Extracurricular Policy
PAVILION CENTRAL SCHOOL
(BOE Approved on 06/26/2017)
PHILOSOPHY
The Extracurricular program at Pavilion
Central School is designed to meet the needs of students who want to express
their abilities through participation in the school’s program. Students are encouraged to participate in
these activities as a part of the scholastic experience.
Participation in /Extracurricular activities at Pavilion Central School is a
privilege, and with this privilege each student assumes responsibilities for
conduct, academics and attendance.
This Extracurricular policy has been adopted
to promote excellent sportsmanship and citizenship; to protect the health,
safety, and welfare of the students engaged in any activity; and to assist the
students in building sound moral character.
Attention:
Participation in activities does involve some risk. Physical injury can occur in any type of activity. When participating in a school-sponsored
activity, a student and his/her parents/guardians acknowledge the potential
risk for physical injury.
The insurance provided by the school district
is very limited, offering only secondary (not primary) coverage for injuries
sustained in school-related accidents.
The student’s family insurance is expected to provide primary or basic
coverage.
CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
A.
Once each school year every athlete must pass an
approved physical examination prior to participating in any interscholastic
sport/activity. Each athlete is
responsible for reporting for the physical at the scheduled time.
B.
If a student is unable to participate due to an injury
or illness requiring a physician’s attention, he/she must present a written
release from the attending physician.
C.
Academic and attendance eligibility, according to
Pavilion Central School’s policies, must be maintained.
D.
All eligibility and sportsmanship requirements of the
NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High School Athletic Association) and those of
Section V and other pertinent leagues with which Pavilion is affiliated must be
followed. Any questions should be
directed to the Superintendent or his designee.
E.
A minimum
requirement for all students participating in extracurricular activities is to
be a positive role model both in and out of school; only engaging in behavior
that exemplifies good citizenship.
CODE OF
CONDUCT
A. ACADEMIC POLICY
Statement of Purpose: We believe that the philosophy of Pavilion Central
School should reflect an emphasis on academics as our #1 priority. Students who do not meet designated academic
standards should therefore not be eligible to participate in extracurricular
activities until a satisfactory level of performance is met in the academics.
Extracurricular: Extracurricular activities
include all non-credit bearing activities (interscholastic and intramural), the
school play, marching band, and all other school sponsored groups. Eligibility for class functions/activities are
subject to grade level policies, guidelines, and class contracts when
applicable. This also includes the use of the weight room and fitness center.
Standards:
1.
The eligibility standards will apply to all students in
grades 7-12.
2.
A failing-grade list will be issued at the end of each
5 week marking period.
3.
Eligibility or ineligibility will commence on the date
stated on the Failing Grade List/Ineligible List.
4.
Incompletes will be designated as failing grades until
rectified.
5.
Students who are failing two or more classes will be
designated as Ineligible. The following guidelines will be put into place for
students who are ineligible in order for them to continue to attend their
extra-curricular activity:
a. Student
must attend the ASAC Monday-Thursday until 3:15pm.
b. Student
may practice and travel with the team/activity.
c.
Student will not be allowed to play in any
games/performances until they return to eligible status.
6.
Students can return to eligibility after a two week
period by completing the proper paper work (purple sheet) through guidance.
Students may participate in games/performances once they regain eligibility.
B. ATTENDANCE POLICY
School attendance is essential for students to be
successful both in school and their extracurricular activities. Therefore a student will not be allowed to
participate in that day’s practice/game/event if he or she:
1. Is absent
all day from school (with the exception of verified full day medical
appointments-verified means a note from doctor or follow up call by school
nurse to the doctor).
2. Comes to
school after 8:30 a.m.
3. Leaves
school during the day (with exception of verified medical appointments or
permission of an administrator). Extenuating circumstances will be considered
with prior notification of school administration.
4. Leaves
school due to illness during the school day.
If the student violates the above attendance policy on
a Friday, he/she may not participate until the next day of school attendance or
with the permission of his/her physician.
If the violation occurs prior to a vacation period he/she may not
participate until he/she has been in attendance at a game/practice and not
participated in that game/practice (whichever comes first), or with the
permission of his/her physician. If a
student is in school, but does not participate in Physical Education class,
(s)he is ineligible to participate in that day’s practice/game/event. Any
extenuating circumstances must be approved in advance by the High School
Principal or his/her designee.
C. DETENTION AND IN
SCHOOL SUSPENSION.
Detention takes precedence over practice or an event
or activity and must be served before the student may attend. Students who have in-school suspension or
detention may not participate until the day following the day the in-school
suspension or detention was served. (Teacher detentions are excluded.)
D. OUT OF SCHOOL SUSPENSION
Students who are subject to out of school suspension
cannot practice or participate in any game or activity during the time of
suspension. Midnight of the final day is
when school suspension ends. If a
student is assigned detentions during try-outs, (s)he will have the opportunity
to try-out but will serve the scheduled detentions after the try-out period has
concluded
E. DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
RULE
A student will not
manufacture, distribute, possess, procure, or use illegal drugs or controlled
substances, alcohol, or tobacco products, or possess paraphernalia. (Possession means having physical possession,
or otherwise to exercise dominance or control over tangible property in
accordance with New York State Penal Law.)
