2024-25 TCHS Speech and Debate Code of Conduct
Team/Tournament Info
Team Canvas course to be live shortly after school starts.
Communication with team at tournaments will be exclusively on Webex.
Code of Conduct
When in public, students must always be professional and polite since they are representing the team and the school. Cordiality and respect toward everyone are always expected.
Students are expected to follow all local laws, LISD and TCHS policies, tournament-specific rules, and the requirements of the organizations we compete though: UIL, NSDA [which is considered an Honor Society], TFA, Youth and Government, etc. This includes, but is not limited to: No alcohol, drugs, tobacco, e-cigarettes, vaping, etc.
No physical games of chasing, running, grabbing, etc. while participating in speech and debate activities.
For your speeches and drills, don’t mention team members by name or try to get the audience to participate.
UIL no pass/no play policy: students must maintain passing grades in their classes to compete.
During the week of competition, if students do not show up for practice or contact the coach about why they are not at practice, they will be dropped from the competition and not allowed to compete.
For travel, students must follow all instructions, including gathering times and departure times.
Students must wear proper professional attire for competitions/events. Options
include:
Slacks and a nice blouse or sweater, a skirt knee length or longer and blouse, or a business suit;
Button-down shirt and tie, khakis or dress pants, suit, sweater vest with a collared shirt;
Shoes must be appropriate for professional environments: no house shoes or athletic shoes.
TCHS maintains a suit/professional clothes closet with attire for males/females. See Mrs. Meyer for access.
Students may only compete by being registered by their coach (Mrs. Meyer); the
coach has final say on all entries.
Students engaged in a partner event or team event will prioritize it over any individual event/competition.
During travel, students must stay at their assigned location and not wander off, travel with anyone else without permission, or enter any hotel room not assigned to that specific student.
No cheating. This includes plagiarism, falsifying evidence, deceptively clipping evidence, using AI, etc.
At tournaments, students are not allowed to enter the tab room. For issues, the coach will talk to tab staff.
At tournaments, students may not enter classrooms without a judge or coach present.
Students must treat all judges, coaches, competitors, and facilities with respect.
Students must clean up after themselves and their teammates; when done eating, they must throw away trash.
If a competition takes place on a school day and the student was sick from school, they cannot compete.
If, for some reason [family emergency, etc.] a student must miss competition, they must directly notify their coach immediately; students should never be a “no show” without contact via email/Webex. This may result in inability to compete in future competitions.
Students may no longer drive themselves without specific written/signed permission from both their parents and the principal, which the coach would need to have weeks ahead of time.
On most occasions, transportation is provided to and from the event; students need to plan to stay all day.
If parents pick up students early, the coach must be notified in writing via email or Webex before departure.
Consequences
Consequences include: 1st time offense as a warning, then temporary suspension from the team with a parent conference. Serious offenses will lead to suspension from the team, as well as consequences from TCHS/LISD Admin.
If students sign up to compete and then fail to show up, they will be responsible for the original entry fee and any drop fees. Additionally, their ability to compete in future competitions is in jeopardy.
The Code of Conduct will be printed, handed out to each student, and then signatures requested from students and parent(s).