Tonight, October 30, is the last of three parent forums scheduled this fall to highlight progress made to date and work yet to be done to create a smooth transition a year from now when ninth graders participate in all high school athletics.

Time also will be set aside at the forums for public comment, said Rick Wells, director of athletics, health, and fitness.

The final forum tonight is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Rogers High School Commons. The school is at 12801 86th Ave. E. in Puyallup.

A similar forum was held October 29 at Emerald Ridge High and on October 28 at Puyallup High School.

Additional forums will be held on March 3 at Rogers High, March 4 at Puyallup High, and March 5 at Emerald Ridge High.

The school board unanimously agreed last spring with a recommendation from Superintendent Tim Yeomans to spend this year developing a plan to give ninth graders an opportunity to compete at the highest level beginning in fall 2014.

That implementation plan, which will be presented to the school board in April 2014, should address questions of participation and be consistent with the district’s strategic vision of equity, equal opportunity, and high performance, Yeomans said.

A team of all seven junior high and three high school athletic coordinators started working on the implementation plan last spring and will continue meeting over the next year. Transportation, uniforms, and other financial implications will be addressed, Wells said.

For years the Puyallup School District has allowed ninth-grade participation on high school athletic teams in some, but not all, sports.

Students have been able to participate at the high school level in baseball, boys cross country, golf, boys soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, bowling, gymnastics, and water polo, Wells said.

The school board’s decision will bring the Puyallup School District into alignment with opportunities given to other ninth-grade student athletes statewide.

Puyallup is the only school district along the Interstate 5 corridor from Oregon to Canada that will not have a ninth through twelfth-grade athletic configuration this school year, Wells said.

In presenting his recommendation to the school board last spring, Yeomans said, “It will be our effort to make sure that we come into alignment within our league and within the state to make sure that all of our kids have that opportunity.”

For more information, click the view the 9-12 Athletic Reconfiguration Frequently Asked Questions.