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PE Excuse Letter Template
A PE excuse letter tells a school what a student can and can’t do in physical education, for how long, and when you will review it. Copy the template, see a cast and a concussion example, and check the official rules on PE exemptions and concussion in several states and provinces.
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- Word and text downloads
- Two filled examples
Blank PE excuse letter template
FreePE EXCUSE OR MODIFIED PE LETTER [Practice name] [Address] [Phone and email] Date: [Date you write the letter] To: [PE teacher, school nurse, or principal, and the school's name] Student: [Student's full name] Date of birth: [Date] Grade or class: [Grade, if known] I assessed [student name] on [date of the visit], [in person, by video, or by phone]. [Parent or guardian name, or the student if an adult] asked for this letter and agreed to what it shares. PARTICIPATION IN PE [Modified PE, or excused from all PE activities] from [first date] to [last date]. I will review this on: [Date of the next visit, or when I will send the school an update] ACTIVITIES TO AVOID [Each one named, with the side if it matters, e.g. no contact games, no running or jumping, no weight-bearing on the left leg, no swimming while the cast is on] ACTIVITIES THAT ARE FINE [What the student can still do, e.g. walking, a stationary bike, upper-body or leg work, stretching, scorekeeping or refereeing] GETTING BACK TO FULL PE [Full PE from a date with no limits; or a graded return: each step, at least how long it lasts, and which steps wait for my written clearance] WARNING SIGNS Stop the activity and contact [parent or guardian] if: [The signs that matter for this student, e.g. returning headache, numb or blue fingers, new swelling] Call emergency services if: [Red-flag signs, or not applicable] REASON [Not included; or, with consent, the injury or condition in plain words] [Your name, credentials] [License or registration number] [Signature] Questions about these limits: [Practice phone or email]
Use it for
- Fractures and casts
- Sprains and sports injuries
- Recovery after surgery
- Concussion and a graded return
- Long-term conditions that limit activity
Two filled examples. Every part, filled in.
Each one follows the template. Use them to judge how much detail every part needs.
PE excuse letter: modified PE for 6 weeks with a forearm cast
Family practice, follow-up visit with a parent after a wrist fracture
Student
12-year-old in grade 7. Her mother asked for the letter for the PE teacher and the school nurse, and mother and daughter both agreed to what it shares.
Assessment
I saw her in person on Monday, October 19, 2026, 5 days after she fell off her bike. Her right forearm is in a cast, due to come off at the fracture clinic on Monday, November 16, 2026.
Participation
Modified PE for 6 weeks, from Tuesday, October 20, to Monday, November 30, 2026. She can come to every PE class and join in, within the limits below.
Avoid
Contact games, ball and racquet sports, gymnastics, and climbing. Nothing that puts weight through the right arm, such as push-ups, planks, or cartwheels. No swimming until the cast is off.
Fine
Walking and jogging on flat ground, the stationary bike, squats, lunges and other leg exercises, stretching, and jobs such as timekeeper or scorer. PE theory lessons as usual.
Warning signs
If her fingers go numb, tingle, or turn pale or blue, the pain or swelling gets much worse, or the cast cracks or gets wet, she stops, and the school calls her mother right away so the cast can be checked the same day.
Review
Once the cast is off on November 16, I will write again with the steps back to full PE by November 30, or longer limits if her wrist needs them.
Reason
Right wrist fracture. Shared with the agreement of the student and her mother, so the teacher knows which arm to protect.
Signed
Family physician, with credentials, license or registration number, and signature, on practice letterhead with the phone number for the school. Issued October 19, 2026.
PE excuse letter: no PE after a concussion, then a graded return
Family practice, visit 3 days after a concussion, with a parent
Student
16-year-old in grade 11. He and his father asked for the letter for the PE department and the school nurse, and both agreed to what it shares.
Assessment
I saw him in person on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. He hit his head in a fall during a club soccer game on Saturday, October 10, and still has headaches and tires quickly when he reads.
Participation
No PE from Wednesday, October 14, to Friday, October 16, 2026, while he settles back into classes. Walking between classes, and easy walks at home, are fine.
Graded return
From Monday, October 19, PE follows a graded return-to-sport strategy, spending at least 24 hours on each step: light aerobic activity such as walking or the stationary bike; then moderate aerobic activity at a brisk pace; then running, changing direction, and other drills done alone, supervised by the teacher, with no risk of a blow to the head.
Needs my clearance
No contact, team games, ball sports, or activities with a risk of falling until he is managing full school days without concussion-related changes and I clear him in writing. After that come non-contact drills, then full PE.
