Miami-Dade County School Board Approved Board Item Proffered By Vice-chair Dr. Steve Gallon III To Declare Competitive Cheerleading As A Sport
CONTACT: Pavi’Elle Phillips
305-995-1334
district1@dadeschools.net
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF DR. STEVE GALLON III
November 21, 2019
At the School Board meeting of November 20, 2019, the School Board approved Board Agenda Item H-17, Competitive Cheerleading, which will establish Competitive Cheerleading as an approved and classified sport in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
The item was supported and co-sponsored by Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman, Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, Ms. Susie Castillo, Dr. Larry Feldman, Dr. Martin Karp, Dr. Lubby Navarro, and Ms. Maria Teresa Rojas. In addition, several speakers including coaches, cheerleaders, and Board Members spoke in support of the item and the benefits competitive cheerleading will provide to students.
The Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is committed to students’ participation in interscholastic sports as well as extracurricular activities. In doing so, it recognizes both as mainstays of school districts, schools, and more important, the learning and life experiences of students. In fact, research has shown that activities and athletics, specifically at the high school level, provides a vehicle that improves students’ citizenship, sportsmanship, self-discipline, physical and emotional wellness, and their grade point averages.
“We must ensure that we continue to explore and exhaust every avenue for our students to pursue, experience, and achieve success, and the addition of competitive cheerleading as a sport will be yet another pathway in the District’s athletic portfolio,” said Dr. Gallon.
“The passing of this item will now ensure that our students who have participated and competed at the highest level in cheerleading are now able to do so with the full weight and support of the District, and with all the additional benefits that will come with competitive cheerleading being classified and recognized as a sport,” Dr. Gallon stated.
To read the full item, Click the link below:
http://www.dadeschools.net/schoolboard/agenda/h17rev.pdf
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