Each student-athlete must follow a code of conduct in regard to behavior, attendance and other matters. If an athlete is getting a 4.0 but he's disrupting class or disrespecting teachers, we reserve the right to deal with it. And we have weekly academic standards. If someone's struggling in a class, we work together and decide what needs to be done. He or she might sit for a game or two if they flunk an exam and aren't making any progress.
Carpenter insists that each case deserves special attention.
On the other hand, once I had the nicest, hardest-working kid, but he just struggled like the dickens in the classroom. I don't care what anybody tries to tell me, taking sports away from him is not going to make him bring his grades up. I don't think so. Dispatch Staff Reporter Suzanne Hoholik contributed to this story.