Athletic and Activities
Athletic and Activities Handbook
South Harrison High School
South Harrison Middle School
2017-18
1. Athletic Philosophy – Athletic Objectives – Parent/Coach Communication Academic Requirements
3.Citizenship Standards – School Attendance – Guidelines for Practice
4.Practice Attendance – Inappropriate Behavior in School Inappropriate Behavior at an Event
5.Missing Games – Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs
6.Injuries – Dress Codes – Transportation – Debts Due to Loss of Equipment-Leaving the Team During A Season
7.Lettering Policies –– Training Rules – MSHSAA Regulations Physicals & Insurance, Conditioning Standards, Semesters of Participation
Amateur and Award Standards
8. Age Standards, Non-school Competition, Transfer of Enrollment Standards
9.Sports Camp, Eligibility Standards, College Try-Outs, Local School Standards
10. Parent Code of Conduct
11. Student’s and Parent’s Signature Page
APPENDEX
HANDBOOK ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM (SIGN)
Students Transportation to Practice Parental Permission Form (SIGN)
ATHLETIC PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY
Interscholastic activities shall enhance the school curricular program and shall provide positive experiences to students which will result in athletes learning outcomes that will contribute toward the development of the attributes of good citizenship while simultaneously striving to be the best athletic program in the conference and state. Emphasis shall be upon teaching through extra-curricular activities and excelling in the athletic arena and the classroom. Extra-curricular activities are a privilege and bonus opportunities at South Harrison Schools and as such academics will take precedence over all extra-curricular activities.
ATHLETIC PROGRAM OBJECTIVESTHROUGH OUR ATHLETIC PROGRAM WE WILL WORK:
To ensure that interscholastic activities shall supplement the curricular program of the school to provide opportunities for youth, to acquire worthwhile knowledge, skill and emotional patterns.
To promote the educational values inherent in interscholastic activities. This will contribute to the accepted goals of education.
To develop standards for the approval and direction of interscholastic activities and contests.
To formulate minimum uniform and equitable standards of eligibility that must be met by students to attain the privilege of representing their school in interscholastic activities.
To avoid interference with the educational program of the school and to prevent exploitation of high school youth and the athletic program by special interest groups.
To foster a cooperative spirit and good sportsmanship on the part of school representatives, school patron, and students.
To offer desirable social and competitive experiences that will instill courage, alertness, emotional control, and good sportsmanship in our athletes.
To develop qualities of strength, endurance, agility, and neuromuscular skill in our athletes.
To follow all of the regulations set forth in the Constitution and the Bylaws of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Official Handbook.
It is with these objectives in mind that the Athletic Director and coaches of South Harrison High School have written this athletic handbook. As with any handbook, situations may arise that are not covered. Should this be the case the situation will be dealt with by a cooperative effort between the school administration, athletic director, and coaches.
Parent/Coach Communication
Parent/coach communication is important for any and all athletic programs. Every coach will conduct a parent meeting at the beginning of each sport season to discuss program expectations and address any parental or athlete questions. We strongly encourage each parent to attend these meetings to aid in the communication process. Any questions or issues a parent has concerning their child must be concerning mistreatment of the child or safety of their child. Coaches will not discuss playing time, philosophy, or other students with parents. If you have an issue, you must wait 24 hours before contacting the coach to discuss the issue. This is to allow all parties time to calm down and speak rationally.
If parents have questions about their son or daughter’s program they should:
- Have the student meet with the coach
- If not resolved, contact the coach to set up a meeting with the coach, student, and parent to discuss their concerns.
- If not resolved, contact the Athletic Director who will determine if a meeting is warranted and who must attend the meeting.
Subjects such as playing time, team strategy and/or team members are totally the coaches’ responsibility.
Confrontations with coaches or players during/or following games are unacceptable andwill result in the exclusion of those persons from school contests. Non-team personnel are not allowed in the team and coach’s bench area at any time before and during games and practices. The MSHSAA requires member schools to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for all in attendance at athletic contests. Restrictions and controls on spectator behavior fall under this jurisdiction and will be enforced.