A student will also be considered in violation of this rule if he/she
attends a party where illegal drugs, controlled substances or alcohol is
present unless the student does not participate in these activities and leaves
the party within a reasonable amount of time after learning that illegal drugs,
controlled substances or alcohol is present.
A reasonable amount of time is defined
as 15 minutes. Students are encouraged
to contact a coach or administrator to establish their role in connection with
the event. The purpose of the call is to
protect students who have made the right choice from future allegations
regarding the specific event.
F. OTHER
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY
In addition to drugs and alcohol/possession or use of
illegal substances, any student who is convicted of a crime of any kind and/or
engages in an activity that results in a legal action, including, but not
limited to, violation of another student’s civil rights, harassment, and threats
or acts of violence, will be considered in violation of Article F. Student
activity that falls under this category will follow the same investigation,
communication and consequence process as Article E. This process is outlined
below.
REPORTING OF VIOLATIONS
A. Any
student, parent, coach, school employee, school administrator, and/or community
member may choose to report a violation of the extracurricular policy
in writing to (anonymous reports will not be deemed valid reports of a
violation of the extracurricular policy):
1. Building
principals
2. Athletic director
3. Teachers
4. Coaches
5. Counselors
B. The written
report should be supported by one or more of the following
1. Personal knowledge
2 Law enforcement report
3. Newspaper report of the violation and/or
4. Other
documentation such as photographs, or downloads of on-line or web-based postings with
verification of the source, the date of the violation and the name of the
individual who created that documentation.
Reported violations concerning students must be forwarded
to the building principal and/or the Athletic Director immediately.
1. The posting of
any words or pictures on the internet that resemble or provide an admission to
tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drug use by students may be constituted as a
violation of this policy. This includes,
but is not limited to, postings on social networking sites and others in which
students admit that they used any of these substances.
2. Honesty
Provision: Any student who freely admits
to a first-time violation or admits to a violation upon the first time
questioned by administration, the athletic director, or the coach/advisor could
have their suspension reduced. All other
provisions for a first time offense will apply.
3. Self-Referral: If a student seeks assistance, the coach and
athletic director will assist the student in obtaining the professional help
they need. Self-referral shall be viewed
as a non-punitive offense.
Confidentiality will be maintained unless the situation is life
threatening. Self-referral cannot be used
by the student to avoid the penalties of the Extracurricular Policy.
4. If the district
obtains knowledge of the conviction of a student in a court of law for an
offense under Article E and/or F, the investigation procedure will apply with
this conviction constituting a violation of these eligibility rules.
PROCEDURES
After
being notified of a possible violation of Article E or F of the Extracurricular
Policy school administration will begin investigating the possible violation
following the Procedures outlined below.
A.
Upon receiving a report of a possible violation of
Article E or F, school administration will interview the individual(s) who
reported the violation if possible. If
there are outside sources which indicate a violation has taken place, such as a
website, newspaper article, or photographs school administration will examine
those sources, as well.
B.
If there is reason to believe a violation has taken
place the student(s) in question will be interviewed in an effort to confirm or
refute the allegations.
C.
There will be parental notification that an
investigation is taking place. Parents
will be notified in a timely manner and if school administration is unable to
provide verbal notice that an investigation is taking place a written notice
will be sent to the parent/guardian.
This notification will include the reasons for the investigation and the
possibility of suspension or removal from the extracurricular activities.
D.
The activity advisor and/or coach shall also be
informed in a timely manner that a possible violation of the Extracurricular
Policy has taken place.
E.
School administration will further investigate through
interviews with those who may be aware of violations first-hand, those who may have
limited knowledge of the violations, or those who may be involved with such
violations.
F.
Procedures A-E above must be implemented in a timely
manner; however, the order of these procedures may vary depending on the
circumstances and the availability of the family, witnesses, and other
individuals with knowledge of the possible violation.
G.
If there is evidence of a violation, the appropriate
consequences, outlined in section 1. below (RESPONSES TO VIOLATIONS OF
ARTICLE E) will be applied.
H.
Once a student has been found in violation of this
Policy and has been reinstated to extracurricular activities the circumstances
relating to any and all subsequent violations must occur after the date of
initial suspension from Extracurricular Activities.
I.
Any student who violates the extracurricular policy
and, therefore, becomes ineligible, will be permitted to try-out for activities
and sports. The student will have the
opportunity to try-out with the other students for a period not to exceed 5
days. Days spent trying out will be added on to the end of the ineligibility
period.
RESPONSES TO
VIOLATIONS OF ARTICLE E OR F
A. First
Violation
Upon determination of a first violation of Article E
or F, the student shall be removed from participation in any and all
extracurricular activities for the
period of four (4) weeks. The student
will be reinstated after a two (2) week dismissal if the student provides
documentation/verification of attendance at three (3) voluntary sessions in a
substance abuse prevention education program.
