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After You Make the Team

A. Requirements for Participation
     1. Athletic Fees/ User Fees
     2. Academic Eligibility

B.  Commitment
     1. Daily
     2. School/Family Vacations, Absences, Conflicts
     3. Daily Attendance, Homeroom, Class Cuts
     4. Time Spent at School Health/ Nurse's Office

C.  MIAA Athletic Eligibility Rules
     1. Age
     2. Time Allowed for Participation
     3. Transfers to Newton North High School
     4. MIAA Bona Fide Team Member, Rule 100
     5. MIAA Drug and Alcohol Policy, Rule 62
     6. Hazing
     7. Sportsmanship

D. In-Season Eligibility
     1. Academic Achievement
     2. School Discipline Obligations


A. Requirements for participation 

A student must be declared eligible by the Athletic Director according to standards listed in this section to remain a candidate for a varsity, junior varsity or freshman team.
The head coach will conduct a preseason meeting with all students and parents to communicate expectations, team rules and responsibilities.

1. Athletic Fees/User Fees 
     According to School Committee policy, under the following guidelines, each student athlete at Newton North High School is required to pay a fee to participate on a team. No student will be excluded from a team due to financial hardship. Paying a user fee in no way guarantees a starting position or playing time.

Fee Schedule: Each season a sport activity requires a $210 fee (ice hockey - $260).  Students must pay this fee for each season of involvement during the school year. The maximum family charge for a school year is $630. 

Due Date:  Fees are due prior to the tryout period.  Fees should be paid by check (made out to the City of Newton), and handed to the athletic office prior to the first regularly scheduled tryout. A student may be excluded from tryouts, practice and/or contests for delinquent fee payment until the payment is made.  Any cost incurred for bank returned checks will be charged to the student.

Exemptions/Waivers: The fee schedule is in no way designed to exclude students from the athletic program.  Exemptions/Waivers from the fee for extenuating circumstances may be granted by the Athletic Director.  Requests for exemptions must be made in person to the Athletic Director.  A coach does not have the authority to grant an exemption/waiver.

Refunds: Any student who voluntarily leaves a team or is dropped from its roster for disciplinary or eligibility reasons will not be  granted a refund.  In special instances, upon request from a student, a refund may be granted.  Refunds are in the form of a credit good for the next season of participation. Any student who does not make a team roster (cut) will have his/her user fee returned. 
2. Academic Eligibility 
A  student must always be enrolled in and passing at the conclusion of each marking period, at least 20 credit hours of work plus Physical Education (one credit).  For the fall season, final grades from the previous school year are used to determine eligibility.
Physical Education: All students are required to participate in their regularly scheduled Physical Education classes.  Students being medically excused from physical education may not be allowed to participate in their team practice or game for that day.  Students must pass Physical Education to participate in sports at Newton North High School.

B. Commitment 

1. Daily 
During tryouts and after team selection, the head coach will communicate and explain expectations related to practice times and locations and game schedules.  Students are expected to make at least a six-day, two- to three-hour daily commitment to the team each week.  
At the ninth grade and junior varsity levels most of our teams do not practice or play on weekends, but students may expect practices or games each school day.  Normally, practices will consist of an average of two hours of team activity per day taking place sometime between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.  The preparation times before and after practices or games bring the usual total time to three hours per day.
At the varsity level, weekend and/or evening practices and games are more commonplace, and students should expect regular involvement during these times.  Because many of our teams share facilities, and because some teams use facilities off campus, practice and game hours may vary considerably.  Contact the coach or the athletic office for more specific information concerning practice and game times.
At all levels, in all sports, students are expected to provide their own transportation to and from practices.
The Newton North Athletic Department does not provide transportation at any level to or from practices or contests within the City of Newton.

