The San Luis Obispo Unified School District board of trustees narrowly voted to grant a temporary exemption from physical education classes for students who play on high school sports teams.

Prior to this school year, a similar exemption was common in the district, but a new state law mandated that all high school freshmen and sophomores take physical education classes--even those already involved with sports teams.

At the meeting, parents argued that an additional P.E. requirement would be too physically demanding for student athletes.

"There was a groundswell of parents that thought it was too much for these kids to have three to four hours of athletics a day," said Gary Nichols, whose son, Colin--a SLO High junior--recently surrendered his spot on the football team to concentrate on rugby.

The ruling is temporary until February, when it will be discussed again.