ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Athletic Policy
Handbook
Middle/High School
Revised and Approved by the
St. Louis School Board – 07/22/13
St. Louis High School
113 East Saginaw Street
St. Louis MI 48880
989-681-5405
Table of Contents
PART I: ATHLETIC POLICY HANDBOOK 3
I. MISSION STATEMENT 3
II. EDUCATION OUTCOMES OF PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETICS 3
III. ATHLETIC PHILOSOPHY 4
IV. GOVERNANCE 4
V. ST. LOUIS ATHLETIC PROGRAMS 5
VI. ATHLETIC AWARDS 5
PART II: MHSAA REQUIREMENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY 7
PART III: REQUIREMENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL PARTICIPATION 8
PART IV: ST. LOUIS HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC CODE 10
I. APPLICATION OF THE ATHLETIC CODE 10
II. STANDARDS OF CONDUCT 11
III. PENALTIES 12
IV. DUE PROCESS 13
V. ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY 15
PART V: ST. LOUIS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT 17
I. PARENT/COACH COMMUNICATION 17
II. TEAM CONDUCT 18
III. LIMITS OF PARTICIPATION 18
IV. TRANSPORTATION 19
VI. DROPPING A SPORT 19
VII. COLLEGE RECRUITMENT 19
VIII. CONFLICTS WITH EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 20
IX. ATTENDANCE 20
X. SCHOOL INSURANCE 20
XII. RESTRICTED PRACTICE DAYS 21
XIII. SQUAD SELECTION 21
XIV. SQUAD REDUCTION 21
Administration of the Athletic Code of Conduct 22
15
Part I
ATHLETIC POLICY HANDBOOK
I. MISSION STATEMENT
The role of interscholastic athletics in the St. Louis Public Schools is to provide educational experiences in the framework of competitive athletics. By focusing on educational outcomes and student learning, athletics can provide avenues for physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth.
II. EDUCATION OUTCOMES OF PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETICS
A. Physical Growth
1. Achieving personal fitness
2. Learning to deal with stress
3. Learning skills for participation
4. Learning good health habits
B. Emotional Growth
1. Gaining self-confidence, self-worth, and self-discipline
2. Learning to accept criticism
3. Learning to accept success and failure
C. Social Growth
1. Developing interpersonal relationship skills
2. Developing loyalty to a group
3. Learning to win/lose graciously
4. Learning to work in a group - teamwork
5. Learning sportsmanship - fair play
6. Learning respect for teams, opponents, coaches, and officials
7. Representing yourself, your team, and your school in a positive manner
D. Intellectual Growth
1. Learning a sense of pride in achievement
2. Learning commitment to a goal
3. Learning time-management skills
III. ATHLETIC PHILOSOPHY
Students are encouraged to become involved in extracurricular and co-curricular activities. Student participation in such activities, including interscholastic athletics, is provided as an opportunity for students as long as they agree to follow the rules and guidelines as outlined below. Inasmuch as participation is a privilege, not a right, students who violate the guidelines will be subject to the penalties outlined, up to and including suspension from participation in such activities.
A student should realize that the extracurricular and co-curricular activity’s guidelines apply at all times throughout the student’s athletic career; including off-season and all vacation periods. The guidelines are not limited to the time period in which the student participates in a particular activity, nor are the guidelines limited to student behavior at school-sponsored activities or on school property. A student who violates the guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action as outlined in the penalty provisions. In addition, a student participant and his/her parent or guardian must sign the school policy portion of the physical card that acknowledges the student and his/her parent or guardian understands and agrees to abide by the guidelines.
All penalties for violation of this Code of Conduct will be cumulative beginning with the student’s first day of participation in athletics (9th grade athletes will start with a clean slate.
IV. GOVERNANCE
A. The Board of Education
The Board of Education, responsible to the people, is the ruling agency for the St. Louis Public Schools.
The Board of Education is responsible for the following areas:
1. Interpreting the needs of the community,
2. Developing policies in accordance with state statutes and mandates and in accordance with the educational needs and wishes of the people of the St. Louis School District,
3. Approving means by which professional staff may make these policies effective, and
4. Evaluating the interscholastic athletic program in terms of its value to the community.
B. Affiliations
St. Louis High School is a member in good standing of the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Tri-Valley Conference. The TVC is made up of 23 schools in 3 divisions. Divisions will change based on the number of schools sponsoring each sport.
