Athletic Policies
STUDENT-ATHLETE EXPECTATIONS AND POLICIES
PARENT EXPECTATIONS AND POLICIES
NOTE:
The policies below are both specific and general. All school, department and team policies, including the student/parent handbook, apply and are not contained in this brief summary. Revisions are often made during the school year.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR ATHLETES/PARENTS
Cuts:
Any student-athlete who is cut from a team is entitled to a verbal and/or written explanation from his/her coach as to why he/she did not make the team/squad and what skills he/she needs to improve so as to better his/her chances of making the team/squad the following year.
Coaches are prohibited from meeting with parents regarding cuts.
Due to program size limitations and popularity, cuts are often made in the following sports, but not limited to: Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Golf and Tennis.
Disputes with a coach:
Whenever a question arises in a player’s mind about his/her sport, the player should go to the respective coach for an answer. If the question remains unanswered, the player should then go to the athletic director. If after these initial two meetings, a student-athlete still needs assistance, a student-athlete’s parent/guardian may contact the athletic director. Finally, if a student-athlete is struggling with a sport, at any time, they should seek out their assigned school counselor.
Quitting a team:
After joining a team, a player must finish that season before going out for another sport. Any player who quits a team may not participate in another team’s practice until the season is over for the team that he/she quits. Exceptions to this policy may be granted to incoming 9th graders during the fall due to the late school start and NCS fall sport start dates. This exception expires two weeks after a 9th graders first day of school.
Parents:
Parents may not discuss or contact a coach regarding a student’s playing time, position or team-level placement during the season. Student-athletes can be removed from any team based upon the behavior AND/OR actions of a parent.
PRACTICE POLICIES:
Practices are to be held Monday through Saturday except on game/meet/match days. No practices are allowed on Sundays. All head coaches are to determine and submit proposed practice schedules to the athletic director prior to the season. Practice schedules and expectations for the season will be articulated to the parents and athletes during a pre-season meeting.
Athletes who try out late for a team due to overlapping season will be given the opportunity to make the team with a minimum of a two-day tryout.
All practices must be attended and conducted with a coach present. Coaches are to establish and maintain their own attendance policy. In general, all team members are expected to attend all practices.
Any student-athlete missing a practice must communicate directly with their respective coaches. Missed practices and failure to promptly communicate with coaching staff regarding those absences will result in suspension and/or removal from that team.
Parents/Guardians: Because athletics is an extra-curricular, after school program, participation is voluntary, therefore attendance is not reported to parents/guardians. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to communicate attendance and missed practices to their respective parent/guardian.
All practices that are held on the field must end by 6:30 p.m. All practices that are held in the gymnasium, auditorium or Shea Center must end by 9:00 p.m.
Any student-athlete who quits a team may not condition or try out for the next season’s sport until the current team’s season is completed.
Any student-athlete who is taken off the team because of school or team policies may not condition or try out for the next season’s sport until the current team’s season is completed.
Student-Athletes may not attend practice on the day of a school absence, whether excused or unexcused.
FIELD and FACILITY ACCESS:
By order of the City of Albany field use on Sundays is strictly prohibited, under all circumstances. Student-athletes, parents, staff and community members may NOT use Tom Brady Field, baseball diamond, batting cages, track, football or softball field on Sundays.
Student-athletes may not use facilities, including the gym, auditorium, track, field, baseball diamond, batting cage or any other Saint Mary’s facility without a supervising coach.
STUDENT-ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY
Academic probation:
Students will be placed on academic probation if they have a GPA of below 2.0 in a semester or if they have earned any “F” grades. The principal, in consultation with the director of student support services, may dismiss a student with a record of repeated academic probation. In addition, any student-athlete earning three Habits of Scholarship “U’s” or “Unsatisfactory” in an academic class will be ineligible to participate in extra-curricular sports until cleared by the Dean of Academics.
Co-curricular ineligibility due to academic standing:
If students earn below a 2.0 GPA for a single grading period, without any “F” grades, they will be placed on co-curricular probation. If they do not bring up their grade(s) during the subsequent grading period, they will become ineligible to participate in co-curricular programs. Students who earn a grade of “F” in any course will be automatically ineligible to participate in co-curricular programs. Eligibility resumes when the student attains a passing grade in the course on the subsequent grade report.
Academic probation and co-curricular eligibility are distinct in that whereas final semester grades are used to determine academic probation, a grade from any grading period is used to determined co-curricular eligibility status.
Habits of Scholarship: Any student-athlete earning three Habits of Scholarship “U’s” or “Unsatisfactory” in an academic class will be ineligible to participate in extra-curricular sports until cleared by the Dean of Academics.
Athletic eligibility:
The athletic programs at Saint Mary’s will provide an opportunity for all students to integrate physical development with the academic, religious, and social goals of the school. The proper ideals of sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and fair play are stressed in all interscholastic athletics.
The following interscholastic rules affect the athletic participation and eligibility of Saint Mary’s students.
Only students regularly enrolled in California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) member schools, grade 9-12, shall be permitted to participate in interscholastic competition. Students shall neither participate nor practice on any team if they attain their nineteenth birthday before June 15.
A student who first enters the ninth grade of any school following his/her completion of the eighth grade in any school may be eligible for athletic competition during a maximum period of time not to exceed eight semesters. This eligibility must be used during the first eight semesters of attendance at that school or any school. Enrollment and/or attendance for 15 days or more, or participation in one or more inter-school contests, shall count as one of the eight semesters.
A student who transfers from one school to another without a change of address from parents or legal guardians must complete the 2604 and 505 transfer forms to request eligibility. This rule also applies to students 18 years of age or older even though they are legally adults. It does not apply to students who have been promoted from elementary or junior high schools at the end of the preceding semester. Questions regarding eligibility should be referred to the director of athletics.
Foreign exchange students interested in participating in athletics should contact the director of athletics regarding their possible eligibility.
Medical Requirements:
Each student who participates in any sport must provide evidence of a physical examination by a medical practitioner in order to satisfy CIF, NCS and Saint Mary’s College High School athletic regulations. Physical examinations are valid for only one calendar year. No facsimiles of physical examination forms will be accepted.
1. Football Insurance: Competition in interscholastic football requires additional insurance for student-athletes. If a student-athlete’s current insurance policy does not exclude interscholastic football, that student may not be required to carry additional insurance. Saint Mary’s College High School purchases additional insurance on each student who plays football.
2. After an injury that requires medical attention, a doctor’s written release must be obtained before a player may resume participation. This is for the protection of the player, coach and school.
3. Student-athlete’s should immediately report all injuries to Saint Mary’s coaching staff and athletic trainer.
4. The Saint Mary’s Athletic Trainer cannot treat injuries sustained in non-Saint Mary’s athletic events and/or club sports. Student-athlete’s who sustain injuries while playing on their club teams should seek medical and rehab care with their personal medical physician.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE:
Students absent for more than two periods in a given day are NOT ELIGIBLE for interscholastic participation or student activity that day or evening. Therefore, students cannot play or attend practices and/or games on the day the absence occurs. If the absence occurs on a Friday, the student may not attend or participate in weekend co-curricular activities. Exceptions to this rule must be cleared through the Dean of Students and/or Athletic Director prior to participation.
DISCIPLINE POLICY:
Athletes who violate the behavioral expectations of the school, the coach or the league will be subjected to disciplinary actions similar to those in the Saint Mary’s College High School Parent/Student Handbook (see below). Athletes may be warned about their conduct, suspended from participating on a team, or dismissed from a team, depending upon the severity of their violation.