etiquette courses in 7th grade so I get that). DH thinks DS will hate it so much after 1 quarter that he will refuse to do it again and never join the military (where if we ban him from doing it, that could be our rule following teen’s rebellion). Even if he’s willing to do this for PE, I don’t want to sign the consent forms which I think are consenting to a lot more. The requirements for the class are also so much more intense than regular Freshman PE.

I’m definitely sending an email to many people in administration to make sure they are all aware this happened with some alternate solutions and compromises because I don’t think that the options presented should be the only ones available when he has 4 years to complete his PE requirements. I

[mcppalmbeach]

Wow ellipses84. Just wow. Given the update, I would go nuclear. I would want the counselor and principal at the meeting, not just the AD. And I would pretty much insist that they figure this shit out. If not, I’d be phoning the superintendent every hour on the hour. If that didn’t work, I’d be on the phone with the media and blasting them on tik tok and every Facebook site I could find. Even putting aside the military component, insisting a student take a class with extra requirements they didn’t sign up for willingly just to fulfill a pe requirement is beyond the pale. Certainly there has to be something else.

[googled]

JROTC is absolutely a recruitment tool and I would be fuuuuucking livid and burning everything down til I was Arsonist of the Year.

[maudefindlay]

Aug 13, 2025 12:42:41 GMT -5 abs said:

Aug 13, 2025 12:30:56 GMT -5 beerlover said:

You still need to take PE in PA even if you play sports. Well at least, in the district I work at, and my son's district.

So are sports not a class? Like football here would be one of your 7 classes thus the PE credit is satisfied.

It’s fascinating to me how different it is everywhere!

No, its an afterschool extra curticular. Do your sport practices happen during the school day then?

[wanderingback]

Aug 14, 2025 3:17:29 GMT -5 mcppalmbeach said:

Wow ellipses84. Just wow. Given the update, I would go nuclear. I would want the counselor and principal at the meeting, not just the AD. And I would pretty much insist that they figure this shit out. If not, I’d be phoning the superintendent every hour on the hour. If that didn’t work, I’d be on the phone with the media and blasting them on tik tok and every Facebook site I could find. Even putting aside the military component, insisting a student take a class with extra requirements they didn’t sign up for willingly just to fulfill a pe requirement is beyond the pale. Certainly there has to be something else.

Yeah, I’m so confused. So now he has to go to Saturday events and wear a uniform (more laundry, etc). Hell no.

OP, do you really think telling him he can’t do it is going to cause him to join the military at 18? I mean, if he really does want to at that point you really can’t stop him. I personally would continue to pursue this and explain to your son why.

[underwaterrhymes]

Your update made my head fly off my body and it’s not even my kid.

[wanderingback]

Aug 14, 2025 6:34:57 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Your update made my head fly off my body and it’s not even my kid.

Agreed. I even downloaded the mission of the JROTC and it says "Provide more opportunities to today’s youth to see what the JROTC, Senior ROTC, the Military Services, and the collegial environment have to offer them."

Hell no, they do not need to tell my child what military services have to offer them (my dad was a navy pilot).

I would draft my email to discuss how you are not consenting to the extra activities (Saturday commitments) that aren’t included in regular PE and not consenting to the mission and anything else in the guidebook and would provide quotes and references. Not today satan, not today.

[honeydew1894]

I am aghast at this--especially your update. They need to figure out a way to get him in a regular PE class, ASAP.

[ellipses84]

Aug 14, 2025 6:31:10 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Aug 14, 2025 3:17:29 GMT -5 mcppalmbeach said:

Wow ellipses84. Just wow. Given the update, I would go nuclear. I would want the counselor and principal at the meeting, not just the AD. And I would pretty much insist that they figure this shit out. If not, I’d be phoning the superintendent every hour on the hour. If that didn’t work, I’d be on the phone with the media and blasting them on tik tok and every Facebook site I could find. Even putting aside the military component, insisting a student take a class with extra requirements they didn’t sign up for willingly just to fulfill a pe requirement is beyond the pale. Certainly there has to be something else.

Yeah, I’m so confused. So now he has to go to Saturday events and wear a uniform (more laundry, etc). Hell no.

OP, do you really think telling him he can’t do it is going to cause him to join the military at 18? I mean, if he really does want to at that point you really can’t stop him. I personally would continue to pursue this and explain to your son why.

No…I think he just doesn’t want drama right now but if he gets pulled from it he’ll be relieved. All I had to do last night was ask him, who is Commander in Chief of the Military? He jokingly told me Elon Musk, doesn’t he run everything now? (Don’t worry this is the kid who hated Teslas long before most people). He named the highest ranking offices lower than the President so IDK if he actually remembered it was officially was the President and I reminded him it was, and said think about who that is…that really made the idea unappealing to him… we will definitely be having more talks about things like this.

