EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:

 

Extra-curricular activities are the primary means of social interaction for secondary school students.  As such they deserve lots of attention, and oversight.  In KISD, those two things are not happening, and they never have been. 

The following is a report that I started for the Board shortly before Superintendent Hugh Hayes left KISD.  The Board, at my insistence,  had asked him many times to cause administrators, who should have been responsible, to take on the task of looking at all the by-laws, rules, et cetera that were in use at the time by every school district sanctioned club or organization, come up with some umbrella rules, and cause the principal at each school to provide the necessary oversight.  Dr. Hayes never would do it!  In fact, he got most all the copies of each organization's paperwork, piled it up in the board room and told me to have at it!

At that time, KISD was constantly having problems because there was a lack of rules and enforcement of the rules at most all our secondary schools.  Like everything else in KISD, it's what I call "seat of the pants" administration--they just make up rules as they go along.  Such a stance is not fair to students or their parents who expect more from our schools. It was simply my belief, that an organized approach would serve our school district's students.  I still feel that way. I waited a year until we had a new superintendent, Leonard Merrell, and I asked him to take on the project.  After I submitted this report, I never heard another word about it.  That's called "stonewalling."

 

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN KATY ISD 

          The following suggestions were made in the Spring of 1995 and submitted to the superintendent, Leonard E. Merrell.  No action by him or his administrators was ever made.  My conclusion therefore, has to be that Dr. Merrell did not care whether co-curricular organizations were administered fairly or served the best interests of students.  The effort to correct the many problems with these organizations might have been extensive at first, but once sound rules were in place, all of the yearly problems would be greatly reduced.

          Co-curricular activities constitute a major expenditure of time for a majority of our secondary students.  Our school district, through its board members, administrators, teachers and policies, encourages students to be participants in these programs because collectively we see and recognize the educational value to students with regard to developing their sense of self-worth, self-confidence, competitive spirit and leadership.  Students who participate increase their social interaction, ability to compromise and sense of perseverance.  These activities become extremely important to them.

           If the school district accepts these facts, then it is incumbent upon us to treat these activities with utmost respect.  The respect will come if the rules governing these activities have been carefully contrived and developed fairly and consistently.  We must believe and treat these activities with importance if we expect our students to do so.  If students violate ill-conceived rules, their attitude merely reflects that of the rule makers.

           I have reviewed all the rules, regulations, constitutions, and by-laws that I was able to have sent to me from all of our secondary schools.  The review took a great deal of time, but I believe my time was well spent.  I would expect that if we all agree on the importance of these activities, we would all agree that considerable time should also be spent by each principal reviewing these documents, and that such time should be spent yearly in an effort to keep the documents current, readable and viable.

             By way of background I would like to state that the Board asked Dr. Hayes to review these rules as part of his goals, as we believed this effort to be his function and not ours. Dr. Hayes refused to accept this request and instead collected some of the documents, and left them in the board room and suggested that I undertake the review.  At that time I resisted his request as I felt he was trying to get me to overstep my bounds as a board member.  Only at the request of Mrs. Holland the next summer did I agree to this undertaking.  I hope that principals will read my suggestions, for although I clearly have no authority here, our school district and the Board have been placed in some awkward and embarrassing positions in the past year because there are not acceptable rules and regulations in place.  I expect this situation will continue until the matter is addressed, and I for one do not like the public criticism that is directed at our school district because of our failures in this area.

            There are five areas of co-curricular activities that need attention in my view.  They include school activities such as cheer leading and drill team, athletic activities, school music organizations, school clubs and parent organizations.  Some of these must adhere to supra organizations such as UIL or the National PTA, and their activities for the most part receive close scrutiny.  But the others, after a review of their documents, range from total adherence to policies that have been in place for many years in our district to groups with sponsors who make up the rules as they go.

            In my view it is imperative that there be some district-wide standards for all of these organizations especially when school district funds (which should be distributed equitably and fairly among all students) are used to support the activities of the group (and I include the use of sponsor stipends here as a criteria).  For activities that are more school specific, there should be a constitution and a set of by-laws that are correctly written following a school district example, that are filed and reviewed yearly with the principal, that are available openly (for example in the library) to parents and students, and that there be some system for parental review of activities and for parent complaints that proceeds in a fair and democratic manner.  The principal must be the ultimate overseer, but he/she must also allow for parent and student input, and decisions must not be arbitrary.

             A committee (or some committees) should be assembled composed of sponsors, parents, administrators, and students in representative and equal numbers to set up district guidelines.  There should also be a standing extra-curricular committee so that when disputes arise, perhaps arbitration by uninvolved schools could help resolve any problems.

