What is more important — academics or athletics?

Some educators believe the two go hand in hand.

"School isn't purely academic," said Cottonwood High School Principal Garrett Muse.

And that is why students in Cottonwood and Skyline high schools, both in Granite School District, were allowed time out of the school day to go watch their football teams compete in the semifinals.

Skyline's game was Thursday; Cottonwood's was Friday. Both games were at 10:30 a.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah.

Students at Cottonwood attended classes in the morning, then had the option of attending the football game or staying in study hall. Parents were notified on Thursday via phone through the school's electronic calling system, Muse said.

The decision affected a charter school, the Academy for Math, English & Science, which is based on Cottonwood campus.

"What's the point of having school?" said AMES Principal Al Church.

He issued a letter to AMES parents on Thursday, stating classes were canceled as a result of the Cottonwood football game.

"We didn't find out until (Thursday) morning," Church said.

However, Muse said he warned AMES officials Monday what could happen, as he watched ticket sales increase for the big game. The decision was made when about 80 percent of the student body were predicted to be gone Friday.

AMES students can participate in Cottonwood High extracurricular activities and athletics. They were welcome to attend the game, Muse said.

If students are in school for four hours, it counts as a full day and meets the state requirement of 990 hours and 180 days.

Granite District spokesman Ben Horsley said the district was well aware of the situation. "The game is an authorized school activity," Horsley said. "It does fulfill the required state hours."

Horsley added Granite District actually requires more than the state hours.

He said neither high school received negative phone calls from parents. "A few parents called to make sure their child wasn't lying," Horsley said.

Muse said Cottonwood has 1,450 students. The students bought 1,050 football game tickets which were sold for $4 each.

Muse said the high ticket sales is an outstanding thing and shows school pride. Further, it's good for kids to feel connected to their school and excited about games and other school activities. "Kids who drop out of school have no connection to the school," he said.

Cottonwood provided four school buses to attend the game for $1 per student.

About 70 students are on Cottonwood's football team. About another 100 students were performing a matinee of "Into the Woods," at 10 a.m. Friday, Muse said.

"That is about 1,200 kids out of the building," he said. "Could you hold school for 200 students?"

Muse said teachers would simply have to repeat all the material on Monday. Study hall was the alternative. Buses ran as normal. Lunch was served.

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E-mail: astewart@desnews.com