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.