Dual County League Handbook

Dual County League

Constitution

Revised 6/20/11 KPM

DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE HANDBOOK

Table of Contents

Constitution……………………………………………………………………2

Code of Ethics……………………………………………………………6

All Star Awards…………………………………………………………….8

Game Protest Procedures……………………………………………………9

Game Uniform Policy……………………………………………………12

Event Management Policies……………………………………………13

Ticket Policies…………………………………………………………….15

Commissioners of Officials…………………………………………….16

Athletic Trainer……………………………………………………………..19

Participation and Expulsion Rules……………………………………..21

Sophomores on 9th Grade Teams…………………………………… 22

Game Postponement Policies…………………………………………….23

Scheduling Policies…………………………………………………………….24

Liaison Responsibilities……………………………………………………26

League Dues……………………………………………………………28

Sportsmanship……………………………………………………………32

Taunting……………………………………………………………………39

Baseball……………………………………………………………………40

Basketball…………………………………………………………………..42

Cheerleading…………………………………………………………….45

Cross Country……………………………………………………………46

Field Hockey……………………………………………………………………51

Football…………………………………………………………………….53

Golf……………………………………………………………………………55

Gymnastics……………………………………………………………………57

Boys Ice Hockey……………………………………………………………59

Girls Ice Hockey……………………………………………………………61

Indoor Track……………………………………………………………………62

Boys Lacrosse……………………………………………………………66

Girls Lacrosse……………………………………………………………67

Outdoor Track……………………………………………………………69

Ski……………………………………………………………………………72

Soccer - Boys/Girls……………………………………………………………78

Softball…………………………………………………………………….80

Swimming - Boys/Girls…………………………………………………….83

Tennis - Boys/Girls…………………………………………………….85

Volleyball - Boys/Girls…………………………………………………….87

Wrestling……………………………………………………………………..89

Universal Precautions for School Settings…………………………….91

Criteria for Athletic Directors’ Scholarships…………………………….92

DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE

Constitution

Article 1-Organization

The name of this organization shall be the Dual County League.

Article 2-Purpose

The purpose of this League shall be to promote the best interests of secondary education; to nurture cooperation, professional growth, and good fellowship among its members, and to secure uniform regulation and control of inter-school participation in activities throughout the League to the end that these activities shall be an integral part of the educational program.

Article 3-Membership

Section A - Regular Members: the Director of Athletics, or representative, shall be at all meetings, and present the views of his/her school.

Section B - The League shall be composed of the Regular Member secondary schools:

Acton Boxborough Regional High School
Bedford High School
Boston Latin School
Concord Carlisle Regional High School
Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School
Newton South High School
Waltham High School
Wayland High School
Westford Academy
Weston High School

Section C - Other high schools may be admitted to the League by and with, a three quarter (3/4) vote of the Regular Member school principals. Any decimal is rounded down. I.e. 10 schools requires 7/10 votes.

Section D - Teams from other high schools may be admitted by specific sports sponsored by the League, and with the unanimous consent of the League, without the parent high school becoming a full member of the League. The Regular Member of parent schools shall have one vote in matters concerning the sport, or sports, in which their school participates.

Section E - No school shall withdraw from the League without notification, in writing, to the League, two years prior to withdrawal date. (Exception: a school can be released with unanimous agreement of the League).

Article 4-Officers

Section A - The Officers of the League shall consist of a President and an Executive Secretary.

Section B - The President of the DCL will be a member principal. S/he will be elected by member principals and serve for one (1) academic year.

Section C - The Executive Secretary shall be an Athletic Director or former Athletic Director of one of the Regular Member schools, elected by a majority vote annually at the regular March meeting of the Regular Member schools, or when a vacancy opens.

Section D - The Office of the Executive Secretary will receive a stipend voted annually at the regular March meeting.

Section E - The new Officers shall take office at the annual fall meeting, the second Tuesday in September.

Article 5-Duties of Officers

Section A - The President shall preside all Principal meetings of the League.

Section B - The Executive Secretary shall act as the Chairman of all the League Athletic Director meetings.

Section C - The Executive Secretary shall keep an accurate record of all meetings, and attend to all correspondence. It will be his/her duty to send all official notices of all meetings to the Regular Member schools of the League. He/she shall receive all moneys and keep an accurate account and record of all moneys received and paid out, and report of same be made at the annual Fall meeting. The Directory of Principals, Athletic Directors and Coaches, will be provided to all members of the League. The directory will consist of home and school/business telephone numbers and addresses.

He/she shall pay for all trophies/awards given on behalf of the League.

He/she shall be responsible for processing athletic schedules, one year in advance, if possible.

He/she shall act as the liaison between the Athletic Directors, and Principals of the Leagues. In this capacity he/she shall carry out the following duties:

He/she shall delegate an Athletic Director to act as liaison for each individual sport.

The delegated AD Liaison and the coaches of each sport meet prior to the regular season.

