Team Rules

Practice Times School Day:

4:15 PM (class is dismissed at 4:00 p.m. Athletes have 15 min to get to practice)
Subject to change for special reasons.

Practice Times Vacation Day:

10 a.m.
Subject to change for special reasons.

Basic Expectations (Practice, Competition and Travel):

Attendance - The athlete must come on time and attend practices everyday.
Attitude - The athlete must come with a good attitude, one of great expectations.
Effort - The athlete must give great effort to the cause
Conduct - Respect the coaches

Practice Attendance:

Special situations must be discussed prior to missing practice
After the ending of practice students must go home when dismissed, unless arranged with coach.
Leaving early must be coordinated with coach (It will count as a missed practice, unless communicated) (will call parents)
During vacation coaches need to account for athletes. (please let me know)

So students don’t skip and go somewhere else.

Practice Attire:

Athletes must adhere to school dress code
Clothing from other schools is not acceptable
Must wear issued uniforms
Exceptions: Spirit Pack/Other Americas sport issue
Do not trade uniforms

Injuries:

Acute injuries (New injury)–released to trainers (athletes must go to trainers) (Will be logged)
Chronic/Ongoing injuries-must get treatment before weights, during lunch & after practice (Not during practice)

Trainers are at school at 6:30 a.m. every morning and leave when we leave.

Conduct at Competition:

No horse playing.
No cursing/ yelling at each other.
No ninja.
No dancing.
No jewelry.
No leaving of competition area.
Must wear shorts over spandex.
Athletes must stay for the completion of the track meet to support the team, run events, help pack up (3x = Dismissal).

Consequences:

Miss more than 2x per week even with arrangements: No Competition
Leave without permission: Dismissed from the team.
Bad attitude or Talking back: Suspension (Coaches Discretion)
Suspension is at the coaches' discretion for all other offenses.

Code of Conduct & Behavior Expectations (Athletes)

Travel Procedures:

Arrive at the departure point on time.
Call parents when we leave.
Follow the code of conduct.
Call parents upon arrival.
Give your parents your room number and phone number of the room.
Do not leave the team group.
Focus on competition (business not leisure).
Use restrooms at venues in pairs or larger groups.
Call parents upon arrival each night.
Call parents 30 minutes before returning home.
Go home or with your parents.

Travel Policy Expectations:

Student Expectations (Level 3 & 4 violations)

Represent School and District respectfully.
No smoking, drinking or any other drugs (e-cigarettes included).
No visiting rooms of the opposite sex.
Relationships are not part of the trip (no holding of hand, kissing, or inappropriate behavior).
Students of the opposite gender will be separated by seating arrangements for travel.
Weapons, chemical dispensers, razors, lasers or any prohibited articles are not permitted.
Assault, hazing, bullying, harassing (including sexual harassment), unwanted horseplay or taunting will not be tolerated.
Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury, threatening or causing physical contact, whether in good nature or not, is forbidden.
Students will not participate in illegal activities, shoplifting, removing items from hotels, or gambling.
Students are not allowed at water parks, swimming pools or beaches.
Rooms are not to be trashed.
If you break something, report it immediately.
Hotel phone calls and movies are not allowed.
Students are strictly prohibited from entering an opposite gender's room without a sponsor present.

Parent-Coach Meetings (per UIL)

Communication coaches expect from parents:

Concerns regarding the athlete expressed directly to the coach at the appropriate time and place.
Specific concerns in regards to the coach’s expectations.
Notification of any schedule conflicts well in advance.

Appropriate concerns to discuss with a coach:

The mental and physical treatment of your child.
What your child needs to do to improve.
Concerns about your child’s behavior.

What not to discuss with a coach:

How much playing time each athlete is getting.
Team strategy.
Play calling.
Any situation that deals with other student-athletes.

Supervision of participants during the contest:

All participants in an athletics contest will remain with the team and under the supervision of the coaches or trainer until dismissed by the coach or trainer. If an athlete is ejected from a contest or is substituted for in the contest, they will remain under the supervision of their coach until the team is dismissed. In the event of an ejection, there will be further disciplinary actions taken at a later date.
All participants will be transported to and from the contest under the supervision of the coaches. If there are other circumstances which arise where a player must be transported by his or her parents, that must be approved by the head coach of that sport and a travel release form must be filled out.
Alternative Transportation Form pg 17 (parents must fill out in front of a coach at track meets)

Excerpts from the Student athlete handbook:

All athletes, regardless of the sport, must:

Abide by all UIL rule specifications and abide by local SISD Athletic Policy.
Attend every practice session and athletic contest unless ill or emergency situations. (Parents or athlete must call in, if the athlete is not attending a practice session.)
At all times, respond to every situation as a young lady or gentleman.
Abide by all Socorro ISD Athletic Department and campus guidelines and policies.
Maintain academic intensity to achieve success in the classroom.