             When booster clubs have come to the point that they are handing out stipends to sponsors on their own and supporting openly candidates in school board elections, I believe that principals need to pull in the reins.  The principals have, according to UIL rules, final say over all booster club activities, so the responsibility for these kinds of activities rests solely at their feet.  The UIL clearly defines the activities that are allowed by these organizations, and these especially need review so that parents know their bounds.  In line with these groups I would hope that the policies of the school district with regard to influencing decisions of teachers and coaches by the giving of gifts or rewards, will be made very clear.

 The following is a list of comments written as I reviewed the submitted documents:

 1.  Rules regarding election procedures should be a part of each organization’s by-laws.  Rules should also include time of year for the election, length of term, means of filling vacancies, means of termination, length of terms, and reasons for termination.

 2.  Each organization should have by-laws with a written means for amendment that includes a reading of the change to membership at one meeting, and voting at the next meeting with an accompanying implementation time frame.

 3.  The difference between a constitution, articles of incorporation, by-laws and district guidelines should be clearly understood by all those participating in this process.  District guidelines or UIL guidelines are NOT by-laws.

 4.  Organizations, at a minimum, should have a constitution and a set of by-laws.

 5.  By-laws as written should be grammatically correct with proper punctuation, spelling, and capitalization.

 6.  Copies of by-laws should be given once to each member.

 7.  By-laws should describe fully duties of officers, members and the sponsor.

 8.  If a sponsor receives a stipend, exact obligations should be described by the District regarding the duties of that sponsor.  Stipend-sponsors should organize and accompany students to ALL activities of the students.  Students should NEVER be allowed to sleep overnight at any location without a sponsor/KISD employee chaperone of the same sex present where they are sleeping.

 9.  The means of selection/election should be of utmost importance, especially for organizations such as NHS, NJHS, Student Council, Class Officers, Drill Team, Cheerleaders, Captain of a team, Class Favorites, et cetera.  If the election is school-wide, extra effort should be made to have secure ballots and counting procedures.  Some attention should also be given to denying Seniors the right to vote for cheerleaders (even though they are graduating at the end of the year) under the ruse that they will not be here the next year.  This philosophy allows students who do not know the candidates sometimes to have an unfair advantage.  Conversely when voting for homecoming queen and king, perhaps just the seniors should be allowed to vote, for this is usually an honor for a senior student.  If under class students vote, they will usually vote for a sibling of one of their classmates or select on the basis of some other unworthy criteria.  Board policy allows for private funding of voting machine use.  In my opinion, voting would be a proper activity for student councils to undertake affording not only a satisfaction of the idea of a secure ballot, but also the educational goal of providing students with instruction in the democratic voting process.  A simple majority should do.  Voting should be written and secret, but ballots should be signed.  Unsigned ballots should not be counted.  Ballots should be delivered, returned, and counted by the sponsor, an administrator, and one other KISD employed adult or by a machine.  Voting ideally should occur in a central location, like the lunch room, under the direction of adults.  The practice of voting in classrooms with the ballots being transported by students to a central location is fraught with opportunity for fraud and should cease. Signed ballots should be retained by the principal for one year.

 10.  Although not part of student voting, the selection of JNHS and NHS students deserves some attention.  In my opinion there are too many students named to these organizations and thus membership is not an honor.  In most instances the effort to screen candidates based not only on scholarship but also leadership, character and service is not undertaken.  More effort should be expended along these lines.  Many of the current members of NHS would not be selected if their character, service, and leadership were weighted as three-fourths of the requirement for entry.  Scholarship  should serve merely as a first requirement and count only one-fourth of the total appraisal. Self-selection to honor societies defeats the purpose of such organizations and should not be allowed. Responsible teachers should be given this assignment which should be considered an honor and for which they should receive a stipend.

 11.  In each by-law document procedures concerning dues (amount), other fees, method of collection, assigned responsibility, where money is kept, accounted for, collected, disbursed and audited should be stipulated.  Delineation of reimbursement procedures for expenses of members and the sponsor should be stipulated.  A careful monitoring of all funds and the way they are expended should be maintained.  The school should have some general guidelines in place for all organizations for what they can and cannot use their money.  Moneys collected should never be stored in a teacher’s, sponsor’s or coach’s room over night.  Students should never be burdened with the responsibility of handling large sums of money, and under no circumstances should they ever be allowed to take funds out of the sponsor's room. All funds should be deposited with the designated school office person at the end of each day.  Conversely access to an organization’s funds should not be complicated or involve more than one day’s time.

