Oral Interp & Debate

Oral interp and debate receive District-Funded Travel Funds.  These funds are general funds that are put into their building Trust and Agency accounts.  These funds may also be utilized to pay for judging: up to 1/2 of debate funds may be used for judging; up to 1/3 of oral interp funds may be used for judging.   If you spend more than the district-funded amount, the T&A must cover these expenses.

You will see two accounts allocated for these funds on the "District Funded Travel" spreadsheet on the budgets page: 3349--Travel and 3190--Professional Services.  Periodically throughout the year, the district office will look at these account balances, and if there is a negative amount in travel and a positive amount in professional services, funds will be transferred from professional services to travel.  Excess travel funds will not be transferred to professional services if the expenses in professional services exceeds what is allocated (50% for debate and 30% for oral interp).

Out of Season Travel is regulated by policy  JJH/JJH-R. 

A. Approval Process:  A minimum of three weeks before the start of each offseason, the activity sponsor, advisor, or coach shall submit a written request form to the principal or designee for approval.  All Out of Season Activity Trips must be approved by the principal or the principal’s designee in writing.  A copy of the signed approval form shall be forwarded to the Fine Arts Coordinator.  The building activities principal has this form.  

B. Restrictions on Out of Season Activity Trip:  Out of Season Activity Trips shall be limited to a 250 mile radius of the Instructional Planning Center. There is an understanding that NSDA National tournament is approved.

C. Transportation:

• If commercial transportation is used, it must be provided by the District’s contracted carrier.

• If the school arranges private vehicle transportation, an insured parent/guardian/teacher adult over 21 years of age) must drive each vehicle. Adult drivers must be an approved unsupervised volunteer and provide a valid driver’s license and proof of liability insurance to the building principal/designee at least five days in advance of the trip.  A teacher may drive.  Teachers do not need to fill out the volunteer form, but must provide a copy of a valide driver's license and proof of insurance. Programs may rent a vehicle.

• Students may not be transported in vans or other personal vehicles with a capacity rating of ten or more persons.

• Students must travel with the class/group/team to and from the event in whatever transportation has been arranged by the school. In extenuating circumstances a student may travel to and/or from the event with his/her own parent/guardian if a written request has been submitted in advance and approved by the building administrator or designee.

• The parent/guardian must check in with the building administrator/designee prior to leaving the event. A student may ride only with his/her parent/guardian. 

• See policy EEAG

D. Chaperone Requirement:  At least one chaperone per group as assigned by administration must accompany students on an Out of Season Activity Trip for the duration of any District-provided transportation.

E. Student Approval Forms:  Parents/guardians must receive notification about any activity trip. A signed parent/guardian consent, medical waiver, and waiver of liability form must be on file for activity trips.  Students should have this on file as part of their yearly activity packet.  Here is a sample permission form.  You can “make a copy” to edit as needed.

Debate Clarification

This winter a meeting was convened with the SFSD HS debate coaches and Assistant Superintendents Nold and Boysen and Fine Arts Coordinator Perkins to determine a policy moving forward regarding Sunday participation in national debate tournaments.  This involved discussions with the SDHSAA to clarify the rules as well as receiving permission from the SFSD for a limited number of Sunday events.

As per SDHSAA.

1.   Official school debate and oral interpretation teams are not allowed to compete on Sunday per SDHSAA rules.

2.       High schools are NOT to be operating a club team in conjunction with the official team from July 31 through the conclusion of the speech/debate state tournament in March. Team members may not compete as a club team during this time.  Coaches may not coach a club team from July 31 through the end of the SDHSAA state tournament in March.

3.       Following the SDHSAA state tournament in March,  if the school allows it, a club team could attend a Sunday competition such as the Tournament of Champions. Former official team members may participate in club debate following the state tournament through July 31. SDHSAA does not regulate club teams in this time.

4.       Unique to speech and debate,  a special exemption exists for individual speech/debate team members to compete in scholarship tournament events as a private entry. These students may not be associated with the school in any way.

a.       No school financial sponsorship is allowed

b.       No coaching from the team coach is allowed

c.        Transportation and supervision is provided by family or guardian

d.       School is not liable for or associated in any way, name or otherwise, with the student

These individuals in this circumstance would not require Superintendent permission since it is a private trip.

As per the SFSD:

A club team with the coach in attendance may compete in the Tournament of Champions in Lexington, KY and one other tournament following the state tournament.  The superintendent has approved the two Sunday events following the state tournament in March with the following stipulations:

1.       A maximum of 10 students may compete on Sunday in the early tournament following the SDHSAA tournament as a club team.

2.       Only students who qualify for Tournament of Champions may compete on Sunday as a club team.

3.       Parents must be notified, in writing, and agree to, in writing, their student traveling and competing in the club team on Sundays.

SDHSAA Athletic Handbook IX. Club Teams

a. A Club Team is defined as a team that plays a schedule of multiple events with one another, with a minimum of three events. Members for this team are chosen by invitation or selected outright by some predetermined process.

b. Students and Club Teams

i. Students may participate on club teams on an unlimited basis outside of that sport’s given season

ii. During a specific SDHSAA sport season, students may not participate on any level with a club team. This participation includes a restriction on any/all club team games, practices, try-outs or other like activities.

c. Coaches and Club Teams (number of athletes below pertain to the number of athletes participating in the club sport in which the club team is participating. )

i.         Coaches may coach a club team from the end of their individual sport season through July 31st given that the roster of that the club team being coached contains no more than the following number of students from any member school: basketball – 3, cheer – 5, cross country – 3, dance – 5, football – 7, golf – 3, gymnastics – 3, soccer – 7, softball -7, tennis – 3, track & field – 3, volleyball – 4, and wrestling – 3. Revised 7/22 In/Out of Season - 8

ii. Any team that has more than that given number of athletes and is coached by a SDHSAA member school coach during the summertime period would be considered a “team contact (see next section).”

I. Four-Contact Rule

a. During the summer, Out-of-Season time period, a coaching staff is limited to a maximum of four team contacts/competitions/outings.

b. Coaching staffs have the options in regard to their four summer contacts:

i. Up to four team camps/tournaments, or

ii. Up to two team camps/tournaments plus one league