I would like to preface this by saying that I am a Potsdam High School student. The authors of the Sound Offs about exempting students from gym class (“Athletes Don’t Need Gym,” Nov. 2-8) and (“No P.E. Good Idea,” Nov. 9-15) are obviously not spending much time in a school. If they were, they would know that Physical Education is a state mandated course. The schools cannot just, as they suggest, “exempt” anyone from P.E. class. And thank you to the authors for using the “dumb jock” stereotype in their Sound Offs. The system works like this: If athletes are failing a class, they cannot participate in their sport of choice. This gives them time to get extra help and get their grades up. A study hall is not going to do that. Also, gym class can be the class that keeps up a student’s average.