 12. Booster clubs and parent organizations (PTA, PTO, etc.) are also under the auspices of the district and the principal.  Their by-laws should follow these same guidelines. Moneys collected in the name of these organizations (including that from vendor contracts such as the Coca Cola contract) should be spent ONLY on students and student equipment. A cessation of the use of student funds for the purpose of teacher scholarships, parent (club officer) trips, or as a means of rewarding obsequious teaching staff needs to occur Booster clubs and parent organizations should not be funding employee or parent scholarships, seminars, state meetings, state athletic events, trips, or clinics. Moneys collected and earned by students and their parents need to be spent on student equipment and student scholarships and student needs.  Booster clubs need to be organized in such a manner that they are completely separate from the student organization they support. Donations to Booster clubs for advertising should also fall under these guidelines.  Vendor donations from those doing business with the school district should be distributed equitably among all high schools. Principals should not have access to unmonitored funds from any source that are not overseen by the School Board.  Coaches (male and female) should NEVER accept gifts from parents of students who play a sport that they coach. 

UIL Section 481: GIFTS OR AWARDS TO SPONSOR OR COACH

Individuals who coach, direct or sponsor League activities in grades 9-12 may be suspended if:

(a) They accept more than $500 in money, product or service from any source (over and above the stipend paid by the

school district) in recognition of or appreciation for coaching, directing or sponsorship of League activities. See Section

1202. The $500 limit is cumulative for a calendar year and is not specific to any one particular gift.

(b) They accept money, product or service for entering their student(s) in a contest or other activity.

(c) This section includes, but is not limited to, money, gifts, use of automobiles, insurance, club privileges and any funds

tendered by booster clubs for other services.

(d) It is a violation if coaches and/or their attorney(s) accept money or other valuable consideration for payment of legal

expenses incurred to file suit or take other legal action against a school, school district or the League.

(e) EXCEPTIONS:

(1) Scholarships. A sponsor or coach may accept from any source in any amount a postsecondary institution scholarship.

(2) Retirement. Upon retirement from the profession, sponsors or coaches may accept money or other valuable

consideration in any amount from any source.

(3) Annual UIL Award for Excellence. A sponsor or coach may accept the Annual UIL Award for Excellence sanctioned

by the UIL.

(Parents or students who are aware of a coach accepting a gift worth more the $500 should report that matter to the principal, the superintendent, and someone in the media to make sure it does not get covered up.  A parent who knows of such a violation is welcome to send the proof of such a violation to me, and I will pursue the matter. A parent who knows of such a violation, has proof of the violation, and DOES NOT REPORT IT TO THE PROPER AUTHORITIES is just as guilty as the person who accepted the gift, in my opinion.)

13.  Meetings of organizations should occur on a regular basis, at least monthly, and the sponsor should always be present.

14.  A quorum of members for conducting business, elections, etc., should be stipulated in the by-laws.

15.  The principal and superintendent should be designated as ex-officio members of all organizations and have veto power.

16.  Current handbooks of all nationally backed organizations should be purchased yearly from club funds and kept available for any member or member’s parent to view.

17. Local organizations should be members of district, regional, state and national organizations when these levels exist and should participate at those levels if funding generated by the organization is sufficient.

18.  An attendance requirement for student members should be in place. A process for removal should be outlined.  The attendance requirement should be the same for all students participating in extra-curricular activities and should adhere to school rules.

19.  Composition of the executive committee of an organization should be outlined in the by-laws.

20.  Students should not be limited as to the number or level of offices they hold in various organizations.  If the students electing them think they are able and qualified to handle the duties, then they should be afforded that privilege.  There should be NO CO-any office. (This is one of the ways the School District penalizes superior students by taking away their right and chance to excel.)

 21.  Sponsors have an obligation to make sure that meetings are held regularly, that members abide by the rules, and that activities are meaningful. Over-emphasis on service that is not of benefit primarily to students should be avoided.  Students should not be purchasing gifts or providing food for any KISD employee.  (I do not include here parent-provided teacher appreciation meals, but these too are overdone, and should not occur more than once each year.)  Sponsors should possess a level of maturity that allows them to maintain a professional relationship with their students and the students’ parents at all times.  Evidence of students baby sitting for a sponsor, selling items for a sponsor, living with the sponsor or having the sponsor live in their homes should immediately disqualify both that sponsor and the student from being a member or leader of an organization.

22.  Membership in NHS and continued membership in NHS should be accorded based upon an attitude by those who are doing the selecting that embraces the idea that allows for students’ behavior changes and continuing maturity.  “Character is not based on mere personality, nor on minor incidents unless they are repeated so as to indicate a definite pattern of behavior. We must always be conscious of adolescent growth and development.”

23.  KISD student or parent organizations should not be involved in political endeavors.  The penalty for doing so should be expulsion from membership by those who so involve the organization.

24.  The process for suspension of an organization member should be described in the by-laws.

25.  There should be a term limit of one term for the presidency of a parent organization.  No person is indispensable and the opportunity to lead needs to be shared.

26.  At least 7/8 of collected funds in a student or parent organization should remain with the local school’s organization.

