Good Sports Play

GOOD SPORTS PLAY TO WIN

This handbook was approved by the Alba Board of Education on 08/11/08.

The schools of the Michigan High School Athletic Association have adopted through their elected representatives, three types of regulations to govern interscholastic athletics; and each year the schools which wish to become or remain members of the MHSAA adopt, by local board of education action, a resolution which states that the schools of that district will enforce those regulations. The Attorney General has ruled that local school districts have authority to adopt MHSAA regulations and when they do the responsibility to enforce those rules as their own.

The regulations apply specifically to the following sports, and any other activities to which a member school wishes to apply the regulations: baseball, basketball, girls competitive cheer, cross country, football, golf, girls gymnastics, ice hockey, skiing, soccer, girls softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, girls volleyball and wrestling.

A copy of the MHSAA HANDBOOK is on file in the superintendent's office if you wish to peruse it.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE: The Alba Public School Board of Education and coaches do not condone the use of alcohol, illegal drugs or tobacco in any form, at any time, by any student athlete. Any student athlete possessing and/or using alcohol, tobacco and/or illegal drugs, during the sport season in which he/she participates, will be subject to the following penalties: FIRST OFFENSE: Thirty (30) school days of suspension from interscholastic competition (including the first day of practice or MHSAA approved start day, whichever is later), SECOND OFFENSE: Ninety (90) school days of suspension from interscholastic competition, THIRD OFFENSE: One hundred eighty (180) school days of suspension from interscholastic competition.

Suspensions will be carried over from sport to sport if one season does not complete the penalty. These violations accumulate over the lifetime of the student's stay at Alba Public School.

Any athlete who incurs a 30,90 or 180-day suspension may appeal the suspension to the Athletic Committee.

ATTENDANCE POLICY: The Alba Board of Education believes every student participating in extra-curricular activities should attend school every hour of every day during the entire season of the extra-curricular activity. This policy is intended to make committed, responsible students who earn the privilege to participate in extra-curricular activities. A. A student must be in attendance a full day of school in order to participate in practice or a contest that day, unless prior arrangements are made IN WRITING at least 24 hours in advance (unless an emergency arises). 1) An unexcused tardy, more than 10 minutes in length, to any class is considered an absence. B. Any prearranged excuse by the athletic director or full day excused absences determined by the athletic director will not jeopardize participation in the extra-curricular event.

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 1 C. Any unexcused absences from school or practice (full or part-time) or a contest will result in the following: FIRST OFFENSE: Verbal warning by coach, SECOND OFFENSE: Suspension from participation in part or all of the next scheduled contest, THIRD OFFENSE. Suspension from participation in the next two scheduled contests, FOURTH OFFENSE: Removal from team. D. Students who are unable to participate because of injury or MHSAA requirements are still a member of the team must attend practices and games. All attendance regulations still apply.

These are the minimum requirements for attendance. Coaches have the right to enforce more strict guidelines, with prior approval from the Athletic Director.

The student during such suspension time is required to practice with his/her respective extra-curricular group or team. The student athlete who is on team suspension is required to sit directly behind the team during the interscholastic event. He/she WILL NOT dress in the team uniform. The coach or Athletic Director has the right to exclude an athlete from attendance for disciplinary reasons.

The attendance policy is in effect from the beginning to the end of each respective extra- curricular season. Failure to complete the season, including final contests, will result in instant removal from the team. Exceptions will be considered upon request to the athletic director.

Participation in weekend contests will depend on the previous Friday's attendance.

***MHSAA sets the starting practice dates for all interscholastic sports. Mandatory practice will begin on that date. Students have five (5) practice days to decide to join the sport. Any student has two weeks after mandatory practice to quit any team, without penalty.

AWARDS: Student must complete the season of each sport to earn pins and bars. Completion of the season is defined as being active at the beginning and end of the season, and being an active member of the team. Students who fail to attend the athletic awards at the end of the school year will not receive their awards, unless prior arrangements have been made by the parent.

Junior high athletes will receive a certificate of participation each year.

Junior varsity athletes will receive a medium letter and certificate the first year. Second year JV athletes will receive a certificate.

Varsity athletes will receive one varsity letter per student, given for first completed varsity sport. All varsity players will receive a certificate, pin and bar for each sport of participation.

Cheerleaders will receive one chevron and megaphone pin for each year of participation.

Managers will receive a manager pin.

The Female/Male Athlete of the Year will be awarded to the most deserving high school athlete, chosen on the following basis: 1) character 2) sportsmanship and 3) participation in interscholastic sports. The selection will be made by the varsity coaches and the athletic director. Criteria to be considered are: 1) Number of seasons of competition, 2) Scholastic effort, 3) Citizenship in school and in athletic competition, 4) Leadership among fellow

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 2 athletes.