2. School/Family Vacations, Extended Absences, Conflicts with School Events 

Every team member is expected to be present for all team practices and contests.  
Due to  scheduling parameters, many of our teams practice and/or play during scheduled school vacations and/or holidays. Although extended absences are discouraged, the athletic department recognizes that certain circumstances do require them.  
Students who anticipate being absent from team activities for an extended period of time due to family vacation plans, religious obligations, school sanctioned activities, or college visitations are expected to contact their coaches to discuss absences before making plans.  If  the student contacts the coach and the coach feels such absence is excused, the athlete can expect to return from such absences as a team member “in good standing.” If disagreement arises over this issue, see Conflict Resolution for guidance.
Although  practices may be conducted on religious or school holidays, athletic practices are not mandatory on religious holidays. There will be no penalty for missing practice on a religious holiday. Coaches should be notified in advance if a student will not be at a practice or game.
Sometimes students are involved in many school sanctioned activities and sometimes these activities conflict with their athletic commitment. Students who recognize that such a conflict may exist should also notify their coach well in advance of any absence.  
If the student, parent and coach cannot reach a satisfactory agreement concerning extended absences due to school sanctioned activities in advance of the absence, please refer to the section on Conflict Resolution for guidance.

3. Daily Attendance, Homeroom, Class Cuts 
     Students are expected to attend all scheduled periods including homeroom during the school day.  Athletes must be in school and report to their house office and/or homeroom in order to practice or play on that day.  The athletic department will make every possible attempt to check daily class and school attendance.  Exceptions such as doctor's appointments and college visits must be cleared by the house office in advance, whenever possible. The athletic department reserves the right to remove a student from a team for excessive cuts or truancy and may reinstate the student upon sufficient evidence of improvement.

4. Time Spent in the School Health/Nurse's Office 

Students who spend time in the nurse's office during the school day due to illness may not be allowed to participate in any athletic activities on that day.  The nurse's log may be checked daily by a member of the athletic department.

C. MIAA Athletic Eligibility Rules 

Newton North High School is a member of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the organization that determines the rules and regulations governing athletics in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.
MIAA student eligibility requirements for participation in high school athletics are quite involved.  The MIAA regulations have been condensed considerably here in an attempt to highlight the most important rules and regulations.  
As with all MIAA rules, there is a waiver process.  Waivers of MIAA rules must be initiated by the school principal and athletic director. If the information that follows does not answer specific questions, or there is a concern that a waiver might be necessary, please contact the athletic office.  Also, our website, www.nntigers.com, has a link to the MIAA.

1. Age 
     A student must be less than 19 years of age prior to September 1 of the current school year.
2. Time Allowed for Participation 
     A student has four consecutive years of eligibility from the date he/she first enters the ninth grade. Twelve consecutive athletic seasons are a maximum. Therefore, a fifth-year high school student is usually ineligible for interscholastic competition. There are some exceptions to this rule. See Athletic Director for clarification.

3. Transfers to Newton North High School 
     The rules governing transfer students entering Newton North High School from another high school are quite involved.  Information regarding the athletic eligibility of all students transferring to Newton North High School should be requested from the athletic office.

4. MIAA Bona Fide Team Member, Rule 100 
The MIAA has defined a bona fide team member of a high school team to be “a student who is regularly present for, and actively participates in, all team practices and competitions.  Bona fide members of a school team are precluded from missing a high school practice or competition in order to practice or compete with a non-school team.”
A  non-bona fide team member is ineligible for the next two contests or two weeks and is excluded from all MIAA post-season sponsored tournaments.  There are exceptions and waivers available to this rule.  If there are questions regarding this rule, please contact the athletic office.

5. MIAA Drug and Alcohol Policy, Rule 62 
Newton North High School supports the MIAA rules governing drug and alcohol use by student/athletes. Be alerted that this MIAA rule represents only a minimum standard upon which schools may develop more stringent requirements. Coaches will alert students prior to the season if more restrictive penalties will be applied.

