Student-Athlete Academic & Effort Expectations

Our goal for our student-athletes is not only skill development in their sport, but also to encourage and support academic achievement so they might have diverse opportunities in their futures. With this goal in mind, coaches and teachers seek to create an environment where student-athletes work hard on the court and in the classroom.

It is our expectation that student-athletes are passing all of their classes (earning grades D, C, B, A; 70%-100%). This also helps prepare them for the student-athlete expectations in place at the high school level.

If a student-athlete has 1 or more failing classes (<60%), they will be assigned to  after-school work time to help restore their grade to passing: Squire Time in room 212 (independent HW time). 

The student-athlete can expect to miss 1 practice that week in order to attend after-school academic help.

Student-Athlete Conduct Expectations

Student-athletes are to follow the Pound Middle School-wide expectations of: 

Be Safe - Be Respectful - Be Responsible in all we say and do ...in the classroom, in the gym, in the locker rooms, on the fields, with all equipment, and with one another and all adults.

In the event a student-athlete fails to meet behavioral expectations, they will be given 2 opportunities to correct their behavior via our 3 Strikes Policy. The following communication will take place with student-athletes for incidents and discipline concerns: 

Strike 1. The coach will privately meet with the student-athlete, and parents/guardians will be notified. 

Strike 2. The Athletic Director will meet with the student-athlete and Coach. The student-athlete and Coach/AD will notify parents/guardians that any more incidents will result in the student-athlete being removed from the team.

Strike 3. The student-athlete will be asked to leave the team. The AD will notify the parent/guardian of this. 

Note: Serious infractions involving fighting, vandalism, and harassment will not be tolerated and may result in immediate dismissal from the team. 

Absences

For planned practice or game absences, Parents/Guardians email their child's coach directly. This step is required for that absence to be counted as excused.

Pound has a one unexcused absence policy. 

After one unexcused absence, the next unexcused absence will result in the athlete being removed from the team for the remainder of the season.  

If a student is absent from school, that absence extends to practice and the student should not attend.

School comes first.  If teachers request that athletes stay after school for classwork/assessments, that is the priority over any practice.  Students should get a pass from the teacher to avoid an unexcused absence.  

Participating in other after school activities (clubs, music) is encouraged.  Practices missed due to attending these events will also require a teacher pass or note.  Athletes that miss practices may have their game time reduced.  This decision is on a case-by-case basis determined by coaches.

Practice Policy

If students have items of value in their backpack (cell phone, headphones, watches, computer), it is their responsibility to lock these up in their gym lockers during practice. Coaches will lock the locker rooms once practices have begun, and student-athletes will not be allowed back in until practice is over. Pound Staff is not responsible for items that go missing during Intramural Sports. 

The School Phone Policy applies to the locker room, gyms, & hallways.

Absolutely no filming and/or pictures (Snapchat, Instagram, etc) are allowed to be taken while in the Locker Room.. 

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Practices are held after school at Pound from 3:10 to around 4:35 (unless specified otherwise by coach).  

Practices may end earlier or a little later.  However, rides should be arranged for pickup by between 4:15 & 4:30 on most days.  Rides should pick up student-athletes out in front of the school (45th street).  

Current practice schedules according to sport can be found on this Pound Intramural Athletics website.

Note: There are no practices on PLC days or Parent Teacher Conference days or days school is not in session. 

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Per LPS's closed practice policy, Parents/Guardians are not allowed at practices. We ask that you please wait outside the front of the school (45th street) for your child to finish practice. 

If you’d like to set up a time to speak with a coach, please email Mr. Jividen (cjividen@lps.org) or the specific coach. 

Also, please avoid approaching a coach after a game for any reason other than to share positive information. Everyone wants our student-athletes and teams to perform at their best. Teacher emails are listed on the Pound School and Intramural Athletics websites. 

Thank you for your understanding.

Suspensions

In the event a student-athlete is suspended, their practice and game eligibility will be impacted depending on the type and length of suspension. 

**In School Suspension (ISS): 

• 1 day ISS: the Student may report to practice that same day as their ISS expires at 3pm making them eligible for Intramural Athletics after.

• 2+ days ISS: Student should not report to practice if they have ISS still the next day. This would mean they are still under ISS, and not eligible to practice. They may report to practice on the final day of their ISS (after 3pm).

**Out-Of-School Suspension (SU): Student will not report to practice as they were not at school this day. 

**ANY type of suspension (ISS or SU) will result in the student missing out on the next game/competition. The student is not to come to that game. 

updated August 2023