CELL PHONES: Cell phones are not allowed in school or during practice. The use of cell phones during away ballgames is limited to arraigning for a ride home. Phones should be turned off and given to the coach for safekeeping. CHEERLEADER RULES/ADDITIONAL: The following rules apply - 1. Gum chewing is not allowed while in uniform. 2. Tardiness to the game or after half time will not be tolerated. 3. Uniforms must be kept neat and clean. 4. Jewelry is forbidden (class rings are exempt.) 5. Cheerleaders must wear designated attire to school on days of athletic events. 6. Excessive conversation is not permitted during athletic events. 7. Cheerleaders must perform all cheers and chants as a team. 8. All athletes must remember that they are representatives of our school & community.

COMPLAINTS: Any complaints regarding athletic programs should be submitted in writing to the Athletic Director. Complaints not put in writing will not be acted upon.

ELIGIBILITY/AGE: A student who is in any interscholastic athletic contest must be under nineteen (19) years of age except that a student whose nineteenth (19th) birthday occurs on or after September 1st of a current school year is eligible for the balance of that school year.

Any student athlete who quits during an athletic season will not be eligible to play any sport the following season; (example: any student who quits a fall sport of cross country, volleyball or junior high basketball will not be eligible for the winter sports of boys basketball, cheerleading or volleyball.) unless exempt by a committee composed of the athletic director, a coach, a teacher, a parent, a student and a board member. Reasons for an exemption are: 1) physical problems, 2) emotional problems, and/or 3) academic problems. Students who quit a sport must notify the Athletic Director in writing of their action, and the notification must have a parent signature. Failure to submit writing notification with parent signature will result in disqualification of exemption.

Parents have the right to pull their student from a sport for academic reasons without the student being penalized, after a meeting with teacher, coach, student and parent. Requests for exemption must be made in writing to the Athletic Director, and must be made no later than two weeks prior to the start of the season they wish to participate in.

Students who lose eligibility for academic reasons will be required to attend a meeting with the coach, athletic director and parent. It will be the responsibility of the athlete to have a plan of continued eligibility for the entire sport season.

Junior high basketball: Each team needs a minimum of seven (7) eligible athletes at the start of the season. In the event this number is not met, sixth grade girls and/or boys will be eligible to sign up for the respective lacking team, upon approval of the MHSAA.

Grades 8-12 are allowed to be on selected teams, but eighth graders are not guaranteed play time during this varsity season.

EMERGENCY TREATMENT FORMS: The coach will carry emergency treatment forms to all games. A copy of the form will be kept on file in the office.

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 3 EQUIPMENT/UNIFORMS: It is the responsibility of athletes to properly care for equipment and uniforms issued during the course of the season. All equipment and uniforms issued to the athlete must be returned to the coach at the end of the season (last contest). No athletic awards will be awarded to the student athlete until all equipment and uniforms are returned.

All athletes (cheerleaders) shall be dressed in appropriate uniforms on game days. Jewelry cannot be worn (class rings are exempt). In the event that team clothing is provided, it is the responsibility of the athlete to wear the assigned clothing when required. All clothing should be clean and presentable. Athletes will be charged for lost or damaged clothing.

Basketball uniforms shall not be worn outside the gym area. All uniforms must be the school colors-red and white. Socks are considered part of the uniform. Unless otherwise approved, socks must be plain white. Athletes must wear white undergarments under white uniforms or they cannot participate in the athletic event.

GENERAL RULES: Athletes must wear appropriate clothing for practice. Athletes are not allowed to wear school clothes, which means you must be dressed (t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes) before practice starts. Exercises and warm-ups will be done at the beginning of the practice.

Athletes must stay the complete time for practice unless prior permission has been given by the coach or athletic director.

Team members must sit with the team or squad during games unless they are performing in the sport.

Team members must wear appropriate attire both to school and at all games. T-shirts (both long and short sleeved) are not allowed, nor are sweatshirts. Dress jeans are acceptable, but not blue jeans. Failure to dress appropriately will result in the following: FIRST OFFENSE: Verbal warning, SECOND OFFENSE: Suspension from participation in part or all of the next scheduled contest, THIRD OFFENSE: removal from team.

All write ups need parent signature. Athletes are not allowed to participate in any athletic event until the signed write up is returned to the coach.

All athletes must be at the game 1/2 hour before home games start.

All athletes are to be at the school no later than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time of bus departure.

All athletes are expected to follow the Athletic Handbook.

All athletes shall cooperate with coaching staff, game officials, other team members, and the athletic director.

In the event that school is cancelled due to inclement weather any athletic event scheduled for that day will automatically be cancelled.

No MANDATORY practice will take place on Sunday without prior parental agreement. No MANDATORY practice will take place on days when school is cancelled due to inclement

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 4 weather.

All athletes shall promote good sportsmanship and school spirit through cooperation with other students, teachers, and administration.

Hazing by any school group, club or team is not permitted. This includes any form of initiation that causes or creates a risk of causing mental or physical harm, no matter how willing the participant by be.