The Rule (MIAA Rule Book,  Rule 62): During the season of practice or play, a student shall not, regardless of the quantity, use, consume, possess, buy/sell, or give away any beverage containing alcohol; any tobacco product; marijuana; steroids; or any controlled substance. This policy includes products such as "NA or near beer". It is not a violation for a student to be in possession of a legally defined drug specifically prescribed for the student's own use by his/her doctor. This rule represents only a minimum standard upon which schools may develop more stringent requirements. This MIAA statewide minimum standard is not intended to render "guilt by association", e.g. many student athletes might be present at a party where only a few violate this standard. However, if NN has enough evidence to show that the student was aware of the presence of drugs or alcohol and did not leave the site, then the penalty may be enforced.

 

Minimum PENALTIES:

First violation: When the Principal confirms, following an opportunity for the student to be heard, that a violation occurred, the student shall lose eligibility for the next consecutive interscholastic contests totaling 25% of all interscholastic contests in that sport. For the student, these penalties will be determined by the season the violation occurs. No exception is permitted for a student who becomes a participant in a treatment program. It is recommended that the student be allowed to remain at practice for the purpose of rehabilitation.

Second and subsequent violations: When the Principal confirms, following an opportunity for the student to be heard, that a violation occurred, the student shall lose eligibility for the next consecutive interscholastic contests totaling 60% of all interscholastic contests in that sport. For the student, these penalties will be determined by the season the violation occurs.

If after the second or subsequent violations the student of his/her own volition becomes a participant in an approved chemical dependency treatment program, the student may be certified for reinstatement in MIAA activities after a minimum of 40% of events. The director or a counselor of a chemical dependency treatment center must issue such certification.

Penalties shall be cumulative each academic year. If the penalty period is not completed during the season of violation, the penalty shall carry over to the student's next season of actual participation, which may affect the eligibility status of the student during the next academic year. If a student in violation of this rule is unable to participate in interscholastic sports due to injury or academics, the penalty will not take effect until that student is able to participate again.

1st Offense
# of Events/Season # of Events/Penalty
1-7
1
8-11
2
12-15
3
16-19
4
20 or over
5
2nd Offense
# of Events/Season
# of Events/Penalty
1-3
1
4
2
5-6
3
7-8
4
9
5
10-11
6
12-13
7
14
8
15-16
9
17-18
10
19
11
20 or over
12
2nd Offense w/Dependency Program
# of Events/Season
# of Events/Penalty
1-4
1
5-7
2
8-9
3
10-12
4
13-14
5
15-17
6
18-19
7
20 or over
8


During practice or competition, a coach shall not use any tobacco product.

Steroid Use - Anabolic androgenic steroid use at the high school level is of grave concern. Steroids are used by some athletes, and the seriousness of the problem has been well documented. A recent study indicates that over 3% of high school seniors have tried steroids in their lifetime (NIDA, 2004) . High school coaches may not be able to prevent the use of steroids altogether, but they can clearly and forcefully discourage their use. Coaches should take a proactive role, learning about steroids, and then providing this information to their athletes.

Steroids can, with proper diet and weight training, increase muscle development; however, as a typical with most "get-rich-quick" schemes, steroid use has serious short and long term consequences.

Normal and equal musculature development can occur without steroid use. Although the natural process takes longer, muscle tone will last longer and does not carry the harmful side effects of steroids.

Most coaches would not promote steroid use intentionally. Total silence by coaches however condones use in some young people's minds. Even though steroids may not be mentioned when it is suggested to an athlete that his/her success is limited only by a lack of weight and/or strength, without a disclaimer the statement can be a motivation to use steroids. The persuasiveness of the drugs that allow for development of increased weight under the aforementioned circumstances is a coercive power that is difficult for young athletes to resist without knowing what the side effects of the drugs may be.

The issue goes beyond protecting the integrity of sport. The use of steroids in sports is cheating. We must oppose the use of steroids for both health and ethical reasons.