The program must be approved by the superintendent or designee. Any student in violation of Article E or F
will miss a minimum of 10% of games/events even if the suspension is already
completed at the time of these events.
B. Second
Violation
Upon determination of a second violation of Article E
or F, the student shall be removed from participation in any and all
extracurricular activities for a period of 5 school months, regardless of the
season the violation incurred. The
student will be reinstated after a four (4) week dismissal if the student
provides documentation/verification of attendance at three (3) voluntary
sessions in a substance abuse prevention education program. The program must be approved by the
superintendent or designee. Any student in violation of Article E or F will
miss a minimum of 10% of games/events even if the suspension is already
completed at the time of these events.
C. Third
Violation
Upon determination of any subsequent violations of
Article E or F the student shall be removed from participation in all extracurricular
activities for 10 school months, regardless of the season the violation was
incurred. The suspension will run
consecutively into the next school year if necessary. The student will be reinstated after 5 months
if the student provides documentation of successfully completing an evaluation
and treatment recommendation from an alcohol and substance abuse treatment
facility approved by the superintendent or designee. Any student in violation
of Article E or F will miss a minimum of 10% of games/events even if the
suspension is already completed at the time of these events.
The Superintendent or Designee reserves the right to
a more severe penalty based on unusual and/or extraordinary circumstances and
severity of the violation.
ATTIRE
Those students who represent Pavilion Central School
will be expected to wear appropriate and suitable clothing consistent with all
established standards of dress required by Pavilion Central School. This includes spectators at home events. (Section V, page 7 of the Code of Conduct,
“Student Dress Code”).
AWAY ACTIVITIES
1. Students must
ride the bus to and from the games or activities. Only the Superintendent or his Designee is
authorized to alter this rule. Requests
for an alternative ride home must be in writing and signed by the student’s/athlete’s
parent(s)/guardian(s). No student will
ride home without an adult.
2. Pavilion students
must remain together as a group and are not to leave the area of activity.
Students are representing Pavilion Central School, and accordingly, their
conduct should always be of a high priority.
3. Students will
treat any place visited with the highest respect and leave those places visited
in excellent condition.
SCHOOL
UNIFORM/EQUIPMENT
1.
School
uniforms/equipment is loaned to students for their use. It must be returned at the completion of an
activity season in a reasonable condition as determined by the Superintendent
or his Designee. It is the
responsibility of the coaches/advisors to collect school uniforms and equipment
in a timely fashion. Ultimately it is
the coach/advisor’s responsibility.
2.
Players are not permitted to use designed equipment and
uniforms for their own personal use, other than scheduled games, practice
sessions, and team-related activities or as approved by the Board of Education.
3.
In the event students/athletes do not return equipment,
or the equipment is unreasonably damaged, the parents/guardians will be
responsible for any costs incurred.
MISCELLANEOUS
Individual coaches or advisors
may recommend additional items to supplement the above rules. These additional items will be given to the
Superintendent or his Designee prior to the beginning of the season for
approval.
APPEALS
The in-district
appeal process (A-C below) will be scheduled for completion within ten (10)
school days.
A. The
student and/or parent/guardian have the right to appeal any violation of the
Code of Conduct to an Appeals Committee.
Any individual choosing to begin the appeal process will contact the
Superintendent or his Designee in writing, who will convene an Appeals
Committee. All parties are entitled to
be present and address the committee.
The decision of the Appeals Committee shall be rendered within two (2)
school days and notice given to all parties.
The determination of the Appeals Committee is whether or not there has
been a violation of the Code.
The Appeals Committee shall be composed of the
following*:
A.
Athletic Director or a representative from the
extracurricular activity
B.
Guidance Counselor
C.
Teacher
D.
Person chosen by Superintendent or his Designee
E.
Parent selected by the Building Principal
(*Each
designee shall have an alternate in case that the first designee is
unavailable. An individual involved in
making the original decision shall not be on the Appeals Committee.)
B. The
student and/or parents/guardians have the further right to appeal any
determination made by the Appeals Committee to the Superintendent who shall
make a determination within three (3) school days.
C. Additionally,
the Board of Education has the power to review the decisions of the
Superintendent. Any party involved may
contact the President of the Board of Education to arrange for such an appeal. The Board of Education shall meet and render
a decision within five (5) school days.
D. Finally,
outside of the school district procedures, an appeal may be made to the
Commissioner of Education in Albany and/or the court system.
Procedure for the hearing:
The Athletic Director will serve as chairperson for the
hearing. No formal record or recording
of the hearing will be made available as this is not an official
deposition. However, a summary of the
proceedings will be made by a person designated by the Appeals Committee. Each side will be allowed a maximum of five
(5) minutes to present his/her information to the Appeals Committee. There will be no outside witnesses permitted,
nor will there be any questions or cross-examination of presenters by the other
party. Members of the committee may ask
questions, but except for procedural questions, are not subject to questions by
the student and/or parent/guardian initiating the proceedings.