VIDALIA, La. — The Concordia schools’ Curriculum Committee will meet with junior high and high school principals to write a parish policy spelling out qualifications students have to meet to take part in extracurricular activities.

That decision was made following Vernon Mulder’s complaint that his daughter will not get to try out for Vidalia High’s cheerleading squad in early May because she has an F in a course. The school’s handbook requires students to have grade point averages of 1.5 or better to try out for the squad – and they cannot have F’s in any courses. Under statewide rules, other secondary school athletes have to have GPAs of at least 1.5, but that can include F’s.

&uot;You wouldn’t take your star quarterback off the team if he had an F,&uot;&160;Mulder said.

Board member Darrell &uot;Bubba&uot;&160;Crofford said he sympathizes with Mulder’s situation and thinks cheerleaders and other athletes ought to be held to the same academic standards. &uot;But every cheerleader had to play by the same rules,&uot;&160;he added, noting that parents of cheerleaders are given a handbook — including rules regarding academic qualifications — to read and sign.

And Principal Rick Brown said changing the handbook &uot;wouldn’t be fair to the girls who stayed eligible.&uot; The Curriculum Committee’s recommendation will be brought back to the school board’s May 2 meeting.

Later in the meeting, Concordia Parish parents Debra Probst and Lisa Hutchins spoke to the board. Last month, they organized a group of parish parents who joined a lawsuit the organization Parents for Educational Justice filed March 1 against the state.

The group is seeking to stop the state from requiring fourth- and eighth-grade students to pass the LEAP test to get promoted to the next grades. Starting this year, passing the test is required for the students to be promoted.

Probst and Hutchins asked the School Board to support the group in its suit, but the board took no action.