VUSD ACTIVITY CODE

Visalia Unified School District Activity Code

In order to emphasize the importance of academic achievement, satisfactory citizenship and good attendance, Visalia Unified School District has adopted basic minimum requirements for students to participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics, dances, school clubs, student government, and extracurricular field trips. The requirements are as follows:

• A student must have a grade point average of “C” (2.0) with no more than one “F” during each session grading period.

• Should a student fall below the above requirement, a grading session (six week) probationary period will be provided to allow the student to bring up his/her grades. If unsuccessful in bringing the grades up to the standard required, the student will not be eligible for participation in extra-curricular student activities during the next grading session and until his/her grades meet the academic standards at the next regular grade reporting period.

• Students who are absent fifteen days in one school year may be placed on Attendance Supervision, which imposes the requirement that future absences be verified by a licensed medical practitioner. If a student on Attendance Supervision accumulates five unexcused absences, he or she will be ineligible to participate in any extra-curricular activities for the remainder of the school year unless the student returns to the regular campus after successfully completing an alternative education program.

• A student with two or more unsatisfactory citizenship marks from teachers may not participate in extracurricular activities until the next regular reporting period (the following session).

• In addition to the stipulations above, high school athletes are bound by C.I.F. (California Interscholastic Federation) regulations that state that an athlete must be passing a minimum of 20 units each grading session or immediately be declared ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities.

Academic Eligibility

• Students, if eligible under C.I.F. rules, may compete in extracurricular activities at the time of first enrollment in a high school in Visalia Unified School District.

• Transfer students must meet all eligibility guidelines.

• An expelled student will be ineligible until return to the regular high school program.

• Students are not declared “re-eligible” or off probation until the computer printout is issued (approximately one week after each grading session). The student will then become eligible on the first Monday following issuance of the eligibility report.

• It is the responsibility of the student to see his or her counselor at the beginning of the fall semester if he or she feels that summer school grades have affected his or her eligibility. The school will not notify students of summer school re-eligibility.

• Summer school grades may not necessarily improve eligibility. The following factors are to be considered:

  • A summer class can replace a failed semester class only when the class is an exact duplicate. This could affect both the G.P.A. and the “no more than one F” rule.

  • A summer class will be added to the semester classes if it is not a duplicate. This would affect the G.P.A., but not the “no more than one F” rule.

  • Summer school proficiency classes do not count toward the G.P.A.

Attendance:

• Students shall be in attendance all periods of the day of the event/practice (or in attendance the day prior on a weekend event/ practice) unless excused by his/her Principal in advance or be ineligible for the first event following administrative contact.

• A student participating in a sport may drop that sport with no penalty providing that the student left that sport prior to 2 weeks from the legal (C.I.F. regulations) start of the season. If a student quits a sport after the defined period, the student must wait until the end of the season of that sport, excluding playoffs, before participating in another sport.

Citizenship:

• Students are expected to display satisfactory citizenship and attitude as a participant in extracurricular activities. Situations that involve administrative intervention in compliance with the Visalia Unified School District Student Conduct Code will result in suspension from participation in extracurricular activities for a period of up to ten weeks.

• A student with two or more unsatisfactory citizenship marks from teachers may not participate in extracurricular activities until the next regular reporting period (the following grading session).

Alcohol, Drugs, Narcotics and Tobacco:

• Possession, use, sale, furnishing or being under the influence of alcohol, drugs, narcotics or tobacco, or any kind of controlled substance listed in Health & Safety code 1-1053, will result in suspension from participation in extracurricular activities for a period of up to nine weeks.

Period of enforcement:

• The Student Conduct Code takes effect with the initiation of school activities in August and terminates with the last activity in June. A student may be suspended or expelled for any of the acts enumerated within the Conduct Code that are related to school activity or school attendance including but not limited to those that occur while on school grounds, while going to or coming from school, during the lunch period (whether on or off campus) or during or while going to or returning from a school-sponsored activity.