Warning signs
If his symptoms get worse during a step, he stops for the day and the school tells his father; he moves up only once he manages that step. Call emergency services for a headache that keeps getting worse, repeated vomiting, a seizure, weakness or numbness, slurred speech, or growing confusion or drowsiness.
Review
Tuesday, October 20, 2026, then weekly until I clear him for full PE. Changes to his schoolwork and tests are in a separate letter.
Reason
Concussion. Shared with the agreement of the student and his father, so the school can follow its concussion protocol.
Signed
Family physician, with credentials, license or registration number, and signature, and the practice phone for the PE department and the nurse. Issued October 13, 2026.
PE exemptions and concussion rules for schools. Checked October 2026.
Education laws and ministry or department rules decide when a student can be excused from physical education and what the school needs from you; some also set concussion rules for schools and sport. Districts, boards, and schools add their own forms and policies, so check what the student’s school asks for.
California
A school district’s governing board, or the county superintendent of schools’ office, may grant a temporary exemption from physical education to a pupil who is ill or injured when a modified program to meet the pupil’s needs can’t be provided. The section’s permanent exemptions are for other reasons, such as being 16 or older and having been in grade 10 for at least 1 academic year.
Alberta, high school
Physical Education 10 is required for the Alberta High School Diploma. An exemption can cover one or more dimensions of the program or a whole course. For a medical exemption, a medical practitioner sends the principal a certification stating the activities the student can’t take part in, and other activities should be substituted where appropriate. If a Grade 10 student can’t meet the requirement for medical reasons, every effort should be made to meet it in Grade 11 or 12. The principal reports the exemption in PASI, and the student still needs the total credits for high school completion.
New York
All pupils must attend and take part in physical education as the school’s approved plan provides and as physicians’ examinations indicate. An individual medical certificate of limitations must show the areas of the program the pupil can take part in (8 NYCRR 135.4(c)(3)). The State Education Department’s sample form marks each activity as full, limited, or no participation, or adapted PE, with the dates the limitation lasts.
Ontario schools
Each school board’s concussion policy must include a Return to School Plan with graduated steps back to learning and to physical activity; the physical activity steps follow an internationally recognized graduated approach. Before the student returns to full participation in physical activity, the student, or their parents if they are under 18, must confirm medical clearance by a physician or nurse practitioner.
California, school athletics
If a school offers an athletic program, an athlete suspected of a concussion or head injury is removed for the rest of the day and can’t return until evaluated by, and given written clearance from, a licensed health care provider trained in managing concussions. After a concussion or head injury, the athlete also completes a graduated return-to-play protocol of at least 7 days, supervised by such a provider. The section doesn’t apply to athletic activity during the regular school day or in a required physical education course.
Alberta, grades 1 to 9
School authorities must make sure students in Grades 1 to 9 are physically active for at least 30 minutes a day. The principal may grant an exemption for medical reasons on certification from a medical practitioner that indicates the activities the student is not able to take part in.
Ontario, sport organizations
Under Rowan’s Law, sport organizations must have a removal-from-sport and return-to-sport protocol, required since January 1, 2022. Physicians and nurse practitioners are the only health care providers who can medically assess athletes and confirm medical clearance to return to amateur competitive sport. School boards follow Policy/Program Memorandum 158, updated to match Rowan’s Law from January 31, 2020.
What goes in each part.
Student and consent
Who the letter is about, who it goes to, and who asked for it and agreed to what it shares.
- The student’s full name, date of birth, and grade or class
- The PE teacher, school nurse, or principal it goes to
- For a minor: the parent or guardian who asked and agreed, following the law where you practise
- For an adult student: their own agreement. Their parents get the letter only if the student says so
Avoid: Writing to the school before the family has agreed. They ask for the letter, and they choose what it shares.
Participation and dates
Whether the student takes part in modified PE or sits out, starting when, and ending when.
- Modified PE, or excused from all PE activities
- The first and last date
- When you will review the limits, or send the school an update
Avoid: A full excusal by default. Most injuries rule out some activities, not all of them.
Activities to avoid
The movements and activities the student must not do, named so the teacher can apply them in class.
- Contact games, ball sports, or anything with a risk of falling
- Running, jumping, or weight-bearing on one limb, and which side
- Swimming, if a cast, wound, or device has to stay dry
- Push-ups, lifting, or anything else that loads an injured arm
Avoid: “No strenuous activity.” Name the movement and the side.
Activities that are fine
What the student can still do, so the teacher can plan a modified program, and the student stays active and on track for any PE credit.
