Benzie County Central Schools - Athletic Code and Eligibility

One man practicing sportsmanship is better than 100 teaching it.

Athletic Code and Eligibility

In order for any student to participate in any athletic activity, the student must abide by standards established by the Benzie County Central School District and the Michigan High School Athletic Association. PARTICIPATING IN ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES IS A PRIVILEGE – one that is earned after a student has met the standards and expectations set forth in this document and their addendum’s.

Student athletes and their parent/guardians must sign a CODE OF CONDUCT CONTRACT indicating that they have read, understand, and will abide by all policies, rules and regulations of the Benzie County Central Schools Board of Education. Each student must be aware that he/she is representing Benzie Central and that his/her actions, conduct and appearance must always reflect credit on the school, group, family and community.

The school rules for eligibility provide a method for insuring that students representing the school at competitions, events, assemblies, and public performances, and while traveling, meet our conduct expectations and rules. These students serve as role models for the rest of the student body.

MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION REQUIREMENTS

A student must have passed at least 66% of a full-time class load during the previous semester.
A student must be enrolled, attending and passing at least 66% of a full-time class load during the current semester.
A student must have passed and have on file in the school office a current physical examination for the current school year, dated after April 15th of the previous year.
A student must be under the age of nineteen (19) on or after September 1st of the current school year.
A student shall be allowed to compete in only four- first semesters and four-second semesters.

BENZIE COUNTY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS

9-week eligibility system-

Teachers will be provided with team rosters of student athletes at the beginning of each sport season. We will evaluate through PowerSchool the online grade program - the evaluation process will be done at noon on Fridays.
Students with any failing grade in any class will be ineligible**.
The athletic department will generate two lists of student names, one of students with grades at the "C" level or below, and one of students who are failing classes. Those lists will be distributed to the staff by the end of the day on Sunday. Coaches will be notified of students who may need extra assistance to be successful in their course work.
Ineligible students will not be allowed to leave school early to travel with the teams to away events.
** Students will be allowed, only three weeks of ineligibility, and then may be dropped from the team. Academics are the main reason for attending school, and sports participation may be interfering with the time they need to devote to success in the classroom.

Any ineligible student will not be allowed to leave school early to travel with the teams to away events.

Those students whose names are on the ineligible list will not be eligible to participate for the next week of completion-Monday through Sunday. They will be expected to attend practices, contests and other team activities.

A student must have all debts from past and current marking periods paid.
A student must exhibit appropriate behavior commensurate with the privilege of representing Benzie County Central School in athletic activities.
Benzie County Central Schools do not provide student accident insurance for athletic injuries.
If a student is enrolled in a physical education class, he/she must be dressed and must participate in the physical education class. Failure to do so will automatically exclude the student from practice or game that day. A doctor’s excuse or a parental excuse excluding the student from physical education will automatically exclude the student from athletic practice and games for the duration of the physical education exclusion.
The district has determined that the following student behavior will result in suspension from athletic activities at Benzie County Central Schools. The following procedures will apply all year, not only during school months:

1. Suspension penalties will be applied for a FELONY charge as follows:
  1. FIRST OFFENSE – Suspension from athletic activities for 365 days.
  2. SECOND OFFENSE – Expulsion from athletic activities.
2. Suspension penalties will be applied for any of the following:
  1. Any student accused of violating a criminal statute. Formal charges not pursued or dropped by the authorities may not conclude liability on the part of the student for school censure. Through established due process procedures, immediate suspension will result for that student if school authorities deem the student liable for actions that reflect poorly on the school.
  2. Any student charged by the school with theft or destruction of school property.
  3. Any student accused of an offense involving drugs, tobacco, alcohol or inhalants witnessed by at least one of the following: advisor, teacher, coach or administrator–independent of whether or not charges are made or any conviction is obtained.
  Suspension penalties:
  1. For items 2. 1., 2. 2. and 2. 3.:
    1. FIRST OFFENSE – Suspension from 25% of that sport season. In the event that there is not 25% of the current sport season left or the student is not currently involved in sports, the suspension would carry over into the next sports season in which the student participates. This will include carrying over into the next school year. A student must complete the sport season in which they are serving their suspension, in order for the suspension to be valid. The season being from MHSAA official start date through the conclusion of Benzie Central participation in the MHSAA tournament series.
    2. Violations of the athletic policy begin with the students’ first day of seventh grade and will stay with them through the summer of their eighth grade year. They will then have a clean record when they begin the first day of their ninth grade and violations will stay with them through their senior high school career. Violations of this athletic policy will result in a 24-month probation period. If a student self-discloses and accepts responsibility for his/her actions prior to questioning, the suspension shall be reduced to a 10% suspension from that sport season. THIS WILL ONLY BE DONE ONE (1) TIME, IN A CAREER.
    3. SECOND OFFENSE – Suspension from athletic activities for 365 days. (Suspension is defined as non-participation in any sport from the date of the second offense.)
  2. For item 2. 3.:
    1. A student may have the suspension time reduced to a six-month calendar suspension if he/she completes a drug/alcohol-counseling program. The program will consist of five documented sessions and must be completed with the six-month calendar suspension.

