Policy 6145.2 - Interscholastic Competition

Interscholastic Competition

The Board of Education recognizes that the interscholastic athletic program constitutes an integral component of the educational program. Within the district’s financial and personnel constraints, the interscholastic program shall be geared to students’ interests and abilities and varied in scope to ensure wide participation. In accordance with law, the district shall provide equivalent opportunities to both sexes and shall maintain control over all aspects of the program. The Board encourages business and community support for district athletic programs, subject to applicable district policies and regulations governing advertisements and donations.

Student Eligibility

Participation in the district interscholastic program is limited to those students who meet the district’s eligibility requirements. Students shall not be charged a fee to participate in an athletic program.

The first priority of student athletes shall be a commitment to their education and academic achievement.

Eligibility requirements for participation in the district's interscholastic athletic program, including eligibility for a child in foster care or a child of a military family, are the same as those set by the district for participation in extracurricular and co-curricular activities.

Health and Safety

The Board desires to give student health and safety the highest consideration in planning and conducting interscholastic activities. In the event that an injury occurs, the coach or other appropriate district employee shall remove the student athlete from the activity and/or seek medical treatment for the student as appropriate. Universal precautions shall be observed when injuries occur and when handling bloody dressings, mouth guards and other articles containing body fluids.

All athletic teams shall be supervised by qualified coaches. Athletic events shall be officiated by qualified licensed personnel.

Special care shall be taken to ensure that all interscholastic training and competition is conducted in a manner which will not overtax the physical capabilities of the participants. Students shall have a medical examination before participating in the interscholastic program. Protective equipment shall be used to prevent or minimize injuries.

Coaches and appropriate district employees shall take every possible precaution to ensure that athletic equipment is kept in safe and serviceable condition. The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that all athletic equipment is cleaned and inspected for safety before the beginning of each school year.

Nondiscrimination and Equivalent Opportunities in the Athletic Program

The District’s athletic program shall be free from discrimination and discriminatory practices in accordance with state and federal law. The Superintendent or designee shall insure that equivalent opportunities are provided for both genders. Any complaint regarding the district’s athletic program shall be filed in accordance with Board Policy/Rule 1312.3 – Uniform Complaint Procedures.

Open Participation

The Board recognizes that participation in athletic competition promotes a positive school climate. The Board encourages all students to try out for athletic teams.

Sportsmanship

The Board of Education values the quality and integrity of the athletic program and the ethical well-being and character development of student athletes. Student athletes, coaches, parents/guardians, spectators, and others are expected to demonstrate good sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and fair play during all athletic competitions. They shall also abide by the core principles of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship and the Codes of Conduct adopted by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

Students and staff may be subject to disciplinary action for improper conduct.

California Interscholastic Federation

The Board maintains membership in the CIF and requires that interscholastic athletic activities be conducted in accordance with Board policy, administrative regulation, and CIF bylaws and rules. The Superintendent or designee shall have responsibility for the district's interscholastic athletic program, while the principal or designee at each participating school shall be responsible for site-level decisions, as appropriate.

Upon recommendation of the Superintendent, the Board shall annually designate an employee from each high school to serve as a representative to the local CIF league. Appointees shall represent the district in performing all duties required by the CIF league. In making this selection, the Board shall consider the employee's understanding of the district's goals for interscholastic and extracurricular activities, knowledge of the athletic programs, awareness of the implications of league decisions for the school and the district, and individual interpersonal communication and leadership skills.

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that the district representatives to the CIF report regularly to the Board on league, section, and statewide issues, as well as activities and prospective actions related to athletics. In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall ensure that students participating in interscholastic athletics governed by the CIF satisfy CIF eligibility requirements.

Supervision

All athletic teams shall be supervised by qualified coaches to ensure that student athletes receive appropriate instruction and guidance related to safety, health, training, and preparation for competition. Athletic events shall be officiated by qualified personnel.

Rule 6145.2

Health and Safety

The Superintendent or designee shall annually distribute to student athletes and their parents/guardians a concussion and head injury information sheet. The student and parent/guardian shall sign and return the information sheet before the student’s initiating practice or competition.

District employees shall take every possible precaution to assure that athletic equipment is kept in safe and serviceable condition.

Football helmets shall be checked for NOCSAE seals in accordance with the National High School Federation Rule Book. Coaches shall train players to report any cracks in helmets which may result from play and to minimize injuries by considering the helmet as a protective mechanism and not as an offensive or defensive weapon.

