Lakeview, Michigan — Parents are speaking out after a gym class policy at Lakeview High School asked female students to provide information about the length of their menstrual periods if they missed a swim class because of their menstrual cycle.
The controversy centers on a gym class syllabus that outlines how students can make up swim classes missed because of menstruation. According to the syllabus, students would be permitted to make up the missed class if their parents provided a note stating “the length of the menstrual duration.”
The policy has prompted concerns from multiple parents, who say the requirement asks students to disclose private information that they believe should not be necessary for a gym class absence.
Policy Allows Alternative Workouts
The syllabus states that female students who miss swimming because of their menstrual cycle can participate in alternative workouts rather than simply sitting out.
However, the policy says students must make up the missed day or face a “grade reduction scale.” That grading provision has added to concerns among parents who believe students should not risk an academic penalty because of a normal biological process.
The controversy became particularly personal for parent Andy Amsdill, who challenged the policy after learning about the requirement involving menstrual information.
Amsdill told Fox 8 that he considered the request inappropriate.
“This is their private information. That teacher, nor anybody in the school administration, has any right to it,”
Amsdill said the situation was especially frustrating because he claimed school leaders told him his daughter would not have to provide the information to make up a swim day.
However, he said the school also indicated that officials were not planning to change the syllabus for the entire district.
Father Says School Could Have Handled It Differently
Amsdill later expressed his frustration about how the matter was handled by school officials. He said:
“It all goes back to this could’ve been handled very differently when I made the first call to the principal.”
Amsdill met with school officials on Friday, Sept. 18, seeking answers about the policy and the concerns he had raised. According to his attorney, Jamie White, Amsdill expected both the superintendent and the teacher to attend the meeting.
White told that:
“He expected the superintendent to be present, he expected the teacher to be present, and neither one of those parties were present. And the people who were present basically deflected, according to Andy, deflected the entire situation. They basically said we’re standing by our people and we did nothing wrong.”
Later that day, Amsdill described the meeting in a Facebook post as an “absolutely f—ing joke.”
He also called for continued pressure on school officials, writing:
“Keep the pressure up. Let them know that [the] bare minimum of eliminating the policy is not sufficient at this point. There needs to be accountability from the teacher, the principal, and now the school and district,”
Other Parents Raise Privacy Concerns
Amsdill is not the only parent questioning the policy. Elizabeth Gibson told that requiring students to disclose menstrual information was unnecessary and intrusive.
“To have to disclose that information is really invasive, and I think it’s really unnecessary,”
Another parent, Amy Droelle, said the policy raises concerns about the privacy of female students attending the class. She said it goes “against [the] privacy of the young ladies that are going to class.”
The criticism centers on whether students should have to provide intimate health-related details to receive an opportunity to make up a missed physical education class.
Parent Claims Daughter’s Grade Was Affected
Another parent, Bryan Shishakly, told that he believes the policy has already affected his daughter’s academic performance.
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Shishakly claimed his daughter received a C in gym despite being a straight-A student, and he questioned whether the grading consequences were fair because the policy specifically affects female students.
“She’s a straight-A student, and she ended up with a C in gym, and I don’t know how fair that is since it’s only going to apply to the girls at the school,”
He also expressed concern that a lower grade could potentially matter for students seeking college scholarships or other academic opportunities.
Attorney Calls Policy ‘Indefensible’
White, who represents Amsdill, strongly criticized the requirement in a statement. He said:
“This policy is indefensible. Teenage girls should never be forced to disclose intimate details about their menstrual cycles to a gym teacher or school administrator simply to protect their grades. Menstruation is a normal biological function, not misconduct, and it should never become the basis for embarrassing, penalizing or singling out female students.”
The dispute now has parents questioning how the school and district will respond to concerns surrounding the syllabus and whether the policy will ultimately be changed.
What do you think about the school’s menstrual-policy requirement? Do you believe students should have to provide this type of information to make up a gym class? Share your thoughts in the comments.
