Activity Policy: (updated July 2023)
Definition of Activities: Participation in school activities is a privilege, not a right. Extracurricular activities have an important place in the educational program. It is a privilege for the students who choose to participate. Students who participate and are accepted into the program are expected to demonstrate cooperation, patience, pride, character, self-respect, self-discipline, teamwork, sportsmanship, and respect for authority. It is the belief that accepting responsibility for one's actions is a part of that philosophy.
Activities shall mean any or all school-sponsored activities or any type of activity which has school students representing the school in an individual, small group or large group event, performance or contest, not including the graduation ceremony except in extreme situations as determined by the superintendent of schools.
Standards of Conduct and Sanctions for Activity Participants: Activity participants in grades 7-12 must comply with drug, alcohol, and tobacco standards of conduct. All standards of regulated conduct apply to all students from the first day of school through the entire school year, and all standards of regulated conduct also apply to activity participants for all pre-season events and all post-regular-season events. Violations of the standards of conduct shall result in sanctions as set forth below. Sanctions will be imposed based on the next activities in which the student will participate. Violations by students can be determined by being cited by law enforcement personnel, personal admittance of a conduct violation, a report from the student’s parent or guardian, or by being personally observed by a certificated staff member. More severe sanctions than the minimums listed below may be imposed, depending on the severity of any violations.
Violation of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Standards: Unlawful possession, use, or distribution of the following are violations of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco standards: illicit drugs, controlled substances, medication drugs not prescribed by a physician, behavior-affecting substances, look-alike drugs, alcohol, alcohol beverages, look-alike alcoholic beverages, drug paraphernalia, any tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars, or other tobacco or tobacco derivative products; vapor products or electronic nicotine delivery systems; alternative nicotine products; or any other such look-alike or imitation product including smokeless tobacco products.
Participants may also be subjected to conduct sanctions if found guilty of a felony or are found by the school administration to have displayed outrageous, unacceptable conduct which jeopardizes the district’s purposes. Notification to the student and his/her parent/guardian of conduct sanctions being imposed upon the student will be the responsibility of District Administration.
Conduct Sanctions for Violation of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Standards:
Note: The sanctions outlined below are applicable as written, provided the student self-reports his/her violation of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Standards to the building principal or activities director within 2 calendar days of being confronted by law enforcement personnel or a staff member about their conduct. FAILURE TO SELF-REPORT WITHIN THE TWO CALENDAR DAYS TIMEFRAME WILL AUTOMATICALLY DOUBLE THE SUSPENSION FROM PARTICIPATING/ATTENDING EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
Definition of a school day. A school day for the purpose of the following sanctions is defined as a day in which academic instruction takes place.
First Violation during the 7-12 school years will result in suspension from participating in extracurricular activities for 20 school days. The student must continue to attend and participate in all practices during the suspension in order to meet the conditions of the violation sanctions; otherwise, the sanctions will continue to be in effect and future participation will be curtailed. District Administration will have final authority in all judgment decisions concerning conduct sanctions. If the application of the sanction also impacts a student’s grade in a class, the student will be allowed to do an alternative assignment to earn credit for missing the event. The alternative assignment will be determined by the sponsor and approved by the administration.
Second Violation during the 7-12 school years will result in suspension from participating in extracurricular activities for 30 school days. If the application of the sanction also impacts a student’s grade in a class, the student will be allowed to do an alternative assignment to earn credit for missing the event. The alternative assignment will be determined by the sponsor and approved by the administration.
Third Violation during the 7-12 school years will result in suspension from participating in extracurricular activities for 90 school days. The student must continue to attend and participate in all practices during the suspension in order to meet the conditions of the violation sanctions; otherwise, the sanctions will continue to be in effect and future participation will be curtailed. District Administration will have final authority in all judgment decisions concerning conduct sanctions. If the application of the sanction also impacts a student’s grade in a class, the student will be allowed to do an alternative assignment to earn credit for missing the event. The alternative assignment will be determined by the sponsor and approved by the administration.
Fourth or More Violation during the 7-12 school years will result in suspension from participating in extracurricular activities for one calendar year from the date of the most current violation discovery.
If a student violates the Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco standards while attending/participating on a school-sponsored activity (i.e – Senior Trip, state/national FCCLA, state/national FFA, etc), additional sanctions shall include:
Automatic thirty (30) school day suspension from all school activities;
If a senior in high school – participation in the graduation ceremony is revoked.
For a second violation that occurs during the same school year, the penalty will be doubled.
Note Also: This Conduct Sanctions for Violation of Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Standards is supplemental to the Proper Conduct For All Students section of the student handbook, and any action taken as outlined in the Conduct Sanctions for Violation of Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Standards may be in addition to any other corrective action taken.
Note especially that students who violate the Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Standards will not be nominated or assigned or be eligible for any post-season honors, nor will his/her name be submitted for any post-season honors during the season in which the violation occurs. Awards gained by actual competition (medals) or awards received prior to the violation would not be retractable. A violation would not affect awards during other sports seasons (year-long). Note also that for violators of these standards that any elected or appointed student positions of leadership or honor will be revoked including, but limited to: homecoming or prom royalty; membership in National Honor Society; FFA/FCCLA leadership role, etc. Violation of these standards may affect the eligibility of a student to receive an activity letter if suspension from participation results in failure to meet the lettering criteria of the activity.
Carry-over consequences for violations that occur when there are fewer days and/or activities in the school year than the consequences call for will carry over to the next school year. For example, if the suspension is for 30 days but there are only 20 days left in the school year, the suspension will carry over for 10 days into the next school year.
Students Who Do Not Participate in Extracurricular Activities: Students who do not participate in extracurricular activities yet violate the Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Standards will be restricted from attending all home school activities for the same suspension time frame imposed upon participants.
Special Regulations by Extracurricular Activity Coach/Sponsor:
A coach or sponsor may require additional standards, which are applicable to a certain sport, or activity, provided the standards are approved by the Activities Director and are communicated in written form to the students and their parents before the particular activity begins.