(Note: At Newton North this rule is in effect seven days a week, 24 hours a day, throughout the school year.)

Note:  For the out of season athlete the penalty will commence at the start of his/her next athletic season.

6. Hazing 
Hazing is defined as any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization that willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or person.  Under Massachusetts State Law, Chapter 536, Sections 16-19, incidents of hazing must be reported to the appropriate law enforcement officials as soon as reasonably practicable.
Section 17.  “Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in the crime of hazing as defined herein shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.”
“Hazing is defined as any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person.  Such conduct shall  include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any other brutal treatment of forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety of any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation.”
Section 18.  “Whoever  knows that another person is the victim of hazing as defined in section seventeen and is at the scene of such crime shall, to the extent that such a person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report such a crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable.”
“Whoever  fails to report such a crime shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars.”
There is no initiation of any kind to be a member of any team at Newton North High School. Students and coaches found in violation will be dismissed from participation in the athletic program. It is the responsibility of all coaches to inform all team members about the hazing law.

7. Sportsmanship 
Newton North High School expects all parties present at a contest to display the highest possible level of sportsmanship.  Players, coaches, parents and spectators should treat opponents, game officials and visiting spectators with respect. Cheer for your team, never against the opponent.
The MIAA reserves the right to “warn, censure, place on probation, or suspend up to one calendar  year any player, team, coach, game or school official, or school  determined to be acting in a manner contrary to the standards of good sportsmanship.”  
Newton North High School, in turn, reserves the right to impose the same penalties on spectators displaying poor sportsmanship at any of our contests,  home and away.
During the 1994/1995 school year the Bay State Conference voted unanimously to amend the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's Rule 63.8.  The MIAA rule states “any student in any sport (in the opinion of the game official) who willfully, flagrantly, or maliciously attempts to injure an opponent shall be removed from the contest immediately and shall not participate in that sport season for one year from the date of the incident.  (Fighting does not apply to this section unless warranted in the judgment of the game official.)”
The Bay State Conference rule, which replaces rule 63.8, states “any student in any sport (in the opinion of the game official) “who willfully, flagrantly, or maliciously attempts to injure an opponent shall be removed from the contest immediately and shall not participate in any sport season for one year from the date of the incident. Upon  completion of the hearing, the Chairperson will indicate that the review will be taken under advisement and that the Principal will be notified in writing of the results.”

D. In-Season Eligibility 

     At Newton North High School student athletes are expected and encouraged to maintain the highest level of scholastic achievement possible. They  are also expected to maintain the highest level of citizenship.  To promote these goals the following policies are in effect:

1. Academic Achievement 
     Scholastic “extra help” sessions and make-up work are expected  to be completed as soon as possible.  On a practice day students should stay after school to complete work whenever necessary.  Coaches should be informed by students, in advance, when practice time will be missed due to academic obligations.  Once the obligations are completed, students are expected to report to practice on that day, as soon as possible.  If students did not give advance notification to the coach, students should ask their teacher for a  note explaining the tardiness. Students arriving late to practices due to make-up work or extra help will not suffer any  athletic team penalty.  The athletic department reserves the right to remove a student from a team for poor academic performance and may reinstate the student upon sufficient evidence of improvement.  Reinstatement cannot be granted if students do not meet MIAA scholastic eligibility requirements. Coaches may place athletes on written “academic progress reports” when it becomes known that a student is performing poorly in the classroom.

2. School Discipline Obligations 
     A student-athlete with a school disciplinary obligation is expected to fulfill the disciplinary obligation before reporting to an athletic practice and/or game.  Students cannot expect, and should not request, disciplinary action to be postponed or canceled for any athletic reason.  The athletic department reserves the right to remove a student from a team for excessive disciplinary problems and may reinstate the student upon sufficient evidence of improvement.  It is expected that our athletes be model citizens both in and out of school; they will be held to high standards and should set a positive example for all students.