27.  Major accountability for sponsors, especially those who are receiving stipends needs to be in place.  Activities of sponsored organizations need to be of high quality, timely, tasteful, and meaningful.  NHS should be having its induction by February, the yearbooks should come out by the end of the year, newspapers (and they should be produced) should appear often and regularly, Student Councils should be going to district and regional meetings, etc. Programs should be of high caliber and worthy of students’ time and effort.  Students should have considerable responsibility, but hastily thrown together and unorganized efforts that reveal a lack of sponsor effort should result in a change of sponsors.  It is embarrassing to attend a performance of a drill team where attending parents are dressed up and expecting to see a quality performance and instead have to watch something that is reminiscent of a barnyard brawl.

28.  Minutes of all meetings should be kept and should include all decisions and activities.  No record of what was said should be kept.  Minutes should be kept by the school from year to year. The school district should take the opportunity provided by these organizations to teach students the importance of rules, adhering to them and accepting them in a designated and reasonable  manner.

 29. The school district should set a limit on the amount of money that may be in the possession of an employee/sponsor and a student club member.

 30.  An impeachment policy for student officers should be a part of the by-laws.  Reasons for impeachment should be stipulated so they are not made up as we go.

 31.  Earnings of organizations should not go to individual members (unless in  the form of a merit scholarship) but should be used for the good of the entire membership.

 32.  The constitution should include some recognizing statement concerning the authority of KISD Board Policy and Administrative Regulations.

 33.  All amendments to the Constitution and by-laws and their date of implementation should be recorded and kept as part of the official minutes.

 34.  Bonding of presidents and treasurers of adult booster clubs/parent organizations should be required, and a bond amount should be set in the Administrative Regulations.

 35.  No sponsor /coach should derive profit from selling any item to a student or a student’s parent.

 36.  Some consideration should be given to establishing booster clubs for each sport to heighten support and funding for each sport or musical organization.  All sports including football and musical groups would benefit from this arrangement.  Coaches (other than the AD) and instructors would then have to attend only the meetings for their booster club and would have more meaningful input and support.

 27.  Funds from Booster Clubs/Parent organizations should be spent only for the benefit of students.  Sponsors/coaches should submit once yearly requests for budgets/expenses at the beginning of the year.  The parent organization (which earned the money) should decide which items to purchase without pressure from any KSID employee.  Requests for expenditures should not be made piecemeal, separate from the original budget, or without a minimum of discussion at two regular meetings.

38.  The school district policy on raffles should be widely distributed.

 39.  There should be policy on the number of fund raisers that may be held by an organization, the number of fund raisers in which students may participate in a school year, and a review of the practice of allowing students to go door-to-door to sell things needs to be undertaken.

 40.  Penalties for consuming alcohol, doing drugs, or smoking, need to be absolute.  There are not “degrees of severity” in these activities.  One is either doing them or one is not, and the penalty should be invoked and be the same in every school organization.

 41.  We need to address the commitment to not have activities during or after school during six weeks tests, semester and final exams and the dead week prior to those exams.

42.  No-pass, no-play requirements need to be clarified in our school district for those participating in co-curricular activities governed by UIL.  The intent of the law is to remove a student from a co-curricular activity for six weeks (and it may go to three weeks but the same principles apply.)  However in practice, students are actually penalized only five weeks or less.  The scheme works this way:  Students receiving an “F” in a course at the end of a reporting period do not have to stop their extra-curricular activity until the actual report card is received, which may be a week or more after the actual end of the six weeks.  However, when the grade is brought up at the end of the next six weeks, the student is allowed to resume the extra-curricular activity immediately instead of waiting for the report card.  This practice is obviously a convenient way to get around the law, and it should not happen.  Perhaps an administrative regulation is in order.

43.  The meaning of Administrative Regulation FMF-R #3 “No ISS assignments during the semester tryouts” needs to be clarified.  I believe the word “of” has been left out between semester and tryouts, and organizations are interpreting the rule differently.  Some are letting students try out when they have an ISS assignment during the semester and some are saying the rule only applies during the week of tryouts.

44.  I do not believe it is legal to impose weight requirements on students in order for them to participate in school activities and any such restriction should cease.

45.  All by-laws should include the duties of the sponsor.  These should obviously be more extensive where a stipend (or extra salary) is involved.  Each organized co-curricular activity should have one sponsor.  Co-sponsorships cause a lack of accountability and responsibility.  One person must be in charge and responsible for all decisions.

46.  Cheerleaders transferring in from other schools or school districts should have to go through the same try outs as all other KISD students at that school.  If they are seniors when they transfer, they should be excluded from participating.

47.  I do not believe a merit and demerit system administered by other students is something that should exist.

48.  All activities within an organization that are designed to empower control either for the sponsor or other students should be eliminated.

49.  All student activities should allow for proper health care practices: e g., students should be allowed to eat when they are hungry, use rest room facilities when necessary and have water breaks when they, not the sponsor/coach, desires.  They also should not practice some routine or exercise to excess, run laps until they are about to fall over, be engaged excessively in other punishment-type exercises, or lift weights when they are obviously too small for the activity to do them anything but harm.  Not allowing students to take care of personal health needs or to push them to exercise excessively in my mind borders on cruel and inhumane treatment if not actual child abuse.  There are laws which govern harassment. No student should feel intimidated into performing on the playing field or on a drill team “for the good of the team or the school” if they have an injury.  A consultation with TEA needs to occur to insure that we are in compliance with regard to some of our practices.

 50.  All student co-curricular activities should facilitate and encourage the accomplishment of academic success first and the activity second.  Too often lip service is paid to promoting academics, but actions speak louder than words.  Also, participation in co-curricular activities should never be rewarded with academic credit (for example getting extra credit for attending a performance or athletic event or for cooking something for a club [or a teacher]).

51.  Physicals for boys and girls need to be given by same sex physicians who are familiar figures in each school’s attendance zone.

Section 1205: ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY [I realize these rules are out of date.  If one has a child in a KISD athletic program it behooves them to get a copy of the rules under which the school district should be operating!]

(a) INDIVIDUAL REPORT FORMS. It shall be the responsibility of each school to keep on file the following required annual

forms for each student who participates in any practice, scrimmage or game.

(1) Pre-participation Physical Examination. Upon entering the first and third years of high school, a physical

examination signed by a physician, a physician assistant licensed by a State Board of Physician Assistant Examiners, a

registered nurse recognized as an advanced practice nurse by the Board of Nurse Examiners or a doctor of

chiropractic is required. Standardized pre-participation physical examination forms, available from the League office

and authorized by the UIL Medical Advisory Committee, are required.

(2) Medical History Form. Each year prior to any practice or participation a UIL medical history form signed by both

student and a parent or guardian is required. A medical history form shall accompany each physical examination and

shall be signed by both student and a parent or guardian.

(3) Parent or Guardian Permit. Annual participation permit signed by the student’s parent or guardian.

(4) Rules Acknowledgment. Annual UIL Rules Acknowledgment Form signed by the student and the student’s parent or

guardian.

(5) Parent/Student Illegal Steroid Use Form. The parent/guardian of each high school athlete, along with each high

school athlete, shall annually sign the UIL Illegal Steroid Use and Random Steroid Testing Parent and Student

Notification/Agreement Form.

(6) Concussion Acknowledgement Form. According to section 38.155 of the Texas Education Code, ‘a student may not

participate in an interscholastic athletic activity for a school year until both the student and the student ’s parent or

guardian or another person with legal authority to make medical decisions for the student have signed a form for that

school year that acknowledges receiving and reading written information that explains concussion prevention,

symptoms, treatment, and oversight andthat includes guidelines for safely resuming participation in an athletic

activity following a concussion …..’

(b) VARSITY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.

(1) Subchapter M. Only students satisfying all the requirements in Subchapter M are eligible for varsity competition.

(2) Non-District Games. In non-district interschool games or contests, only eligible students may participate. Each

school shall complete a varsity eligibility list for each sport.

(3) Eligibility Forms. Schools shall submit comprehensive eligibility blanks for football, basketball, volleyball, softball,

baseball and soccer. For all other athletic activities general alphabetical listing of eligible athletes is required. One

copy shall be sent to the district executive committee chair and one copy shall be filed in the school’s office.

(4) Certification. Completed eligibility forms are to be signed by the superintendent or a designated administrator and

the coach. These forms are to be submitted before a contestant is allowed to participate in a varsity contest.

(5) Suspension. Failure to furnish correct and complete information may, upon request by the proper committee,

constitute grounds for suspension.

(c) PREVIOUS ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION FORM. The Previous Athletic Participation Form is required if a new

student in grades 9-12 practiced or participated with his or her former school in grades eight through twelve during any

previous school year in any athletic activity.

(d) MINIMUM PENALTY. If an eligibility form or a Previous Athletic Participation Form was not filed prior to competition,

and it was an inadvertent error and the student is actually eligible under Subchapter M of the Constitution, the district

executive committee is not required to demand forfeiture or to rule the student ineligible. They may assess the minimum

penalty of reprimand to the school.

(e) SUB-VARSITY ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. An individual is eligible to participate in League contests if that

individual is a full-time student of the participant school the student represents, has been in attendance and has passed

the number of courses required by state law and by rules of the State Board of Education, and is passing the number of

courses required by state law and by rules of the State Board of Education.

Section 1206: SCHOOL PRACTICE AND GAME RESTRICTIONS

(a) NON-TRADITIONAL SCHOOL YEARS.

(1) Non-Traditional School Year. See Section 5 for definitions of traditional school year, summer vacation, nontraditional

school year and intersession.

(2) Rules Applicable During Intersessions and School Year.

(A) All rules found in the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules that apply to school district personnel, students,

individuals, teams and/or schools during the traditional school year also apply to the non-traditional school year

during the time school is in session and during intersessions.

(B) During intersessions schools shall schedule no more than one contest or performance per activity per student

per school week, with the exception of tournaments, postseason competition and district varsity contests

postponed by weather or public disaster.

(C) During intersessions schools shall limit practice for in-season athletic activities to a maximum of eight hours per

school week per activity, in addition to a maximum of 60 minutes per day, (or 300 minutes per week on a block

schedule), Monday through the end of the school day on Friday.

(3) Rules Applicable Specifically During Summer Vacation Months. Activities that are allowed only during summer

vacation are not allowed during intersessions unless the intersession falls within the summer months.

(b) SUNDAY PROHIBITION. A League participant school shall not participate in any athletic contest or conduct any

practice or teach any plays, formations or skills on Sunday.

(1) Violation. Any showing of films to or meetings of athletes for the purpose of instruction or reviewing of plays,

formations or skills in any sport will be construed as a violation.

(2) Coaches Sunday Meetings. This does not prevent coaches from meeting on Sunday or from seeing films or planning

an instructional program, provided no athletes are involved in this meeting.

(3) Exceptions.

(A) Golf. If the regional and/or state golf tournaments are scheduled on a Monday, the one 18-hole practice round

allowed at the regional and/or state tournament site may be played on the Sunday afternoon preceding the

meet (no earlier than 12:00 noon) if permitted by the regional or state meet director.

(B) Tennis. If the regional and/or state tennis tournaments are scheduled on a Monday, and if participants arrive at

the site on the preceding Sunday because of travel distance, it will not be construed as a violation of this rule if

school district personnel accompany or transport participants to a tennis court for the purpose of practicing on

their own, if permitted by the regional or state meet director.

(c) REGIONAL AND STATE TOURNAMENT COMPETITION ON SUNDAY. Regional or state tournament directors

may reschedule postponed or weather delayed tournaments on Sunday afternoon or evening with prior approval of the

tournament director and the participating schools and with prior permission from the UIL athletic director.

(d) SCHOOL OFF-SEASON WORKOUTS, IN-SCHOOL DAY PERIOD.

(1) Accelerated physical education activities, calisthenics, skills, strength training or conditioning exercises may be

conducted during the school year within the school day provided such activities do not exceed one regular classroom

period not to exceed 60 minutes when classes meet every day (300 minutes per week for block schedules).

(2) The 7th, 8th or zero period for athletics is considered part of the school day, provided all students enrolled in the

class are receiving state or local credit toward graduation and are not enrolled in any other physical education class.

The 7th, 8th or zero period may not be longer than other class periods. This period may not exceed one 60-minute

period.

(3) Schools may use non-traditional systems for length of classes provided:

(A) the classes meet within the regular school day;

(B) classes are alternated throughout the semester and meet on Monday-Wednesday-Friday one week and

Tuesday-Thursday the next week; and

(C) the schedule is mandated at the beginning of the semester and is not changed to allow for more time during an

abbreviated school week.

(4) This period includes dressing, the actual off-season conditioning, redressing in street clothes, etc. Passing and

punting machines, chalk talks and films are permitted. Full team drills are permitted in team sport practices.

(e) ATHLETIC/PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES. Student-athletes shall not be enrolled in more than one physical

education and/or athletic class whether or not they are receiving credit. Exceptions (with local school approval): PE Class:

adventure/outdoor education; PE substitutes; JROTC, cheerleading, drill team, marching band.

(f) OFF-SEASON SCHOOL TEAM PRACTICES PROHIBITED. School teams shall not practice outside the specific

allowable practice dates except during the one in-school day practice period. Off-season activities before or after the

school day or during the lunch periods are specifically prohibited. This does not prevent students from using school issued

shoes and/or clothing before or after school; however, participation before or after school shall be strictly voluntary and

not required, and coaches shall not instruct students in any manner. For additional restrictions, see the Football Plan.

(g) SCHOOL SUMMER PRACTICE PROHIBITED. Any specific grouping of high school baseball, softball, basketball,

football, soccer or volleyball participants during the summer months for the purpose of conditioning and/or organized

athletic team instruction is prohibited except as specifically provided for within the plans for these activities and in (h)

below.

(h) SUMMER STRENGTH/CONDITIONING PROGRAMS. Summer strength and conditioning programs may be

conducted by school coaches for students in grades 7-12 from that coach’s attendance zone only under the following

conditions.