- Activities that spare the injury, such as walking, a stationary bike, or work for the other limbs
- Stretching, balance, and skill practice, where safe
- Roles such as scorekeeping, timing, or refereeing
- Theory or written work, kept for when nothing active is safe
Avoid: Leaving it blank. A list of don’ts on its own tends to put the student on the bench for the whole class.
Getting back to full PE
How the student returns to full activity: on a set date, or one step at a time.
- The date full PE resumes, when the return is simple
- After a concussion or a longer injury, a graded plan: each step and how long it lasts
- Which steps wait for your written clearance, such as contact or activities with a risk of falling
- The school’s own return form or concussion protocol, if it has one
Avoid: Clearing contact after a concussion before the student has worked through the earlier steps.
Warning signs and signature
What the teacher should watch for and do, and your details so the school can reach you.
- The few signs that mean stop and call the family
- Red flags that need emergency care, if there are any
- Your name, credentials, license or registration number, and signature
- A phone number or email for questions about the limits
Avoid: A long list of every possible symptom. Give the signs that change what the teacher does, and share nothing beyond the letter without the family’s consent.
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them.
Excusing when modifying would do
A student with a broken wrist can still walk, cycle, and stretch. Say what they can do, so the school can keep them moving and, where PE earns credit, on track to earn it.
No end date
An open-ended note can keep a student out of PE for the whole year. Give an end date and a review date, and send an update if the limits change.
Limits no one can apply
“Light activity only” means something different to every teacher. Write “no contact, no running, no weight-bearing on the left leg,” and until when.
Rushing back after a concussion
PE comes back in graded steps. Contact and activities with a risk of falling wait until the student manages full school days and you clear them in writing.
A letter when the school has a form
Some schools have their own PE medical form or concussion form. Ask first, and put the same limits and dates on theirs.
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Frequently asked questions.
What should a PE excuse letter include?
Whether the student does modified PE or sits out, the first and last date, and when you will review it. Then the activities to avoid, the ones that are fine, how they get back to full PE, and any warning signs the teacher should act on. Sign it with your name, credentials, and license or registration number.
Should I excuse a student from PE completely?
Rarely. Most injuries rule out some activities, not all, and modified PE keeps the student active and, where PE earns credit, on track for it. Some rules let a school grant a full exemption only when it can’t offer a modified program.
How long should a PE excuse last?
As long as the limits are needed, with an end date and a review date. If a condition will limit PE for months or more, the school may set up a longer-term plan, and a school accommodation letter can support it.
When can a student go back to PE after a concussion?
Step by step, spending at least 24 hours on each step, from light aerobic activity up to full PE. Recognized protocols hold back contact and activities with a risk of falling until the student is cleared, and some places accept that clearance only from a physician or nurse practitioner.
Does a PE excuse letter need the diagnosis?
No. The school needs the limits, the dates, and the warning signs. Name the injury only with consent: for a minor, usually the parent or guardian’s, following the law where you practise; an adult student decides for themselves.
What if the school has its own PE medical form?
Use it. Some schools have a form that lists activities with full, limited, or no participation, and the dates. Put the same limits on it, and add a letter only if the form has no room for the warning signs or the return plan.
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Who can write a PE excuse note?
It depends on the school and the law where you practise, so check what the school accepts. For concussion clearance, some places accept only a physician or nurse practitioner.
Is this PE excuse letter template free?
Yes. Copy it, or download it as a Word or text file. No account needed.
Can Vero write a PE excuse letter from my visit?
Yes. Paste this template into Vero, and it drafts the letter from your visit, with the limits, dates, and warning signs you discussed. Review and edit it, then export it to PDF or Word, print it, or email it.
More templates, and guides.
Doctor’s note template
For work or school: the visit, the dates off, the return, and any limits.
Return-to-work note template
To an employer: full or modified duties, the restrictions, how long they last, and the review date.
Medical leave letter template
To an employer or leave administrator: when the leave starts, how long it lasts, the review date, and what the return needs.
Workplace accommodation letter template
To an employer: what the condition limits, the change that would help, how long, and answers to the employer’s questions.
Pregnancy accommodation letter template
To an employer: the pregnancy-related limitation, the change needed at work, and how long it lasts.
School accommodation letter
Support a formal plan for a student whose condition affects school beyond PE.
Return-to-school note
Clear a student to go back after a contagious illness.
Vero Documents
Fill a school’s PE medical or concussion form from the visit and the chart.
Your template. Filled in from the visit.
Vero writes your notes and letters in the templates you choose, so you review instead of type.
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