Whenever a player incurs an injury or wound that produces bleeding or other body fluids, the practice or game shall be stopped in accordance with California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) guidelines and the player shall be escorted away from the playing field for appropriate treatment. The player shall not return to the practice or game until the bleeding has stopped and the wound is properly covered.

If a student athlete is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in an athletic activity, he/she shall be immediately removed from the activity for the remainder of the day. The student shall not be permitted to return to the activity until he/she is evaluated by a licensed health care provider trained in the management of concussions and receives the health care provider’s written clearance to return to the activity. If the health care provider determines that the athlete sustained a concussion or head injury, the athlete shall also complete a graduated return-to-play protocol of no less than seven days in duration under the supervision of a licensed health care provider.

The Superintendent or designee shall notify the student’s parent/guardian of the date, time and extent of any injury suffered by the student and any actions taken to treat the student.

The Superintendent or designee shall provide training to coaches and/or athletic trainers regarding concussion symptoms, prevention, and appropriate response.

High school football teams shall not hold a full-contact practice during the off-season and shall not conduct more than two full-contact practices per week during the preseason and regular season (from 30 days before commencement of the regular season until the completion of the final interscholastic football game of that season). In addition, the full-contact practice means a practice where drills or live action is conducted that involves collisions at game speed, where players execute tackles and other activities that is typical of an actual tackle football game.

Nondiscrimination and Equivalent Opportunities in the Athletic Program

No student shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, be denied equivalent opportunity in, or otherwise be discriminated against in interscholastic, intramural, or club activities on the basis of actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnic group identification, race, ancestry, national origin, religion, color, mental or physical disability or any other basis specified by law.

The Superintendent or designee may provide single-sex teams where selection for the teams is based on competitive skills.

Each student shall be allowed to participate in any single-sex athletic program or activity consistent with his/her gender identity and for which he/she is otherwise eligible to participate, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records.

When a school provides only one team in a particular sport for members of one sex, but provides no team in the same sport for members of the other sex, and athletic opportunities in the total program for that sex have been previously limited, members of the excluded sex shall be allowed to try out and compete with the team. The same standards for eligibility shall be applied to every student trying out for the team, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or protected group status.

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that equivalent opportunities are available to both sexes in athletic programs by considering, among other factors:

1. Whether the selection of sports and levels of competition offered effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of both sexes. The athletic program may be found to effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of both sexes using any of the following tests:
   1. Whether the interscholastic-level participation opportunities for male and female students are provided in numbers substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments
   2. Where the members of one sex have been and are underrepresented among interscholastic athletes, whether the district can show a history and a continuing practice of program expansion that is demonstrably responsive to the developing interests and abilities of the members of that sex
   3. Where the members of one sex are underrepresented among interscholastic athletes and the district cannot show a history and continuing practice of program expansion as required in item #b above, whether the district can demonstrate that the interests and abilities of the members of that sex have been fully and effectively accommodated by the present program
2. The provision and maintenance of equipment and supplies
3. Scheduling of games and practice times, selection of the season for a sport, and location of the games and practices
4. Travel and per diem allowances
5. Opportunities to receive coaching and academic tutoring
6. Assignment and compensation of coaches and tutors
7. Provision of locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities
8. Provision of medical and training facilities and services
9. Provision of housing and dining facilities and services
10. Publicity
11. Provision of necessary funds

Beginning with the 2015-16 school year and every year thereafter, each school that offers competitive athletics shall post the following information on its web site, or on the district web site if the school does not have a web site, at the end of the school year:

1. The total enrollment of the school, classified by gender
2. The number of students enrolled at the school who participate in competitive athletics, classified by gender
3. The number of boys’ and girls’ teams, classified by sport and competition level

The data reported for items #1-3 above shall reflect the total number of players on a team roster on the official first day of competition. The materials used to compile this information shall be retained by the school for at least three years after the information is posted on the website.

Parental Notifications Before a student participates in interscholastic athletic activities, his/her parents/guardians shall receive a notice which:

1. Explains that there is an element of risk associated with all athletic competition and that the district cannot ensure that any student will not be injured, despite the staff’s commitment to provide every participant with due care
2. Requests parental permission for the student to participate in the program and if appropriate, be transported by the school to and from competitions
3. States the district’s expectations that students adhere strictly to all safety rules, regulations and instructions, as well as rules and guidelines related to conduct and sportsmanship