The Asheville City Board of Education recently lowered its minimum grade point average required for students to play sports. Previously, students were required to maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA. The standard was changed to require o­nly a 1.63 to be eligible for athletics.

The NCHSAA requires that students pass 3 of 4 classes to be eligible for athletics. While a passing grade is a "D," the City School Board's change to a 1.63 requires a "C" average. Students can graduate with a "D" average.

Although the strict policy places Asheville at a disadvantage to other schools who follow o­nly the minimum requirements, the purpose of the policy is to show that academics should take top priority.