Off-Campus Physical Education

The Off-Campus Physical Education (OCPE) Program is designed for students who are involved in private or commercially-sponsored physical activity programs that lead to Olympic-level or equivalent high-caliber participation and/or competition. The OCPE Program is a cooperative arrangement between Boerne ISD, an approved off-campus Agency, and the student. Students in grades 9-12 are eligible to receive substitution credit for Physical Education graduation requirements by utilizing off-campus, commercially-sponsored physical activities as defined by Texas Administrative Code.

The OCPE Program activities are approved by the local school board and by the Texas Education Agency. The selected activities are not offered comprehensively through the physical education or athletic departments. Category I OCPE requires at least 15 hours/week and Category II OCPE requires a minimum of 5 hours/week.

High school students may participate in either Category I or Category II OPCE programs.
Middle school students may participate only in Category I OCPE programs.
A student cannot be enrolled in the OCPE Program and P.E. or Athletics (or any other P.E. substitution) in the same semester.

Please see the information packet on the right for more information on the OCPE program and participation requirements.

Please Note: The OCPE Student Application must have all 4 signatures. You may scan and email the OCPE Student Application and Release of Liability/Permission to Participate, pages 9-10, to the student's counselor by the last Friday in August. Agency Cooperative Agreement and supporting documents are due by June 1, and the revised list is to be posted that month.

Rules and Procedures

Parents/Guardians asking the district to award OCPE credit for their children must make a written request, in advance of the appropriate semester, using the form provided for that purpose. All applications that met the criteria listed will be approved. Credit may be granted under the following circumstances.

Category I: Olympic / National Level ( High School, only)

A. If the parent requests student release during the school day for OCPE instruction, the activity must be of Olympic-caliber and must require 15 or more hours of instruction per week.

B. In order for a student to be released from regular classes during the school day for Olympic-caliber training, the instructor must show proof of the program’s connection to the Olympics or to another world competition body—thereby demonstrating a direct link between that instruction and that individual student’s future Olympic level participation.

C. OCPE instruction must be supervised by appropriately trained instructors who have submitted their credentials for approval to the school district. Proof of affiliation with an organization designed to train Olympic athletes must be provided.

Category II: High-quality Private or Commercially sponsored Physical Activity (Middle and High School)

A. The student must receive a minimum of 5 or more hours of instruction per week in an appropriate facility, under adequate supervision.

B. Category II OCPE activity considered for credit shall be given outside of the normal school day. Students may not be released during the school day for that purpose.

C. Commercially sponsored and private P.E. program instructors must have an undergraduate degree and supplemental qualifications. In all cases, instructors must demonstrate their competence to teacher P.E. activities of exceptional quality that are comparable to, or superior to, the instruction offered by Boerne ISD.

D. Instructors must provide proof of affiliation with a regional, state, or national regulatory organization in their specific sport.

Category I and II:

A. The OCPE instructor(s) will keep written records of the student’s daily attendance, documenting the number of hours per day, per week, and per semester. The written records will also contain grades for each 9 weeks of the semester and a final grade. All of these records must be signed and submitted to the Boerne ISD before a decision is made to award credit. Each campus will have copies of the designated form to be used by the OCPE instruction to document attendance and grades.

B. In order for the OCPE activity to be considered for credit, the student’s participation in such activities may not interfere with the remainder of the student’s academic schedule.

C. The maximum amount of high school credit granted for OCPE activities is limited to 4 credits.

D. Credit shall be on a pass/fail basis only and shall not count toward calculation of the student’s G.P.A.

E. Students must be able to show proof of remaining in the OCPE activity for the entire semester in order to be granted credit. At any point where it is determined that the student no longer participates in the OCPE activity, the school will reassign the student to an appropriate on-campus schedule.

F. In granting the opportunity for OCPE, the school may substitute other on-campus (non-P.E.) courses for completion by the student. The granting of OCPE credit is not intended to substitute for a full school schedule. Category I requests, which occur during the school day, may result in a short schedule; however, Category II requests incur no such burden on the student.

G. Students participating in OCPE competitions during school hours are subject to the 90% attendance rule. In order for absences to be considered school-related, a certified district staff member must accompany the student(s) for the specific purpose of supervising the OCPE activity/competition.