“Successful achievements in athletics do not occur by chance
or by athletic skills alone. There is
another ingredient that cannot be measured, but is readily recognized by every
fan, coach, or athlete. It is ATTITUDE.”
-George
Egofike, A.D.,
ACTIVITIES:
This document not only
serves athletics, but other activities governed by the Washington
Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) as well. These activities include:
Athletics, Band, Cheerleading, and Drama.
We believe that all
activities covered by the WIAA are of equal value to the students, school, and
community; therefore, these activities need to meet similar standards. Parents/guardians are encouraged to support
their children in the pursuit of interscholastic activities, as well as the
commitment to uphold the expectations contained herein.
PHILOSOPHY:
“Athletics” means more
than competition between individuals or teams representing different
schools. Athletics teach understanding
and appreciation of teamwork: including individual accountability, commitment,
trustworthiness, dedication to team needs/decisions, self-reliance, goal
setting, interdependency, perseverance, and achievement of common objectives
shared by a team.
Because
Student-athletes participate in spectator events, they are often admired and
relied upon for leadership by younger students and peers. For this reason, they are observed more
closely than most other students are in the classroom, around the school, and
in the community. Therefore, it is
important that the Student-athlete’s behavior remain above question. As a school leader, the Student-athlete must
accept the responsibilities and obligations that accompany the privilege of
interscholastic competition.
A positive attitude
can be directed and guided by a positive athletic/activities contract. At
“Success may color between the lines of character and
integrity, but it recognizes no boundaries regarding gender or race.”
Mary
Talon
PARTICIPANTS AND PERIOD OF COVERAGE:
This
athletic/activities contract applies to all students participating in
interscholastic athletics/activities.
The provisions of this contract shall govern from the first day of
school until the last day of school (one academic year). The Rules of Conduct, (see next page) shall
also apply to “non-participating” periods during the entire school year
regardless of whether a student has signed an athletic contract.
The athletic
department encourages and believes in the importance of parent/guardian
knowledge and awareness of the key expectations for their Student-athlete. This can only happen through open
communication. Therefore, before
allowing a Student-athlete to participate in a contest, the Student-athlete’s
parent/guardian must attend an informational meeting held prior to the
beginning of each sport season. If the
parent/guardian is unable to attend, he/she must make arrangements to meet with
the coaching staff before his/her son/daughter may participate in any contests.
ASB CARDS:
Student-athletes must
purchase an ASB card prior to participation in a contest.
DISCIPLINARY RULES AND REGULATIONS:
Any Student-athlete
failing to comply with the Rules of Conduct section of the athletic contract
shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the following
procedures:
1.
All violations will be progressive throughout each academic
school year.
2.
Consequences for violations will be ineligibility for the
remainder of the season and/or a percentage of contests as indicated in the
team rules and/or sections below. If
ineligibility covers a percentage of contests, the athlete will still be
required to practice, follow all team rules, and complete ALL portion(s) of any
season(s) in order for that time to count toward fulfilling the suspension.
RULES OF CONDUCT:
The following Rules of
Conduct are intended to clarify for the Student-athletes, their obligations as
leaders and participants representing
Student-athletes:
A-1 Shall not use
and/or be in possession of illegal drugs and/or alcohol on or off the QVSD
campus.
A-2 Shall not
remain on premises where drugs and/or alcohol are being used unlawfully.
A-3 Shall not use and/or be in possession of
tobacco products (including any
tobacco-like products e.g. "mint chew," etc.) on or off the QVSD
campus.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-1 Shall not be
convicted of any felony involving the act of violence toward another person(s).
B-2 Shall not
commit any act(s) of vandalism or theft.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C-1 Shall obey all
school and classroom rules and regulations.
C-2 Shall obey all
bus and transportation rules.
C-3 Shall follow
the written team rules established by their head coach.
DISCIPLINARY STEPS:
Consequences for Violating Class “A-1 and/or A-2”
Rules of Conduct:
Step
1 - Suspension for 60% of the season
OR the remainder of season - - whichever
is longer.
Step 2 - Suspension from
interscholastic competition for one calendar year.
Step 3 - Permanent
ineligibility from interscholastic competition for the reminder of middle
school.
Consequences for Violating Class “A-3” Rules of Conduct:
Step
1 - Suspension for 60% of the season
OR the remainder of season - - whichever is longer.
Step 2 - Suspension for 80%
of the season OR the remainder of season - - whichever is longer.
