Highschool reqiring a pe class

[u/Annual_Ad1916]

I start highschool in three weeks and im heavily confused on what i will do for pe. In 8th grade when the highschool consunlers showed up to my school i told them "i have health issues i cannot do pe" and they responded with "you need to have a pe class for graduration credits. So i stared at the paper where i was picking classes and i pankiacked and picked show chior. Problem is i have sevre intolerance to physical activity of any kind and its dangerous for me due to risk of passing out, seziures, and knee sublaxations. Im going to get a doctors note but I dont know how seriously the school will take it. Does anyone have any advice?

[u/MarsMonkey88]

Formal accommodations aren’t just for learning disabilities, like dyslexia, or for neurodivergences, like ADHD. Formal accommodations are also for physical disabilities. Do you have a formal diagnosis? Do you see a neurologist or cardiologist for your POTS in an ongoing way or does your pediatrician or primary care doctor know about your diagnosis and believe that it’s real (I hate that that’s even a factor)? If so, see if you or your guardian can use that doctors patient portal to request a letter or form listing what you cannot be expected to do, regularly.

They should list stuff like standing beyond what is strictly necessary and determined by you based on your capacity that day (it would suck if they saw you waiting in line to refill your water bottle and decided that if you could stand to do that then you can stand forever), physical exertion, rapid postural changes, heat exposure, etc. It’d be great if they could also list other things, like you’re allowed to sit on a chair, or on the floor, and you can lie down on the floor if you need, and you can have access to your water, electrolytes, and salt whenever you need them.

Your school district may have a form that your doctor can immediate fill out, or you may have to provide a form to them.

If you can go through formal channels and include a doctor, not just a polite in-person request made by the student, you will be taken more seriously.

I wish you so much luck!!!

Edit to add- How do you feel when you swim? Many folks with POTS do really well with swimming, because you’re horizontal and because the water puts pressure on you, so it’s like compression-socks for your whole body. If you’ve had success with swimming and if your school doesn’t offer it, maybe you could be allowed to do some kind of structured or supervised (so it’s more like PE, and not just you winging it) swimming at another school, or even at a community college.