Coaches shall have the power to bench, suspend, or drop from the team any athlete for the following: 1) undesirable or immoral behavior, 2) profanity in language or gesture, 3) failure to perform duties in accordance to the Athletic Handbook, 4) insubordination to a coach, and/or 5) violation of the rules and regulations.

Upon conviction/confession of any crime other than a minor traffic offense a student will not be eligible to participate in any athletic activity for the following time period: FIRST OFFENSE: 90 school days (approximately one semester) SECOND OFFENSE: 180 school days (one school year). These violations accumulate over the lifetime of the student's stay at Alba Public School.

PARENT/GUARDIAN PERMISSION: Signed parent/guardian permission forms and proof of physical examination MUST be on file in the office before a student may practice or participate in any sport. The permission form is part of the physical form.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS: No student shall be eligible to participate if there is not on file with the superintendent or principal of that school, a physician's statement for the current school year certifying that in the opinion of the examining physician, the student is fully able to compete in athletic contests. The physical form must be on file before the first practice session. If the completed physical form is not on file, the student will not be allowed to practice or play.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION: As an athlete, you will be eligible to practice and participate in a sport when ALL of the following items have been completed: A. Physical examination completed and card turned in to the coach or athletic director, B. All eligibility requirements have been met, C. Emergency treatment form filled in and returned to the coach, D. Copy of the Athletic Handbook form returned to the coach with student and parent signatures.

The minimum academic standards set by Alba Public School require that an athlete successfully pass all credit classes AND maintain a C (2.0 grade point) average or above, during the previous week in order to be eligible for the current week. Weekly eligibility forms will be completed and returned (by the teacher) to the superintendent by 12:00 p.m. each Friday afternoon. Weekly eligibility runs Monday through Sunday. Eligibility is based on grades calculated from the beginning of the semester to date.

A student will be removed from the team roster after three (3) weeks of ineligibility for the same season. Students removed for ineligibility reasons who sign up for the next sport will be required to attend a meeting with the Athletic Committee and their parent/s before being allowed to participate.

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 5 The student athlete has the responsibility to request additional help from parents, teachers, etc. in order to become academically eligible again.

SIGN UP FOR A SPORT: The sign up period to participate in a sport will be two (2) weeks prior to the first practice of the season. If there are not enough students signed up by the posted deadline (see minimum requirements below), the season will be cancelled. Students are not to sign up other students. There will be a mandatory student/parent meeting at the first practice of the season.

Minimum sign up requirements: Basketball: 7 members per team Baseball/Softball: 11 members per team Cheerleading: 4 members per team Cross Country: 4 members per team Volleyball: 8 members per team

SPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT: Interscholastic athletics are carried on as part of our educational program. The athlete benefits by his/her knowledge of the game and the team spirit and sportsmanship that athletics teaches. The entire school and community benefit by backing teams and by developing good sportsmanship and spectator appreciation of the sports.

TEAM PLACEMENT: It is the decision of the Varsity coach of the sport to determine placement of varsity athletes. The coach will make this decision, with consultation with other coaches involved and parents. Any appeal of this decision may be made to the Superintendent and/or Athletic Director.

TRANSPORTATION RULES AND REGULATIONS: The transportation rules and regulations to sporting events will be the same as in the Student Handbook.

If there is an away game, all athletes will ride to and from the game by school sponsored transportation, unless; due to extenuating circumstances a prearranged exception has been given by the Athletic Director for the student to be transported by his/her parents. This request must be made in writing by the student’s parents a day in advance. Athletes who fail to abide by this rule will not be allowed to participate in the scheduled event, or in the case of not riding the school sponsored transportation home, the next scheduled event, which they are eligible for. Further violation of this rule will result in the student being dropped from the sport for the remainder of the season.

Adults within our district (AGE 21 AND OLDER) are allowed to ride the player bus to away ballgames. Students who are not part of the team are not allowed to ride the player bus to away ballgames unless they are accompanied by an adult chaperone WHO IS AT LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE who resides within the district. This chaperone cannot be the coach or the bus driver AND CANNOT CHAPERONE MORE THAN THREE STUDENTS.. Approval to ride the player bus will be based on space availability and will be on a first come, first serve basis.

"It is the school district's policy not to discriminate on the basis of sex, religion, race, color, national origin, age, height, weight, marital status, handicap or retaliation in educational program, activities or employment."

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 6 ALBA PUBLIC SCHOOL ATHLETIC HANDBOOK

Student Name: ______(Please print clearly)

TO: Alba Public School District 5935 Elm Street P.O. Box 10 Alba, Michigan 49611

To Whom It May Concern:

I have read the 2007/08 Alba Public School District Athletic Handbook and agree to abide by the rules and guidelines set forth. I also understand that if team clothing is provided, that this clothing must be taken care of while in my possession and returned at the end of the season. I also understand that I will be charged the replacement cost for lost or damaged clothing that was assigned to me.

______Student Signature

______Parent/Guardian Signature(s)

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 7 ______Date Signed

Alba Athletic Handbook Page 8