Rochester Community Schools students with and without intellectual disabilities are sharing the same gym classes through a Unified Physical Education program backed by Special Olympics.

The district described the program in a post on X on Monday, Sept. 14. The curriculum gives all students the same PE credit while pairing classmates with and without disabilities as equals.

A Sept. 10 district post showed two boys sitting on gym bleachers. One wore a Spider-Man shirt and headphones. The other sported a Detroit Lions hoodie. Both were smiling and flexing.

Unified PE falls under a broader inclusion effort. Rochester Community Schools (RCS) launched its program as a recipient of the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools grant, which promotes inclusive sports, youth leadership and whole-school engagement across all three district high schools: Rochester, Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek.

The grant also supports the Triple Threat Unified Basketball team, which draws students from all three buildings and competed against six other Oakland County programs during its inaugural season. A standout moment was a game during the Crosstown Showdown at Oakland University's O'rena.

Unified Sports is a collaboration between Special Olympics Michigan and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) to promote inclusion through sports training and competition.

Amanda Sawka, the district's special education supervisor, said when the Unified Sports initiative launched that the goal is to "build equitable, authentic experiences that form a foundation for school sports and the school culture overall."

RCS is one of the largest districts in Oakland County offering special education options. For the 2025-26 school year, the district opened a new high school classroom for students with severe and multiple impairments and expanded autism programming at the elementary level.

The district has not specified which schools or grade levels offer Unified PE or how many students are enrolled.