(1) Sessions may be conducted by school coaches only on Monday through Thursday for six weeks during summer

vacation until the second Monday in August and shall be no more than two consecutive hours per day.

(2) A student shall attend no more than one two-hour session (conducted by a school coach) per day. Schools shall take

administrative care to prohibit an athlete from working with one school coach for two hours and a separate school

coach for another two hours.

(3) Sessions conducted by school coaches shall include only students who are incoming seventh graders or above.

(4) Sessions shall include only strength and conditioning instruction and exercises. Sport specific skill instruction is

prohibited. Sports specific equipment (balls, dummies, spacer dummies, sleds, contact equipment) is prohibited.

Specific groupings of athletes by sport or position is prohibited.

(5) School shirts, shorts and shoes may be provided by the school (at local school option).

(6) Attendance shall be voluntary. Coaches shall not require athletes to attend in order to try out for or participate in any

UIL sport. Attendance records shall be kept, however students shall not be required or allowed to make up missed

days. Students may work out on their own, without direction of the school coach.

(7) Fees, if any, shall be established and approved by the superintendent and collected by the school. The Texas

Education Code requires school districts to adopt procedures for waiving fees charged for participation if a student is

unable to pay the fee, and the procedures should be made known to the public. Fees for all other students shall be

paid by the students and/or their parents.

(8) Any payment for conducting strength and conditioning sessions to school coaches who instruct students from their

attendance zone shall be from the school and no other source.

(i) OFF-SEASON SCHOOL FACILITY USE. Athletes may attend open gyms, facilities and weight rooms. School personnel

shall make every effort to see that students understand that participation is strictly voluntary and never required.

Participation shall not be a prerequisite for trying out for a school team. Attendance records may not be kept. Coaches may

be present to supervise the facilities and school equipment, if permitted. Coaches shall not provide specific instruction in

sport skills. Weight lifting instruction is permitted and progress charts may be kept. Facilities may be made available to

athletes under the following conditions:

(1) Recreational opportunities receive advance approval by the local school board and administration.

(2) The dates and times of operation shall be announced, posted or publicized so that every student attending that

school is aware of the opportunity.

(3) Each activity is based on a first come, first served basis.

(4) School coaches are responsible for notifying student athletes in their sport that their participation is strictly voluntary, never

required, and is in no way a prerequisite for making the team or getting more playing time.

(5) No instruction may be given on a Sunday or during the off-season of a team sport.

(6) Someone other than a coach should be appointed to supervise facilities.

(7) Coaches should not participate with their athletes in the athletes’ sport. Such actions place the responsibility on the

coach and school to prove they are not violating Sunday and off-season regulations.

(8) Use of facilities may be restricted to that school’s student body. Note: If only members of an athletic team are

participating in their sport in an open recreational facility, it could be deemed a violation of off-season regulations.

See athletic manuals for further details.

(j) DAY OF GAME RESTRICTION. Participation in an off-season program shall not be required for varsity athletes on the

day of an in-season varsity competition, or for non-varsity athletes on the day of an in-season non-varsity competition.

(k) ROOM AND BOARD RESTRICTIONS. Workout sessions which involve meals and/or overnight lodgings are

prohibited.

(l) HOLIDAY RESTRICTION. A school shall not conduct contests or practices, use school facilities, personnel or

equipment during five consecutive days of December. Any organized or required practice will be a violation of this

regulation. Schools may choose any five consecutive days which include December 24, 25 and 26, with the following

exceptions.

(1) When December 26 falls on a Thursday schools may participate in a tournament game on December 26.

(2) When December 26 falls on a Thursday, schools shall still follow a five consecutive day restriction, including

December 24 and 25.

(3) No practice shall be permitted on any of the five consecutive days.

(4) Travel is not permitted on December 25.

(5) Travel is permitted on the 26th if a tournament game is scheduled on December 27; however, no practice shall be

permitted on the 26th.

(6) A team that has a game on December 23 could travel home on December 24 and still be in compliance with this

section.

(m) POWER LIFTING TEAM RESTRICTIONS.

(1) Power lifting teams shall be authorized by the superintendent or local board of trustees prior to their inception.

(2) If there is an in-school day athletic period, it is a violation for off-season athletes to participate in power lifting

outside the school day unless weight training is also provided during the in-school day off-season period.

(3) Power lifting teams may not, in any way, be construed as part of a student’s off-season conditioning responsibilities.

(4) Power lifting teams shall not be limited to athletes from a particular sport or to athletes specifically.

(n) SIXTH GRADE AND BELOW. No interscholastic athletic competition is allowed in any conference for teams in the

sixth grade and below. This does not apply to annual interschool elementary field days, assuming there is no awarding of

place ribbons or determination of team champions.

