For decades, the Columbus City League was considered a showplace for high-school athletics in Ohio. File photo Honor-roll senior Tierre Harris of South Urban Academy says his basketball team this season had 20 players ruled ineligible or on academic probation, compared with 18 who met standards to play. Those names remain a source of pride for their alma maters and the Columbus Public Schools as well as the community as a whole. Often, students can't make the grade.
Some schools struggle to field complete athletic teams.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association, which oversees interscholastic competition statewide, requires students to pass five one-credit courses each semester. Beyond that, each school district is responsible for setting a GPA standard. Among Ohio's big-city districts, Dayton is the only other requiring a 2.0. But the standard, effective this school year, could be short-lived. Most everybody agrees that 2.0 is way too high.