Lewisburg Area School District Policies	Printable version
122 Extracurricular Activities 122. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES The Board of School Directors recognizes that extracurricular activities are a vital part of our school district's educational programs and adopts the standards for student participation in these activities. For purposes of this policy, extracurricular activities shall be those programs that are sponsored or approved by the Board and are conducted wholly or partly outside the regular school day; are marked by student participation in the processes of initiation, planning, organizing, and execution; and are equally available to all students who voluntarily elect to participate. Some examples of extracurricular activities are high school clubs, intramural sports, interscholastic sports, musicals, drama productions, student government, literary staffs, and school-related societies. Middle school exploratory clubs and activities are considered part of the planned curriculum and are not extracurricular activities. Based on available resources, the Board shall make school facilities, supplies and equipment available and appoint staff members for the support of a program of extracurricular activities for students. Such availability and assignment shall be in accordance with Title IX and the Equal Access Act. The Board encourages students to pursue clubs and interests that may not be related directly to any of the curriculum programs offered in the district. In pursuit of such goal and in compliance with law, the Board maintains a limited open forum in which secondary students may meet for voluntary student-initiated activities unrelated directly to the curriculum, regardless of the religious, political, philosophical or other content of the speech related to such activities. Any extracurricular activity shall be considered under the sponsorship of this Board when it has been approved by the Superintendent and reported to the Board for its review. The Superintendent shall have the option of taking any extracurricular activity to the Board for a vote. Off-Campus Activities This policy shall also apply to student conduct that occurs off school property and would otherwise violate the Code of Student Conduct if any of the following circumstances exist: 1. The conduct occurs during the time the student is traveling to and from school or traveling to and from school-sponsored activities, whether or not via school district furnished transportation. 2. The student is a member of an extracurricular activity and has been notified that particular off-campus conduct could result in exclusion from such activities. 3. Student expression or conduct materially and substantially disrupts the operations of the school, or the administration reasonably anticipates that the expression or conduct is likely to materially and substantially disrupt the operations of the school. 4. The conduct has a direct nexus to attendance at school or a school-sponsored activity, for example, a transaction conducted outside of school pursuant to an agreement made in school, that would violate the Code of Student Conduct if conducted in school. 5. The conduct involves the theft or vandalism of school property. 6. There is otherwise a nexus between the proximity or timing of the conduct in relation to the student's attendance at school or school-sponsored activities. Each school year, prior to participation in an athletic activity, every student athlete and his/her parent/guardian shall sign and return the acknowledgement of receipt and review of the following: 1. Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury Information Sheet. 2. Sudden Cardiac Arrest Symptoms and Warning Signs Informational Sheet. The Superintendent or designee shall develop administrative regulations to implement the extracurricular activities program. All student groups shall adhere to Board policy and administrative regulations. Guidelines shall ensure that the program of extracurricular activities: 1. Ensures provision of competent guidance and supervision by staff. 2. Guards against exploitation of students. 3. Provides a variety of experiences and diversity of organizational models. 4. Provides for continuing evaluation of the program and its components. 5. Ensures that all extracurricular activities are open to all students and that all students are fully informed of the opportunities available to them. Adding a New Sport or Activity 1. Interested parties should create a complete proposal that would include the following: a. Rationale for adding the activity b. Estimate of the number of students who would participate c. Detailed cost analysis i. Start-up costs ii. Maintenance costs including facilities and equipment iii. Coaching/Advisor costs iv. Transportation costs v. Staffing costs vi. Identify faculty advisor/staff to run activity. 2. Proposals must be submitted to the appropriate building administrator a minimum of six months prior to the planned commencement of the activity. 3. The building administrator then develops an analysis of the proposal, including: a. Verification or correction of the information submitted by the interested party b. District budget impact c. In the case of athletics, i. Title IX impact ii. PIAA cost estimates (refurbishing of equipment, etc.) iii. Officials iv. Availability of practice space v. Any other costs or considerations 4. The building administrator submits the original proposal along with his/her analysis to the Extra Curricular Committee for consideration. The Committee has the option to recommend it, deny it, request additional information or analysis, or to return it to the interested party who is making the request with recommendations. 5. If the Extra Curricular Committee decides to recommend it, all of the information, including the Committee’s rationale for recommending the activity or sport be added is submitted to the Superintendent for review. 6. The Superintendent has the option to approve the addition of the sport or activity, to refer it to the Board for consideration, or to deny the proposal. 7. If the Superintendent chooses to deny the proposal, he/she shall first meet with the Extra Curricular Committee to discuss his/her rationale and to provide the Extra Curricular Committee the opportunity to reconsider their recommendation. 8. Approval of all new Extra-curricular activities should be granted on a temporary basis for a time of three years with a review at the end of the trial period to determine if the activity should continue. Deleting or Removing a Sport or Activity Any sport or activity that has low participation rates may be reviewed by building administration. Equal Access Act The district shall provide all students the opportunity to meet on the school premises in one or more noncurriculum-related student groups during noninstructional time for the purpose of conducting a meeting within the limited open forum on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings. Such meetings must be voluntary, student-initiated, and not sponsored in any way by the school, its agents or employees. Noninstructional time is the time set aside by the school before actual classroom instruction begins or after actual classroom instruction ends. The meetings of student groups cannot materially and substantially interfere with the orderly conduct of the educational activities in the school. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall establish the length of sessions, number per week, and other such limitations deemed reasonably necessary. The district retains the authority to maintain order and discipline on school premises in order to protect the well-being of students and employees and to ensure that the attendance of students at such meetings is on a voluntary basis. Academics And Eligibility Eligibility - 1. A student’s cumulative academic standing for the marking period as of 4:00 PM on Friday of each week will determine the student’s eligibility for participation in extracurricular activities from Sunday through Saturday of the following week. A student must not be failing more than one (1) subject to remain eligible for extracurricular activities. If school is closed on a Friday, the principal will determine if the student meets the eligibility requirements of this section. 2. A student who fails more than one (1) planned course in any one (1) marking period will be ineligible for the first fifteen (15) school days of the following marking period. At the conclusion of this time period, a student’s progress will be examined, and, if s/he is not failing more than one (1) course, the student will be readmitted into extracurricular activities. If a student is still failing more than one (1) course, the student will remain ineligible for the balance of the marking period. 3. A student’s academic standing at the completion of a marking period will determine the student’s eligibility for participation in extracurricular activities for the first fifteen (15) school days of the following marking period. 4. A student’s final grades at the conclusion of the school year will be used to determine his/her eligibility for the first marking period of the next school year. Academic deficiencies may be corrected by successful completion of remedial work in an approved summer school program. 5. A new student enrolled for the first time must comply with the above requirements. The student’s standing will be determined by the preceding grading period based on the records obtained from the school the pupil last attended. Academic Probation - 1. A student who is eligible for participation in extracurricular activities at the beginning of the marking period but receives more than one failing notice at progress reporting time (mid-marking period) shall be on academic probation. 2. In order to maintain his/her eligibility, the following steps must be taken within five (5) school days of the issuance of the progress reports. a. A Parent/Guardian-Teacher conference(s) must be arranged to assess the nature of the deficiency and to search for collaborate ways to remedy the problem. b. A Parent/Guardian-Counselor conference must be held to prepare a remedial plan of action. Services suggested may include, but will not be limited to, teacher assistance, peer tutoring, structured study hall placement during study halls and/or unscheduled time, and pre- or post-school supervised study. The student will accept responsibility to secure a checklist for compliance in the office and return it signed by the appropriate individuals prior to five (5) school days following the issuance of the failing progress reports. c. An Advisor/Coach-Parent/Guardian contact must be made to determine the desirability of continued and/or altered participation in the activity. d. The student will not be eligible to participate in athletic competition or performance events for five (5) school days. Practices or workouts are at the discretion of the coach. Attendance A student who is absent from school because of illness or unexcused reasons may not participate in extracurricular activities on the day of the absence. To be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities on any day, a student must be in attendance from 10:00 AM until the end of the school day. The exception to this will be for excused early dismissal after 10:00 AM for reasons other than illness. A student who has been absent from school during a semester for a total of twenty (20) or more school days shall not be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities until s/he has been in attendance for a total of sixty (60) school days following his/her twentieth day of absence. This may be waived for the following exceptions: consecutive absences of five (5) or more school days due to a confining illness, injury, death in the immediate family, court subpoena, or quarantine. Attendance at summer school does not count toward the sixty days (60) required. Citizenship As representatives of Lewisburg Area School District, participants are expected to exhibit exemplary behavior that may be beyond that required of non-participants of extracurricular activities in the Lewisburg Area schools. Failure to exhibit such behavior may result in suspension or dismissal from extracurricular activities. Behavior A student may be removed from participation on the basis of behavior that is inconsistent with the objectives of the extracurricular program. The school principal will decide on the removal of the student and the duration of the student’s non-participation. The student’s behavior during school and non-school hours is subject to penalty under this policy. No student will participate in an extracurricular activity while serving a suspension from school. It is the intent of this statement to include both in-school and out-of-school suspensions. Drugs, Alcohol And Violations Of The Law In the event of a conflict between the Student Handbook and/or district policy, district policy shall be controlling. Students who use, sell and/or possess alcohol or drugs or are convicted of summary offenses, misdemeanors, or felonies during the school extracurricular activity year shall be subject to the conditions stated below. For purposes of this policy, adjudication of delinquency by juvenile court based upon a finding of commission of an act that violates the Pennsylvania Crimes Code shall be considered the equivalent of a conviction. Any student suspected of using drugs or alcohol or committing a summary offense, misdemeanor, or felony will be interviewed by the building principal. If it is determined a violation has occurred, the principal will review the details of the offense and determine if a suspension or dismissal from the activity is warranted. First Offense: Any student who is determined to have used drugs or alcohol or committed a summary offense, misdemeanor, or felony that violates the spirit of this policy shall be ineligible for participation in any extracurricular activity or school-sponsored event for up to thirty (30) calendar days at the discretion of the building principal. S/He shall take into consideration the totality of the circumstances in rendering a decision. Second Offense: Any student who commits a second offense involving alcohol or drugs, or is convicted of a summary offense, misdemeanor or felony that violates the spirit of this policy shall be indefinitely ineligible for participation in any extracurricular activity or school-sponsored event. The student will be afforded the opportunity to demonstrate that s/he is worthy of reinstatement based on an individual plan developed by the building principal. The building principal shall have complete discretion and authority in determining eligibility. Responsibilities The school shall notify a student of his/her eligibility. Each student involved in an extracurricular activity shall sign a form indicating that s/he is aware of and agrees to the provisions of this policy. It is the responsibility of the teachers, coaches, advisors, and support staff to cooperate in the application of this policy both in its restrictive and supportive aspects. References: School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 511 Safety In Youth Sports Act – 24 P.S. Sec. 5321 et seq. Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act – 24 P.S. Sec. 5331 et seq. State Board of Education Regulations – 22 PA Code Sec. 12.1, 12.4 Equal Access Act – 20 U.S.C. Sec. 4071 et seq. Board Policy – 000, 103, 110, 123.1, 123.2, 218