By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

Should a student be allowed to participate in two sports in the same season?

That's a question asked of the Hays USD 489 Board of Education on Monday night.

It's something to ponder, board members admitted, and the answer still is forthcoming.

Amanda Groff, a senior at Hays High School, petitioned the board to allow her to compete in both softball and swimming next spring.

Current policy prohibits HHS students from participating in more than one sport in any one season.

Groff presented a strong case on her own behalf.

She has competed in softball and swimming simultaneously for years during the summer months but had to choose between the two when she reached high school.

She also is active in many school activities, all the while maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

Groff said she already has checked with teachers and the coaches of the two sports, and they would work with her.

She would designate softball as her primary sport, the one in which she has participated in the spring the past three years.

Board member Greg Schwartz said he thinks it could "be set up on a case-by-case basis."

"We make accommodations for gifted students in other areas," Schwartz said.

Clint Albers, athletic director at Hays High, said the question has come up a few times the past several years but wasn't pursued that aggressively because of the current policy.

Groff said she realizes it would be hard to change the policy midway through the year, so she is asking the board to consider her situation on a trial basis.

After discussion, Hays High Principal Mike Hester was asked point-blank by the board if he would support such a change.

"As principal, I am accountable for instructional time," Hester said. "And based on that, I do not support it."

No action was taken, and board member Rich Kraemer asked that administrators talk to teachers and coaches and bring something back to the next meeting, set for Dec. 7.

"We're going to run it by coaches and teachers and look at multiple participation policies," Hester said this morning. "Then we'll bring them all back for the board to consider."

In other business, Kennedy Middle School was honored for receiving the Governor's Achievement Award, in its fourth year.

Several staff members from Kennedy were present to accept the award, given to just 12 middle schools across the state for the 2008-09 school year.

Most of the remainder of the two-plus hour meeting was spent on haggling over verbiage in changes to board policy.