Violation of these policies will result in appropriate disciplinary action being taken against the student athlete and could result in his/her removal from the athletic programs in the SISD. Therefore, we ask your cooperation in motivating your son or daughter to observe these rules so that he or she will receive the maximum benefit from the program

Unexcused / Excused Absence from Practice or Contest:

Unexcused absence from practice during the season: Any unexcused absence from a scheduled practice may result in having to make up any missed work and/or being placed at a lower team status. Multiple unexcused absences are subject to suspension from a team. It will be up to each coach to establish their unexcused absence policy.
Unexcused absence from a scheduled contest: For an unexcused absence from a scheduled contest or play-off contest, the player may be suspended from the team.
Excused Absence will be subject to the discretion of the Head Coaches of each sport. Communication is key here. Communication must take place prior to the missed athletic practice or event, not after the event.

Discipline of Athletes:

Participation in athletics is a privilege and a student athlete is not required to take part in athletics. SISD has set standards of conduct that all athletes must maintain. Not adhering to these standards will result in disciplinary action. These actions could range anywhere from immediate reminders, to discipline contract, to suspension for appropriate time for the offense, or dismissal from the team.

Suspension of Athletes from a Team:

A coach may suspend an athlete from participation in athletics for disciplinary reasons. These suspensions will be determined by the head coach of a sport. If the violation is severe enough it may be referred to the Athletic Coordinator or Principal.

Dismissal of Athletes from a Team:

Repeated severe offenses may result in an athlete being dismissed from a team. This will only occur if it is determined that athletics would not help an individual to grow as a person. Our job, as coaches, is not to remove kids from our program that don’t fit our mold, but to mold a kid into the type of individual that will be successful in life. Student athletes always need an opportunity to grow. When a student athlete is dismissed from any team, the Athletic Coordinator and Principals must be notified prior to the dismissal. Pending Principal approval, dismissal from an athletic team may result in the athlete not being allowed to participate in any athletics up to one calendar year. The situation will be reviewed by the Athletic Coordinator and Head Coach of sport involved to make a decision whether or not to all the student athlete to be reinstated into the athletic program.

Quitting:

If an athlete quits one sport they will not be allowed to participate in another sport (practice games or off-season workout included) until the sport that the student athlete quit is completed. This includes playoff games. The bottom line is, that as an athletic department, we need to work together to instill a never quit attitude in our athletes. Certain circumstances would allow the athletic coordinator and coaches involved to determine that an athlete may be allowed to join another sport or to quit without consequences.

Lying:

One of the main goals of the Athletic Department is to teach young men and women how to be responsible adults and law abiding citizens. We want to instill good morals in our athletes. It is dishonest to tell a lie. Whatever the situation is, it must be reported to the coaching staff. Student Athletes will not be labeled as LIARS. It is better to be disciplined then suspended. Trying to cover up an incident could result in more severe disciplinary action.

Hazing:

Hazing is any action or activity that, regardless of location, intent, or consent of participants, causes or intends to cause: 1) physical harm, 2) mental harm, 3) anxieties, or 4) disgrace to a person for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization. Hazing is an illegal activity (Texas Education Code 37.151-37.157) and is also a violation of the Socorro ISD Student Code of Conduct. Therefore, hazing under any circumstances will not be tolerated in the athletic programs of our school district. Students found to be in violation of this portion of the Athletic Code will be subject to disciplinary action through the athletic program, school district, and judicial system.

Care of Equipment:

A record of all school owned equipment issued to athletes will be maintained by the coach of each team. It is the player’s responsibility to take care of such equipment. Athletes will be required to turn in all equipment at the end of the season/year and will be held responsible for the cost of items not returned. Student athletes that have not met their obligation for lost items will be placed on a fine list which will be turned into the campus Business Office. A student athlete will not be allowed to participate in another sport if they have an equipment obligation with another sport.

Student athletes are required to wear equipment that is issued to them by their coach. They may not substitute personal equipment with issued equipment, unless it is approved by the head coach of that sport. Any additional protective equipment may be worn only with the approval of the head coach of that sport or the athletic trainer. Anything extra that might need to be worn for an injury will be handled by the athletic trainer. This includes pads to cover injuries, knee braces, ankle braces, and elbow braces.

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