East / Central / WestBirch Run
Bridgeport
Caro
Essexville Garber
Frankenmuth
Millington
North Branch / Alma
Bullock Creek
Chesaning
Freeland
Hemlock
Ovid-Elsie
Shepherd
Swan Valley / Breckenridge
Carrollton
Ithaca
Merrill
Michigan Lutheran Seminary
St. Charles
St. Louis
Valley Lutheran
V. ST. LOUIS ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
(All sports are subject to participation numbers and budget constraints)
A. Fall Sports and Teams
1. Volleyball (Girls) - Varsity, J. V., Freshmen, Eighth, and Seventh grade
2. Sideline Cheerleading – Varsity
3. Cross Country (Boys) - Varsity, J. V. and middle school
4. Cross Country (Girls) - Varsity, J. V. and middle school
5. Football - Varsity, J. V., and Freshmen
6. Golf (Girls) - Varsity and J. V.
B. Winter Sports and Teams
1. Basketball (Girls) - Varsity, J. V., Freshmen, Eighth, and Seventh grade
2. Basketball (Boys) - Varsity, J. V., Freshmen, Eighth, and Seventh grade
3. Competitive Cheerleading (Girls) – Varsity, Sideline for middle school
4. Pom Pon – Varsity
5. Wrestling - Varsity, J. V., and middle school
6. Bowling (Boys) – Varsity (Club)
7. Bowling (Girls) – Varsity (Club)
C. Spring Sports and Teams
1. Baseball (Boys) - Varsity and J. V.
2. Softball (Girls) - Varsity and J. V.
3. Track (Boys) - Varsity and J. V., and middle school
4. Track (Girls) - Varsity and J. V., and middle school
5. Golf (Boys) - Varsity and J. V.
VI. ATHLETIC AWARDS
A. Qualifications
1. All Varsity Sports - An athlete must successfully complete the season in good standing. Each coach will establish minimum requirements for earning an award and make these requirements known to the athletes at the beginning of the particular season. Each varsity sport will have three special awards to be determined by the coach.
Varsity Awards When Awarded
Certificate All Varsity Letters
Varsity Letter First Varsity Letter (only one)
1st year medal (bronze) First Varsity Letter in a sport
2nd year medal (bronze) Second Varsity Letter in same sport
3rd year medal (silver) Third Varsity Letter in same sport
4th year medal (gold) Fourth Varsity Letter in same sport
Team Patches League, District, Regional, and/or State champions (may be combined)
2. All J. V. Sports - An athlete must successfully complete the season in good standing.
J. V. Awards When Awarded
Certificate All J. V. team members
Team Patches League, District, Regional, and/or State champions (only if moved up for state tournaments)
3. All Freshmen Sports - An athlete must successfully complete the season in good standing.
Freshmen Awards When Awarded
Certificate All Freshmen team members
B. Comments
1. Managers may earn a Varsity/Mgr. Letter. Managers, statisticians, and trainers will be given the same awards as athletes.
2. A violation of the athletic code may jeopardize receiving an athletic award.
3. Team awards will be given in accordance with the coach’s handbook.
Part II
MHSAA REQUIREMENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY
(As of 2010, for updated MHSAA rules/policies please see www.mhsaa.com)
I. To be eligible for interscholastic athletics, a high school student must meet the following state regulations.
A. AGE - High school students become ineligible if they reach their nineteenth (19) birthday before September 1st of the current school year.
B. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION - Students must have on file, in the school’s athletic office, a physician’s statement for the current school year (after April 15) certifying that she or he is physically able to compete in athletic practices and contests.
C. ENROLLMENT - Students must be enrolled in school prior to the fourth Friday after Labor Day (1st semester/trimester) or the fourth Friday of February (2nd semester/trimester). A student must be enrolled in the school for which he or she competes.
D. SEMESTER/TRIMESTERS OF ENROLLMENT - Students cannot be eligible in high school for more than eight semester or 12 trimesters, and seventh and eighth semester/trimesters must be consecutive. Students are allowed four first semester trimesters and four second semester/trimesters of competition and cannot compete if they have graduated from high school.
E. SEMESTER/TRIMESTER RECORDS - Students must have passed at least 66 percent of full credit subjects in the previous semester/trimester of enrollment, and must be currently passing 66 percent of the schools full credit load.