Step 3 - Removal from athletics for the remainder of
the academic year (violations occurring in a spring sport shall carry over to
encompass 25% of the next sport in which a Student-athlete participates in the
following academic school year).
Consequences for Violating Class “B” Rules of Conduct (B-1, B-2):
Automatic Step #3:
Removal from all athletics for one (1) calendar year.
Consequences for Violating Class “C” Rules of Conduct (C-1):
Step 1 – 1st referral - Warning
Step 2 – 2nd
referral - One contest suspension
Step 3 – 3rd,
4th … referral - Two contest suspension
Consequences for Violating Class “C” Rules of Conduct (C-2):
All bus suspensions remain in effect for athletic travel
Consequences for Violating Class “C” Rules of Conduct (C-3):
Discipline/consequences will be
established and enforced by each head coach, in
consultation with the building
principal and/or his/her designee in conjunction with the district athletic
director.
note: Students in
violation of the Drug/Alcohol Policy will also be required to enter the
District Drug Program before eligibility will be reinstated.
note: Game suspensions not fully served by the end
of one season must be completed during
the next sport season in which the Student-athlete competes. The
Student-athlete must complete that entire season in order for any of that
suspension time to be credited.
note: Disciplinary steps of this athletic code may
be altered at the discretion of the building principal and/or his/her designee
in conjunction with district athletic director and the coach.
ATHLETIC BEHAVIOR:
1.
Show proper respect to all visitors.
2.
Show proper respect to all hosts and host facilities.
3.
“Roughhousing” in the locker room is dangerous and will not
be
permitted at
any time.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation
because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely
what others think you are.”
John
Wooden, former UCLA Men’s Basketball Coach
TEAM RULES:
Each coach is responsible
for establishing, and distributing to participants and their
parent(s)/guardian(s), written rules and regulations for their specific
sport/season. These written rules and
regulations shall be reviewed and approved by the building principal and/or
his/her designee in conjunction with district athletic director.
“To succeed…you need to find something to hold on to,
something to motivate you, something to inspire you.”
Tony
Dorsett, Former
DISCIPLINARY HEARING PROCEDURE:
Any student, parent or
guardian who is aggrieved by the imposition of discipline under the
athletics/activities code shall have the right to request an appeal hearing
before the Activity Board. Such a request must be made to the building
principal within five (5) school business days of the initial action taken by
the athletic director.
During such a hearing,
the student and/or parent/guardian shall be subject to questioning by members
of the Activity Board and shall be entitled to question school personnel
involved in the matter being contested.
Subsequent to the
Activity Board hearing, the student and/or parent or guardian, shall have the right to request a
written or oral grievance (within five
(5) school business days of the Activity Board hearing) to the
superintendent of the district or his/her designee.
If the grievance is
still not resolved, the student and/or parent/guardian (upon two (2) school
days prior notice, and within five (5) school business days of the previous hearing)
shall have the right to request written or oral grievance to the Board of
Directors during the Board’s next regular meeting. The School Board shall notify the student,
parent or guardian of its response to the grievance within ten (10) school
business days after the date of the meeting.
The discipline action imposed by the District pursuant to the
activity code shall continue, not withstanding the implementation of the
grievance procedure. In the event of an
appeal, all disciplinary action will be postponed until the appeal process has
been exhausted.
ACTIVITY BOARD
Athletic Grievance Activity Grievance
Principal: Chair
(non-voting) Principal:
Chair (non-voting)
Three (3) off season
coaches Five (5) staff members
Two (2) staff members
INSURANCE:
Every student who
participates in interscholastic athletics must show proof of accident insurance
coverage as a condition of participation.
A Student-athlete must provide documentation of coverage by a private
insurance company or
obtain enrollment forms for district-approved insurance. These forms are available at the district and
ACADEMIC STANDARDS:
The
PERFORMANCE CHECKS:
Student-athletes are
required to submit weekly performance checks that indicate their current grade
and behavior in classes. These are
collected by the coaches and monitored through the athletic department.
LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE CHECKS:
Level 1 Student-athletes
receiving zero (0) “NC’s” (no credit or failing grades) will be eligible to
compete in all contests unless discipline has been imposed for a violation of
the Rules of Conduct and/or team rules as per the Disciplinary Steps
section.
Level 2 Student-athletes
receiving one (1) “N” will not be
allowed to travel to away contests.
However, they will be eligible to compete in all HOME contests unless
discipline has been imposed for a violation of the Rules of Conduct and/or team
rules as per the Disciplinary Steps section.
Level 3 Student-athletes
receiving two (2) or more “N’s” will be ineligible to compete in any contests
until they raise their Performance Check to a Level 2 or greater status.
note: Random performance checks of Student-athletes
may be requested by the principal, athletic director, coach, staff member
and/or parent/guardian.
note: Any negative behavior(s) reflected in the
performance checks will be handled by the appropriate school and team rules
procedure(s).
note: Student-athletes completing the most recent quarter on Level
2 or greater will be bound, through the first full week of the new quarter, to
the consequence set forth under “Levels of Performance Checks”.
School Organized
Homework Functions:
Student-athletes who are
having difficulty with their grades are encouraged to participate in school
organized homework functions. These students
should meet with their coach(es) and teacher(s) to
develop a plan that will aid them in successfully meeting academic
requirements.
CREDITS:
Any Student-athlete
who is repeating a grade level must be passing all classes to be eligible for participation in any practice or
contest.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE:
Student-athletes must be in
attendance at school all day and punctual to every class in order to be
eligible to participate in practice or in a contest that day, unless the
absence/tardy is approved by the building principal and/or his/her designee in
conjunction with the head coach, (e.g. doctor, dentist, optometrist or
school-sponsored activities, etc.).
EQUIPMENT/UNIFORMS:
School equipment and
uniforms checked out to a Student-athlete are his/her responsibility. Student-athletes are expected to keep the
equipment and uniforms clean and in good condition. Loss of any issued equipment and/or uniforms
is the Student-athlete’s financial obligation.
Remember: Lock it up! Secure all
equipment and uniforms when they are not in use. Student-athletes
must return their complete uniform and any other items issued by the coach
prior to participating in any further interscholastic programs.
TRAVEL:
All Student-athletes
must travel to and from contests in transportation provided by the school
district. Permission to travel with
parents, relatives and/or an adult (21
or older) may be granted
by the athletic director and head coach.
However, a signed note by a parent/guardian requesting approved
alternate transportation must be given to the coach prior to the use of alternate transportation.
If there is any
question about hazardous weather/road conditions, the destination school is
contacted regarding conditions at their location. In addition, the Washington State Department
of Transportation, as well as other school districts along our proposed route,
may be contacted prior to departure. The
athletic director and transportation director will discuss the road conditions
and reach a decision together. If a
mutual agreement cannot be reached, the superintendent will make the final
decision.
The driver of the bus
has the authority to stop if he/she determines that conditions are unsafe. He/she has phone numbers of the district
transportation director, athletic director, and superintendent in the event
that scheduled plans must be changed.
If an emergency occurs
(poor weather/road conditions, mechanical failure, etc.) and prohibits our
return, those in charge will make every effort to see that the Student-athletes
are safe, fed, adequately lodged, and are under the supervision of
coaches. School officials will make
every reasonable attempt to notify parents/guardians of the situation.
ATHLETIC/ACTIVITY
CONTRACT
Please read, sign,
detach and return this contract to the Forks Middle School Athletic
Department. Thank you.
I have read and
understand the Forks Middle School Athletic/Activity Code in its entirety.
Furthermore…
…I, the undersigned
Student-athlete, dedicate myself to making positive, healthy and safe choices
at school and in the community. I am
committed to leading a healthy lifestyle both on and off campus, and I will
encourage others to do so as well. I
pledge not to use, possess, or condone alcohol, drugs and/or tobacco. I also make a commitment to advocate and work
toward eliminating violence, racism and sexual harassment in our district and
community.
I agree to support,
uphold and abide by the standards and expectations described in the attached
Forks Middle School Athletic/Activity Code, and I accept all responsibility and
consequences as determined by the athletic code’s disciplinary process.
____________________________________________ _______________
Student-athlete Signature
Date
…I, the undersigned
parent/guardian of the above-named Student-athlete, agree to and accept the
standards and expectations described in the attached Forks Middle School
Athletic/Activity Code, and agree to all consequences as determined by the
athletic code’s disciplinary process.
____________________________________________ _______________
Parent/Guardian Signature Date
on
============================= OFFICE USE ONLY =============================
__________________________
Student-athlete
__________________________ ___________ _____________
Sport(s) Staff
Initials Date Received