Things were intense around the election so I’ve backed off some, not wanting the kids to hear “womp, womp, womp” Charlie Brown adult lecture voice from me whenever I talk or causing them to feel too much anxiety / depression about the world since this has been going on so much of their childhoods. DS1 is already an anxious glass half empty teen. I’ve focused more on getting him books to read and having conversations about critical thinking / right / wrong without bringing politics into it and making sure they aren’t consuming red pill media / are aware of what that is and why it’s bad, but I will definitely be talking to him more before he gets to voting / joining the military age.

[glw]

I don't understand why they are still acting like there are only two options (drop AP English or take JROTC gym) when clearly there ARE other options. Many of them.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I would be at the level of threatening to contact the local media about how absolutely unacceptable it is to FORCE students to enroll in JROTC if you don't leave the meeting with an acceptable solution.

[tacokick]

Are there no other classes meeting then he could take? This is something that needs to be escalated.

The military aspect is enough to make it “take it to the superintendent and the media level” but it is a massive time commitment and a lot of effort. Is he going to drop sports so he can devote the time to this? Is he going to be comfortable wearing a military uniform and participating in these Saturday events just so he can take gym?

This is a great time to teach the value of not blindly following nonsensical decisions made by people in “authority”.

[sparkythelawyer]

Aug 13, 2025 23:29:28 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

Yeah, this is NOT a gym class, and on these grounds alone I'd be yanking my child.  And my meeting with the Athletic Director would also include the Principal and likely the head of the Guidance Department if I could get that person in.  Regardless of "whelp it might help his extroversion," I'd be informing the school that under NO circumstances will I be signing these forms, I do NOT consent to him actually joining JROTC, because all he's trying to do is take his required gym class and if they cannot accommodate his gym class then we'll go sign up for something at the local JuCo.  They cannot backdoor enlist your kid in ROTC and expect you not to notice.  And I say this as someone who fully supports young people joining the military as a way to hep gain maturity and life skills.  

[wanderingback]

Aug 14, 2025 7:03:59 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

Aug 14, 2025 6:31:10 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Yeah, I’m so confused. So now he has to go to Saturday events and wear a uniform (more laundry, etc). Hell no.

OP, do you really think telling him he can’t do it is going to cause him to join the military at 18? I mean, if he really does want to at that point you really can’t stop him. I personally would continue to pursue this and explain to your son why.

No…I think he just doesn’t want drama right now but if he gets pulled from it he’ll be relieved. All I had to do last night was ask him, who is Commander in Chief of the Military? He jokingly told me Elon Musk, doesn’t he run everything now? (Don’t worry this is the kid who hated Teslas long before most people). He named the highest ranking offices lower than the President so IDK if he actually remembered it was officially was the President and I reminded him it was, and said think about who that is…that really made the idea unappealing to him… we will definitely be having more talks about things like this.

Things were intense around the election so I’ve backed off some, not wanting the kids to hear “womp, womp, womp” Charlie Brown adult lecture voice from me whenever I talk or causing them to feel too much anxiety / depression about the world since this has been going on so much of their childhoods. DS1 is already an anxious glass half empty teen. I’ve focused more on getting him books to read and having conversations about critical thinking / right / wrong without bringing politics into it and making sure they aren’t consuming red pill media / are aware of what that is and why it’s bad, but I will definitely be talking to him more before he gets to voting / joining the military age.

To clarify, I wasn’t suggesting you need to have a "deep" discussion about why the U.S. military and occupation is horrible. I just meant explain to him that as his parents he is required to do PE, not JROTC and you don’t consent to the extra commitment, requirements or mission of JROTC. Hence, you are not signing the consent.

[UMaineTeach]

The most I would cave to the paramilitary scheme is that he’s allowed to join the JROTC from 10:45-11:15 on Tuesdays (or whenever) in regular gym clothes to participate in the JROTC exercise program to fulfill a freshman PE credit and he will be given a passing grade for participating in the class and nothing beyond that will be required. List it as regular PE in his schedule by creating another class that happens to be at the same time, in the same space, with the same teacher as the JROTC class. List it on his transcript as regular PE.

Get it in writing and make the parents of the other kids aware of the deal you get, in case they want it too.

Any other solution involving the military or dropping advanced classes is unacceptable.

[abs]

Aug 14, 2025 6:14:17 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

Aug 13, 2025 12:42:41 GMT -5 abs said:

So are sports not a class? Like football here would be one of your 7 classes thus the PE credit is satisfied.

It’s fascinating to me how different it is everywhere!

No, its an afterschool extra curticular. Do your sport practices happen during the school day then?

Both! Like if you play volleyball you have a class during the day and then practice/games after school.

Same for band. It’s a class during the day and during marching season they do marching practice during class and then again after school (thus counts as PE). After marching season it transitions to concert band (fine arts credit) but you get both fine arts and PE credit for it after 2 years.

Truly didn’t realize how different it is everywhere else. Our days are also long. School day is 7:10-2:35 so that probably explains it a bit, too.