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
The coaches and administration of the South Harrison School District believe the first priority of a student should be his or her academic development. Our athletic programs offer opportunities for social, physical, and emotional development, but these objectives are considered a second priority when compared to academic development. It is for this reason that minimum academic standards for eligibility to participate in an athletic program have been established following the MSHSAA academic guidelines. MSHSAA requirements are as follows:
2.3.1 Statement of Philosophy -- Participation in high school activities is a valuable educational experience and should not be looked upon as a reward for academic success. Students with low academic ability need the educational development
provided through participation in activities as much as students with average or above average ability. Activity participation
should be for all students making appropriate progress toward graduation and otherwise in good standing. Each local board
of education is encouraged to establish criteria to ensure that students who are participating in MSHSAA activities are
satisfactorily progressing toward meeting the local graduation requirements. (213.0)
2.3.2 Grades 9-12 Requirements: A student in Grades 9-12 must meet the following requirements in order to be academically eligible to participate in interscholastic activities: (213.0)
a Semester Prior to Participation: The student shall have earned, the preceding semester of attendance, a minimum of 3.0
units of credit or have earned credit in 80% of the maximum allowable classes in which a student can be enrolled in the
semester, whichever is greater, or a student must have made standard progress for his or her level the preceding
semester in a special education program for the handicapped approved by the Missouri State Department of Education
which, though un-graded, enrolls pupils of equivalent age.
b Semester of Participation: The student shall currently be enrolled in and regularly attending courses that offer 3.0 units
of credit or 80% of the maximum allowable credits which may be earned, whichever is greater; or a student must be
enrolled in a full course at his or her level in a special education program for the handicapped approved by the Missouri
State Department of Education which, though un-graded, enrolls pupils of equivalent age.
c. Credit: The calculation of the credit requirement described in a-1 and a-2 above for all enrolled students at the school
shall be based on the maximum allowable classes in which a student can be enrolled at the member school during the
normal school day due to the academic system that the member school has selected (7-hour day, block schedule, etc.)
Credits earned in school-sponsored ―extra‖ classes taken beyond the normal school day may be used toward academic
eligibility. Internet classes offered by and at the member school and which are completed no later than the close of the
semester with credit placed on the student‘s transcript can be counted toward academic eligibility. [See also By-Law
2.3.4 (213.0-a-6(c)] regarding correspondence courses.)
d. Entry into 9th Grade: A beginning 9th grade student shall have been promoted from the 8th grade to the 9th grade for
first semester eligibility.
e. A student must be making satisfactory progress towards graduation as determined by local school policies.
Eligibility to participate in extra-curricular activities is a privilege that is attained by meetingall requirements. In order for students to remain eligible for extra-curricular activities, they will also be expected to behave as good citizens. Students who are habitually absent or late to class, who create problems in class or out of the classroom, who must be continually spoken to, may find themselves ineligible because of their actions alone.
The following Middle School eligibility standards are the minimum. They are not intended to replace higher standards that may be already in force, such as for Student Council. This criterion applies to all extra-curricular activities including athletics, student form, school dances, etc.
2.3.7 Grades 7 and 8 Requirements: A 7th or 8th grade student must meet the following requirements in order to be academically eligible to participate in interscholastic activities: (213.0-c)
a. Grading Period: A ―grading period‖ is a period no less than six weeks and no greater than nine weeks where progress is determined and is reported to students/parents. A student must have been promoted to a higher grade or a higher level in special education at the close of the previous year. However, any such student who failed more than one scheduled subject, or failed to make standard progress in special education, shall be ineligible the following grading period regardless of promotion to the higher grade. (However, see also item c below).
b. Semester of Participation: The student shall be currently enrolled in and regularly attending the normal course for that grade or must have enrolled in a full course at his or her level in any public school special education program for the handicapped approved by the Missouri State Department of Education which, though ungraded, enrolls pupils of equivalent chronological age.
c. Entry into 7th or 9th Grade: This section shall not apply to students promoted for the first time into the 7th or into the 9th grade prior to the first day of classes.
6.Those students who have an IEP program on file will receive special consideration in that they must make standard progress in all their subjects.
7.Extra-curricular activities will be those organized and supervised activities conducted under the auspices of the school district, which primarily involve students in activities occurring outside academic class time, for which no units of credit are awarded. These activities will provide for individual, small group and/or student body participation.
8.It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with these requirements.
9.Any student may participate in summer camps and summer competition regardless of their academic status.
Participation in Non-School Sponsored Athletic Activities during the same season a student is in a school sponsored activity must have approval by their respective Building Administration. Failure to do so may affect your eligibility. Request for approval must be in writing outlining the activity.
All coaches will uphold standards set in this manual.
Hopefully, the desire of each student to be able to participate in extracurricular activities will cause him or her to become a better student and citizen.
CITIZENSHIP STANDARDS
The following is taken from the Missouri State High School Activities Association Official Handbook:
Students who represent a school in interscholastic activities must be creditable citizens and judged so by the proper school authority certifying a list of students for competition. Those students whose character or conduct is such as to reflect discredit upon themselves or their schools are not considered "creditable citizens." Conduct shall be satisfactory in accord with the standards of good discipline.
A student shall not be considered eligible while under suspension. The student who is expelled or who withdraws from school because of disciplinary measures shall not be considered eligible for 365 days from the date of expulsion or withdrawal. Any athlete that is removed from eligible participation in an activity as a result of discipline measures may lose his/her privilege to letter in that activity if they do not stay in good standing with the team and/or coach.
