Many details are missing in this article, but the problem of stressed out children is much more complex than the school district can hope to address. Are the stressed out students over-stretched, internally-pushed, parent-pushed, etc.? Not all pressure comes from the schools, surely. The schools may perhaps better approach the problem, however, by providing better systems of support and mental health for the students, rather than lowering the bar for the students who actually NEED the extra challenge.

Also, it is extraordinarily difficult to get people to agree on the "correct" entry criteria for non-regular (gifted, advanced, etc.) programs.