F. TRANSFER STUDENTS - A student in grades 9 through 12 who changes schools is not immediately eligible in the new school unless they meet one or the 15 exceptions and fall within one or more of the 35 interpretations. Students and parents anticipating a change of school should first seek advice from their high school administration.
G. UNDUE INFLUENCE - The use of undue influence by any person directly or indirectly associated with a school to secure or encourage the attendance of a student for athletic purposes will cause the student to become ineligible for a minimum of one semester/trimester.
H. LIMITED TEAM MEMBERSHIP - After practicing with or participating with high school teams, students cannot participate in any athletic competition not sponsored by his or her school in the same sport during the same season.
Exceptions include ice hockey and all individual sports which apply the rule from the point of a student’s first participation in a contest of scrimmage, rather than practice. Students in individual sports may participate in a maximum of two (2) non-school individual meets or contests during the school season while not representing their school.
I. ALL-STAR COMPETITION - Students shall not compete at any time in any sport under MHSAA jurisdiction all-star contest or national championships regardless of the method of selection. Participation in such a contest shall cause that student to become ineligible for a maximum of one year of school enrollment.
J. AWARDS AND AMATEURISM - Students cannot receive money or other valuable consideration for participating in MHSAA sponsored sports or officiating in an interscholastic contest except as allowed by the MHSAA handbook.
Students may accept, for participation in MHSAA sponsored sports, symbolic or merchandise awards that do not have a value over $25.00.
Banquets, luncheons, dinners, trips, and admissions to camps or events are permitted if accepted “in kind”. Awards in the form of cash, merchandise, certificates, or any other negotiable documents are never allowed.
Note: Consult the MHSAA Handbook for detailed regulations and/or interpretations.
Part III
REQUIREMENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL PARTICIPATION
By nature, participation in interscholastic athletics includes risk of injury, which may range in severity. Although serious injuries are not common in supervised school athletic programs, it is impossible to eliminate the risk. Participants have the responsibility to help reduce the chance of injury. Athletes must obey all safety rules, report all physical problems to their coaches, follow a proper conditioning program, and inspect their own equipment daily.
The following are requirements that shall be completed prior to participation on any St. Louis athletic team. All parts to the form listed below must be signed and on file in the Athletic Director’s office before an athlete may try-out, practice or compete while representing St. Louis High School.
A. Physical Form
1. Medical History and Physical Examination are required. Students must have on file a physician’s statement for the current school year (after April 15).
2. Insurance - St. Louis Schools provide insurance for all athletes. This insurance applies only to bills and charges not covered by personal insurance. See Part V St. Louis Athletic Department: Procedures and Guidelines; Section IX. School Insurance.
4. Medical Treatment Consent- Each athlete’s parents shall complete a Medical Treatment Consent form authorizing St. Louis Public Schools to treat and provide medical services to the child which St. Louis Public Schools believes to be medically necessary. It also releases St. Louis Public Schools from liability for these medical services and treatment.
B. Academic Eligibility
In order to participate on a St. Louis athletic team, each athlete must have satisfied all of the academic eligibility requirements of the MHSAA and St. Louis High School academic eligibility prior to participation.
C. St. Louis Athletic Code of Conduct
Upon entering 6th grade or at the first time a student tries out for any athletic team, he or she will be presented with this handbook containing all the necessary forms and information for participating in athletics.
Each student and their parent or guardian shall read all of the handbook material and certify, with their signature, that they understand the athletic eligibility rules, code of conduct, and policies of the school district before he or she is able to participate in an athletic event. All athletes will need to re-sign the athletic code after any updates are made.
D. Financial obligations and equipment
1. School issued uniforms, warm-ups, and equipment - All athletes are responsible for the proper care and security of equipment issued to them. School-furnished equipment is to be worn only for contests and practices. Equipment not returned in good condition at the end of the season may be subject to a financial penalty. Replacement costs are usually higher due to the lower quantities being purchased. All money earned from team fundraisers belongs to the school and all items purchased with those funds are property of the school until stated otherwise. Students will not receive the next season’s uniform until all previous uniforms and equipment have been turned in or replaced.
2. Athlete purchased uniforms - In some cases, athletes will be required to purchase a portion of the game uniform, which will become their property. (Example: hats, socks, turtlenecks, shooting tops, etc.)
3. Athletes may be required to purchase various pieces of sport specific equipment. Examples include, but are not limited to: shoes, cleats, various gloves, practice jerseys, etc. All athlete-supplied equipment will remain the property of the athlete.