An athlete that is guilty of physical assault on another student or district employee will be removed from eligible participation in that activity and may lose eligibility to be a participant in extracurricular activities in the South Harrison R-II School District for the duration of that student’s enrollment in the South Harrison R-II School District.
Any student athlete or participant of a Missouri State High School Athletic Association activity that has found
themselves in a situation of being arrested, charged with breaking a law or ordinance and or given a court date must share that information with their coach and athletic director immediately. The Athletic Director will determine the status of a students’ citizenship after a court decision and may bring the student before the South Harrison School Board of Education to determine the status of a student’s citizenship in extreme cases.
The ideas reflected in these paragraphs have been used in the establishment of the disciplinary sections of this handbook.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Students must be in attendance on the day of participation in an event whether it is a practice or a game. To be in attendance, a student must meet the qualifications for attendance as set forth in the student handbook. A student arriving to school after 8:00 will be considered absent from 1st hour and will need Athletic Director approval to participate in activities on that day. A student missing part or all of a day may be allowed to participate if the absence is excused by the Athletic director or an administrator.
If a student is absent on Friday he or she will not participate on Saturday unless the absence was an AD or administrator approved absence.
Athletes are expected to be in school, on time, every day, including the day after participation in an athletic contest. Coaches are expected to monitor student attendance and to discipline students accordingly. Athletes failing to attend school on time will be subject to discipline by the coaching staff and/or the athletic director which could include being suspended from participating in athletic contests. Exceptions will be made if the absence or tardy is recognized as excused by the administration.
GENERAL GUDIDELINES FOR ACTIVITY PRACTICES
Saturday practices will be at the coach’s discretion.
Sunday Practices that are not mandatory are coach’s discretion with the AD being informed.
Mandatory Sunday Practices must be approved by the AD.
No student is to participate in any activity, including practices of any kind, if he/she has an unexcused absence from school (SEE ATTENDANCE POLICY) on the day of the activity. (THIS WILL INCLUDE BEING IN SCHOOL ON THE LAST SCHOOL DAY BEFORE AN ACTIVITY, PRACTICE, ETC) The student will not be allowed to compete on the following day. Students may participate if they have an excused absence and have Athletic Director or building administrative approval. *This is also applicable to student spectators as well. * Inclement weather will be taken into consideration.
PRACTICE ATTENDANCE
An athlete who misses a practice will be excused only if he or she has informed the coach in advance of the missed practice. Absences that will normally be considered excusable include funerals, and other conflicts discussed with the coach beforehand. What constitutes an excused absence is determined by the head coach of that particular sport.
The penalty for unexcused misses from practice will be determined by the individual coach of each sport.
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR IN SCHOOL
Participation in athletics is a privilege granted to those students who show the ability to conduct themselves properly in school. Participation is not a student's right. Athletes must therefore maintain good conduct in the classroom and other school settings or activities. The privilege of participation may be taken away if an athlete is involved in behavioral problems.
If a student is assigned an “Out of School Suspension,” he or she will be ineligible to participate during the suspension. Each coach will deal with any additional punishment during that season.
Inappropriate behavior in school that results in “In School Suspension” will cause the athlete to receive the following consequences: the first offense resulting in one of these consequences will be disciplined at the coach’s discretion. Should an athlete receive an “ISS” for discipline that athlete will not compete until the “ISS” is served. The athlete may practice. Serving of the “ISS” will begin with the first assigned day and time the student is to be in the ISS room. The building administration will consider unforeseen circumstances.
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR AT AN EVENT
Athletics is the most visible part of our school system. Rarely, is the public given an opportunity to see the other functions of our school as often as they see our athletic programs. Our classroom instruction and other extracurricular programs have far less public exposure.
The behavior of our athletes is very important. Our athletes represent not only themselves, but also their classmates,
school and community. We must therefore stress proper behavior and the consequences for improper behavior in our athletic programs. These rules have been written to encourage our athletes to represent our community in a positive manner at all times.
The succession of penalties in this section of the handbook will start over with the beginning of each sport season
An athlete that shows unsportsmanlike conduct that is determined to be caused by an uncontrolled anger or frustration (such as cursing; verbally threatening a spectator, player, or official, and others) will be removed from that contest at the time of the infraction and will not be allowed to return to play until the coach deems the athlete ready to return to play. Return to play could be not until a future contest. On the second offense the athlete and coach will meet with the athletic director to determine the future path for that athlete concerning participation.
If such behavior occurs at such a point in the season that the above disciplines cannot be administered the discipline will be decided by the joint decisions of the appropriate coach, athletic director and principal or may be carried over to the next season.