The delegated AD Liaison and the coaches of each sport meet at the completion of the regular season.
The delegated AD Liaison shall be responsible for conducting a post-season meeting at which time All-Star selections and formation of the tentative schedule for the following year.

Section D - The Executive Secretary is responsible for monthly meetings of the League Athletic Directors, to be called on the second Tuesday of each month at 10:00 am. This monthly meeting date may be changed or omitted if it be deemed necessary for the convenience of the League members. In the expedience of conducting meetings to the best interests of the League, the ExecutiveSecretary may change the above schedule of meetings, or call any special meetings of the coaches and Athletic Directors, if he/she deems it necessary.

Section E - The Executive Secretary/Sport Liaison shall be the authorized representative of the League to represent the League on any area or State athletic committee as may be set up for the furthering and promoting of high school athletics. The purpose of having proper representation from the League is to protect and promote the best interests of the League in matters pertaining to classification, tournaments, etc.

Section F - The Executive Secretary shall seek uniformity in the Administration of Athletic Contests in the League. He/she should instruct the various Athletic Directors, Liaisons, to see that all Member schools coaches understand the policies of the League relating to their particular sport, and to observe proper decorum, and carry out all regulations as set down by the

Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., the Principals, and the Athletic Directors of the League.

Article 6 - General Rules

Section A - Adherence to the Constitution, By-Laws, and recommendations of the M.I.A.A. shall be the responsibility of the League.

Section B - TheLeague will recognize a champion, or co-champions in all Varsity sports, for each division.

Section C - Sportsmanship Banner Award is to awarded to the school that has accumulated the greatest number of points as voted by the sport head coaches at the Post Season Meeting. One school in each division will receive this award.

Article 7 - League Meetings

Meetings with the league principals will be scheduled as needed.

Article 8 - Quorum for Business

Section A - Each Regular Member school shall be entitled to one (1) vote cast by the Principal, or his appointed delegate.

Section B - The majority rule will prevail in all legislation.

Article 9 - Amendments and Special Meetings

Section A - Proposed amendments are to be presented in writing, two (2) weeks before meeting, along with notification to Regular Member schools.

Section B - Special meetings may be called upon petition to the Executive Secretary of any Regular League Members, upon 72 hours notice.

Article 10 - League Finances

League finances will be the responsibility of the Executive Secretary with an annual report given in June.

DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE

Code of Ethics

If order to justify athletics in a secondary program, such programs should:

Emphasize good sportsmanship, upright conduct and the spirit of fair play.

Place a premium on the values, which accrue from fair play.

Eliminate as far as possible the practices, which tend to destroy the worthwhile values of the game.

Teach respect and consideration for opponents as either the guests or the hosts of the game.

Cultivate respect for the authority of school personnel, coaches and game officials.

Develop self-control, self-direction and sound judgment.

Discourage profanity and obscene language at all times.

Demonstrate that the rules of the game are mutual agreements, honorable in spirit, as well as in letter, and that stealing of an advantage in sports is dishonorable.

Convince everyone that athletics really aim to promote the mental, social and moral welfare of the participant, as well as the physical well-being.

Promote the game for the players and as a game only, not as a matter of life and death, of lasting glory in victory or of disgrace in defeat.

Promote the abstinence of any use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco

NFHS Code of Ethics

Dual County League coaches are further bound by the National Federation Code of Ethics.

The coach shall be aware that he or she has a tremendous influence, for either good or ill, on the education of the student-athlete and, thus, shall never place the value of winning above the value of instilling the highest ideals of character.

The coach shall uphold the honor and dignity of the profession. In all personal contact with student-athletes, officials, athletic directors, school administrators, the state high school athletic association, the media, and the public, the coach shall strive to set an example of the highest ethical and moral conduct.

The coach shall take an active role in the prevention of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse.

The coach shall avoid the use of alcohol and tobacco products when in contact with players.

The coach shall promote the entire interscholastic program of the school and direct his or her program in harmony with the total school program.

The coach shall master the contest rules and shall teach them to his or her team members. The coach shall not see an advantage by circumvention of the spirit or letter of the rules.

The coach shall exert his or her influence to enhance sportsmanship by speculators, both directly and by working closely with cheerleaders, pep club sponsors, booster clubs, and administrators.

The coach shall respect and support contest officials. The coach shall not indulge in conduct which would incite players or spectators against the officials. Public criticism of officials or players is unethical.

The coach should meet and exchange cordial greetings with the opposing coach to set the correct tone for the event before and after the contest.

The coach shall not exert pressure on faculty members to give student-athletes special consideration.

The coach shall not scout opponents by any means other than those adopted by the league and/or state high school athletic association.

DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE

All-Star Awards

1. Statement of Purpose

To give recognition to the players who best fit the criteria established by the Dual County League.