INVESTIGATIVE HEARING AND APPEALS PROCEDURE

If the Athletic Director finds the student to be in violation, he/she shall be suspended immediately in compliance with the discipline section above.
The student or the parent has the right to appeal the decision in writing to the Athletic Director within forty-eight hours of the decision. Suspensions may be held in abeyance until the final outcome of the appeals process. The Athletic Appeals Board shall meet within five days of the appeal. Incidents that are directly witnessed are ineligible for appeal.
An Athletic Appeals Board shall be selected by the Board of Education at the beginning of each school year. A pool of ten (10) members shall be established. The Athletic Appeals Board will consist of five members of the community. No member of the coaching staff will serve on the board.
The Athletic Appeals Board shall review the findings of the Athletic Director, coach and building principal (if necessary). The coach and Athletic Director shall present their position and the student will present his/her position. The Athletic Appeals Board will decide the guilt or innocence of the student. The Athletic Appeals Board may not modify or deviate from board policy or penalties.
After the presentation, the Athletic Appeals Board shall meet in closed session to deliberate. The Athletic Appeals Board may vote to affirm or reverse the decision made by the Athletic Director, the coach and Building Principal (if necessary). All voting shall be by secret ballot. A decision to affirm or reverse will be by a simple majority. No Athletic Appeals Board member will be allowed to abstain. A decision by the Athletic Appeals Board shall be rendered the same day as the hearing.
The decision of the Athletic Appeals Board shall be final.

OTHER IMPORTANT RULES, PROCEDURES AND EXPECTATIONS

A student must be in school a full day in order to practice or compete in a school-sponsored activity. Only the School administration or Athletic Director, with advance notice, can waive this rule.
An advisor or coach of any activity program may, if he/she so desires have rules in addition to those listed here. If other rules do exist, the advisor or coach of that program must explain them to the students prior to the beginning of the program—rules must be in writing. Rules may exceed policy but not be less than policy. Rules must be approved by the administration, before distribution to students and parents.
A student may take part in dual sports with the appropriate permission forms completed and signed by the Athletic Director.
No athlete can change from one sport to another sport during the same sports season; with the following exceptions:
1. He/she is cut from the first sport by the coach of that sport.
2. He/she makes the change within one (1) week of the start of the season.
3. He/she has a doctor’s note that states that he/she can no longer participate in the first sport but may take part in another sport taking place during that season.
There will be no use of school facilities for Sunday practices, required or optional without prior approval of the administration.
6. All students must ride the school bus providing transportation to an away event and back to Benzie County Central School from that event with the following exceptions:
1. if the parents of a team member go directly to the coach and ask to take their son or daughter with them and sign the student out.
2. If a student has a signed note from the Principal, Dean of Students or Athletic Director to ride home with parents of another team member or adult family member, i.e. brother or sister.
3. Benzie Central may provide other options for students to travel to and from games with signed parent permission forms each season. Advanced notice of the procedure must be approved by the parent of the student.
Money Earned Policy: if any part of any uniform or equipment is paid for by money earned through the school’s name, that uniform or equipment is property of the athletic department at the end of the season. There will not be any exceptions to this rule. If there are any questions concerning how this type of money may be used, feel free to call the Athletic Director at the school.
Students seeking medical attention will not be allowed to return to participation status without the written release from a treating physician.

CONFLICT IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

The Athletic Department recognizes that each student should have the opportunity for a broad range of experiences in extra-curricular activities and, to this end, will attempt to schedule events in a manner to minimize conflicts.

Students have a responsibility to do everything that they can to avoid continuous conflicts. This would involve being cautious about being involved in too many activities. It also means notifying the faculty sponsors involved immediately when a conflict does arise.

When a conflict does occur, the sponsors will meet and work out a solution so the student does not feel caught in the middle. If a solution cannot be found, then the principal will make a decision considering the following:

The relative importance of each event.
The importance of each event to the student.
The relative contribution the student can make to the event.
How long has each event been scheduled.
Conversation with the parents.

Once the decision has been made and the student has followed the decision, he/she will not be penalized in any way by the faculty sponsor or athletic coach. If it becomes obvious that a student cannot fulfill the obligation of a school activity, he/she should withdraw from that activity.

TRANSFERS FOLLOWING VIOLATION OF A SCHOOL’S STUDENT/ATHLETIC CODE

Benzie County Central Schools will enforce upon a transfer student any period of ineligibility to which that student would have been subject as a result of a student or athletic code violation(s) at that student’s most recent previously attended school.

A student who transfers to Benzie County Central Schools after becoming ineligible because of student or athletic conduct code violation(s) at the previously attended school shall remain ineligible at Benzie County Central Schools for not less than the period of ineligibility imposed by the previously attended school. This would be the case even if the student’s situation would otherwise satisfy one or more of the exceptions to the transfer regulation of Benzie County Central Schools and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (Regulation I, Section 9), and even if the act which caused the student’s ineligibility at the previous school would not be a violation or cause the same period of ineligibility at Benzie County Central Schools.

That student was subject to the rules and penalties of the previous school and shall not be allowed to escape the consequences of his/her conduct and, in doing so, displace students of Benzie County Central Schools from teams, positions, events and awards at least until the full period of ineligibility has been served.

NCAA CLEARINGHOUSE & COLLEGE ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION

Many times parents feel their athlete possesses the ability to participate at the next level beyond high school and their students agree. It is imperative that parents and students recognize their responsibility to read and know the requirements of the collegiate programs they are interested in; each level has different requirements that must be met while the student is in high school. If you have questions, please contact the Athletic Office or the High School Guidance office and consult the Benzie County Central High School Course Description Guide, produced each year with our course offerings and requirements for graduation.