(o) PRE-SEASON PRACTICE REGULATIONS FOR SPORTS WHICH BEGIN PRACTICE PRIOR TO THE SCHOOL

YEAR.

(1) Student-athletes shall not engage in more than three hours of practice activities on those days during which one

practice is conducted.

(2) Student-athletes shall not engage in more than five hours of practice activities on those days during which more than

one practice is conducted.

(3) The maximum length of any single practice session shall be three hours.

(4) On days when more than one practice is conducted, there shall be, at a minimum, two hours of rest/recovery time

between the end of one practice and the beginning of the next practice.

(5) Schools shall not schedule more than one practice on consecutive days and student-athletes shall not participate in

multiple practices on consecutive days. Exception: Volleyball.

52.  Attendance at competitive events needs to target the best possible competition,.  Our school district gets a bad name when sponsors/coaches schedule competition with lesser groups just so their group looks good.  We are not fooling anyone.

53.  Athletic activities in which under-driving-age students are asked to participate should include transportation for those students.  We are creating a liability for ourselves when we ask them to ride with other students.

54.  The number of hours students are required to spend in an activity needs to be closely monitored by the principal. Many of our organizations and sports exceed what is reasonable.  Where athletics are concerned, UIL rules may be being violated.

55.  There should be reasonable financial expectations for parents of students in organizations requiring costumes/uniforms.  To not have these discriminates against students who cannot afford the expense. There also appears to be a vast difference between the money spent by the district with regard to boys and that spent on girls, a fact which may not adhere to the Title IX law.

56.  Cheerleaders and drill team members should not be expected to paint signs as part of their obligation to their team.  The athletic department or the school can pay for these if they deem them necessary or let their players stay late and paint them. 

57.  Signs placed in students’ yards to designate their membership in an organization according to UIL rules are to be constructed by parents and should be collected and returned to the school at the end of the year.  The collecting and returning part is not occurring.

58.  Membership in booster club boards or executive committees needs to be picked by the membership and not the sponsor or coach.

59.  Scholarships given by booster clubs need to be given based on merit and not on a decision by the principal to distribute them equitably among as many students as possible.  No scholarship should be given to anyone who does not have a four point grade point average.  The word IS scholarship.

60.  Parents should be allowed to question all decisions made in connection with co-curricular organizations openly and without fear of retribution to their children.  A process needs to be established for these questions to be heard.  Parents should not have to come in great numbers to be heard.  One parent with a concern is enough to warrant a principal’s interest and genuine concern.  If principals would meet even once a year with parents (and without sponsors/coaches similar to the way in which the Board meets with parents in Instructional Audits), many of the problems would be brought to the surface before they become menacing blowouts.  This effort by principals would go a long way toward improving communication and the way our district is perceived by the public.  It is also questionable for principals and administrators to receive the same complaints year after year while making parents feel they are the first ever to raise the complaint.  Our community is aging and parents are aware of these habits of duplicity.

61.  Grades for all students participating in co-curricular activities need to be checked each six weeks.  Even if the penalty for less than acceptable grades is just expressed concern by the sponsor, some indication of interest in this facet of students’ lives should be extended.  A computer form could be designed to direct this information to the proper sponsor/coach so as to decrease the amount of effort needed to acquire the information and to maintain its viability.

62.  Athletic team members should be subjected to the same level of scrutiny by teachers as cheerleaders and drill team members.  If one group’s ability to participate can be altered by a teacher rating system, then all groups should undergo the same process.

63.  A concerted effort needs to be made to include, not exclude, as many students as possible in all co-curricular activities.

64.  Sponsors and coaches of all co-curricular activities need to be evaluated yearly as to performance, quality of program, level of student and parent satisfaction, willingness to serve, and continued enthusiasm for the job.  These positions should not be life-time sinecures. When coaches administer losing team scenarios year after year, parents need to question the reason for that.  It is not fair for one or two schools to be given the best coaches, to gerrymander their school boundaries, and to deliberately allow a program to function that is out of sync with the rest of the programs in the school district. To do so eliminates the concept of fair competition--which is a fundamental concept of our country.

65.  Athletic team captains, cheerleader and drill team officers and line officers, and any other leadership position of a co-curricular organization should be selected by the student members of the organization.  Sponsors/coaches must afford this opportunity to the students.

66.  All sponsors/coaches must remember that these are KISD programs that they are administering and that these programs are not personally their own.

67.  Coaches should stop naming ten (more or less) players as "captains" of the team.  There needs to be one person selected by the team members to be captain.  When this honor is spread around, it dilutes the leadership lessons that the Coach should be teaching

68. Coaches and sponsors of youth organizations should never accept any gift (however described) from a student or parent or other interested party for obvious reasons.  Small gifts to subject matter teachers that cost less than $10 are acceptable at Christmas or the end of the year.