2. Criteria for Nominations and Selections

Criteria includes performance on overall league play, regardless of years of experience, such as actual appraisal and/or analysis of play, scouting observations, film reviews and all available statistics. Also of paramount importance is the evaluation of the athlete’s sportsmanship, attitude, behavior, and overall worth to the team, school and league. All candidates must be bona fide team members and academically eligible for the entire season. Students who have violated the M.I.A.A. Chemical Substance Abuse Rule during the season will be ineligible for all-star recognition.

3. Selection Process

The method of selecting all-star teams must be approved by the athletic directors upon recommendation of the coaches within a particular sport. The athletic director in charge of the Dual County League sport will be responsible for running the all-star selection meeting. All schools must have a coach or designee in attendance at this meeting. All-star teams will be selected for each division (large and small). The method of selection should be listed under each sport write-up. Athletic Directors will have the final approval on recommended all-stars before they are reported to the media. Appropriate all-star awards will be presented to members of each league-sponsored all-star team. The athletic director will submit all-star selections to the appropriate newspapers.

4. Coach of the Year

The Dual County League will not formally recognize “coach of the year” in any sport.

DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE

Game Protest Procedures

1. Filing of Protest

Prior to filing an official protest, principals and athletic directors involved in the situation shall make every effort to determine the validity of continuing this process. Situations involving the judgment of officials should not be placed under protest.

Protests should be submitted in accordance with the appropriate rulebook governing the contest.

Protests should be submitted in accordance with procedures outlined by the M.I.A.A.

The coach shall make the protest to the official in charge of the game at the time the decision under protest is made. The protest is to be made at the earliest time allowed by the rules of that sport. The official in charge must notify the opposing coach of the protest, and whether correct the rule by replaying from point of error, or properly apply the rule in question, or deny the protest. A protest not made at the proper time will not be considered.

If the protest is denied at the game site, the principal of the protesting school will forward copies of the protest to all principals and athletic directors in the Dual County League within two school days (or immediately, if necessary) following the incident.

Additional copies will be mailed to officials and coaches involved.

Protest statements should be complete and specifically state the rule violation that is being protested.

The athletic director/liaison in charge of the sport involved in conjunction with the league executive secretary will make a final determination whether or not the protest filed involves a judgment decision or a rule violation. If deemed other than a judgment case, they will proceed to appoint a hearing committee.

2. Hearing Committee Procedures

The executive secretary will appoint a hearing committee within two (2) school days (or immediately, if necessary) of receipt of the protest consisting of the following:

The liaison of the sport involved or league designee will act as a voting chairman for the hearing.

Two athletic directors of schools not directly involved or affected by judgments determined from the protest.

The league commissioner or his designated representative, certified in the sport in question, will serve as a nonvoting consultant.

The executive secretary for the league will provide for written minutes of the proceedings.

B. A hearing will be held within five (5) days (or immediately, if necessary) after the appointment of a hearing committee. The league executive secretary will be responsible for determining date, time, and place and for the notification of all parties concerned.

C. Persons involved in the protest should be scheduled to testify before the committee with the order and procedure determined by the chairman. Testimony should be received from all parties concerned with the protest. Written depositions may be considered a part of the testimony from the parties involved:

Officials involved in the protest.

Coaches and athletic directors of the schools concerned.

Other informed parties that are invited for the purpose of providing additional information.

D. Flexibility in this process will be permitted in order best serve the needs of the DCL.

3. Protest Decision:

After receiving qualified testimony from all possible sources, the voting members of the protest committee (behind closed doors) shall reach a finding and subsequent judgment relative to the protest. In case of a ruling upholding the protest, voting members will determine steps to be taken in order to resolve the situation.

A majority ruling by the hearing committee will determine the decision.

Teams involved will be immediately notified to the judgment.

All principals and athletic directors will be notified of the final determination of the protest.

The judgment handed down by the hearing committee will be final.

Steps to be followed in DCL Protest

Coach/Athletic Director informs all game officials.

Coach/Athletic Director informs opposing coach by games end that the contest is under protest.

Coach/Athletic Director reminds all game officials before they leave game site.

Coach informs his/her school Athletic Director.

Athletic Directors from opposing schools make contact to discuss validity of protest

Consult sport rulebook
Get opinion from liaison Athletic Director of sport involved

Athletic Director of protesting school notifies the commissioner of sport involved

Athletic Director of protesting school notifies DCL secretary

At this point, if the decision of the coach/Athletic Director is to go forward with the protest, the following should take place:

Written statement from protesting coach
Written statement from all game officials
Notify school principals involved

DCL Athletic Directors arrange to meet and act upon protest

Athletic Director of protesting school responsible for bringing all written materials and statements to protest meeting.
Appearance of coaches/officials, if the Athletic Directors deem necessary to make an appropriate decision.

Dual County League

Game Uniform Policy

Members of all Dual County League teams must wear only the school prescribed uniform. All Team members must be dressed uniformly in athletic competition.

Undergarments (such as spandex or compression shorts) may be visible under game shorts, kilts or jerseys under the following conditions: