After more than an hour of raucous debate, a threatened arrest and the mid-meeting departure of two school board members, the Sto-Rox school board voted to overturn a controversial academic policy that at one point benched more than half of the football team and about a quarter of the marching band.

To the boisterous cheers and applause of around 70 students, parents and community members, the board voted 4-2 to amend the policy to require a minimum GPA of 2.0, with provisions of mandatory tutoring and more stringent rules about core classes. The former policy benched anyone who had a D in a core class.

The vote came after board President Elizabeth Smith, who was elected to that post at Thursday's meeting, and board member Edward Maritz Jr. left due to a family emergency. Both were proponents of the previous policy.

To be eligible for extracurricular activities under the new rules, students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average across all classes and must have no failing grades. Students cannot have more than one D in a core class. If they do have a D in a core class, they are required to attend mandatory tutoring three days a week to remain eligible.

About 10 football players gained eligibility under the new policy, said athletic director Bill Palermo.

Many railed vociferously against the previous policy, saying that it unfairly punished students who might have one bad week in a core subject, while students who flunk all of their electives remain eligible.

Mr. Palermo, also a math teacher, rehashed this point again before the board during the public comment section.

He pointed out that the existing policy could jeopardize students who might be in the running for athletic scholarships.

And, he said, it was unreasonable to expect every student to get above a D in math.

"A quarter of our students are special [education]. Do we honestly think all of these kids can get a D in math?" he said.

But Dr. Maritz said the district's expectations should be higher.

"Those students can achieve, too," he said. He added that if the students in extracurriculars were "the cream of the crop, then we need to worry about the rest of the crop."

After a lengthy discussion peppered with bickering among board members and rancorous explosions from the crowd, Mr. Palermo refused to step down from the podium, saying that he had more questions and that the board had refused to hear him before.

Ms. Smith said she would have him removed, prompting jeers from the crowd that drowned out board members' attempts to keep order. Dr. Maritz attempted to call an executive session, again rousing the crowd into an outburst of yelling.

Shortly after, police officers streamed into the auditorium, though it's not clear who called them. Ms. Smith and Dr. Maritz left in the midst of the chaos, and board member Kevin Kochirka reconvened the meeting. The board then voted to amend the policy.

Mr. Kochirka, Luanne Schipani, June Fleming and Jean Mayes voted for the amended policy. Board members Kelly Cropper Hall and Jeanne Hughes voted against it.

Ms. Schipani, who put up the motion to amend the policy, said she was pleased with the outcome of the meeting but did not think the mandatory tutoring was necessary.

Still, she fears that the new policy will be reversed when the board reconvenes in a month.

"The kids get a reprieve for 30 days," she said.

Malcolm Williams, a freshman who plays tenor sax in the band, said he's happy about the new policy. His D in geometry made him ineligible to play last week, but he'll be able to take to the field with the new policy.

"I think it's fair," he said, adding that he already goes to tutoring. "I actually think [mandatory tutoring is] a really good idea."

But, he added, he thought it was unjust for the board to use an eligibility rule to try and boost student achievement across the district.

"It's like encouraging one-fourth of the school to be excellent, while letting the rest be mediocre," he said.