Coordination | Definitions | Criteria | Review

Students who participate in extracurricular activities are expected to maintain their responsibilities as a student, which include regular attendance, responsible behavior, and maintaining their grades. Although this philosophy holds true for all students, this eligibility regulation only applies to competitive sports and dramatic productions sponsored by Herkimer Middle-High School.

Eligibility Coordination

The Athletic Director or designee shall monitor information regarding student eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities, and will maintain a list of students who are ineligible. This includes 2.5 week grade checks, attendance information, and behavior information.

When information about academic achievement, attendance, or behavior indicates a student is ineligible, the Athletic Director or designee will notify the student and the coach/director of any extracurricular activity in which the student is then participating.

In the case of academic ineligibility, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain from the teacher a statement of acceptable progress, and to provide the Athletic Director or designee with the statement. Until this is done, the student will remain ineligible to participate in any extracurricular activities, including rehearsals and practices.

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Eligibility Definitions

Eligible

Student is allowed full participation in the activity.

Probation

Student is allowed to participate in the activity, but he/she must attend an after school study hall (“homework club”) from 2:50-3:45. They will not be able to take part in any activity that occurs during the mandatory study hall. The one exception to this rule is if there is a game, competition, or comparable event with the activity that requires the student to leave before 3:45. This must be cleared with the Athletic Director or designee.

Ineligible

The student is expected to attend but is not allowed to participate in the activity (practice/rehearsal, competition/production) and he/she must attend homework club from 2:50-3:45.

Homework Club

Students who are ineligible and/or on probation must attend homework club Monday-Thursday. While in attendance, students are expected to work quietly. Personal electronic devices are not permitted during this time. School electronic devices may be used for academic purposes only. If a student chooses not to attend, refuses to do work, or is asked to leave for misbehaving, his/her ineligible status restarts on that given day. If a student on probation chooses not to attend, refuses to do work, or is asked to leave for misbehaving, he/she is immediately ineligible for that activity. If a student misses, or is asked to leave from three (3) after school study halls, he/she will no longer be allowed to be a part of the extracurricular activity.

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Eligibility Criteria

Academic Achievement

In order to remain eligible to participate in extracurricular activities students must be passing all classes at the time of the checkpoints.

The eligibility of a student to participate in extracurricular activities will be reviewed every 2.5 weeks. This will be done by generating an automated report through the online gradebook system (School Tools). The eligibility of a student to participate is determined by the student’s academic status at the most recent checkpoint. This includes the previous school year for fall sports.

If a student is failing one course, he/she will be placed on probation. This student will remain at this status for one week. After a week has passed, the student must bring the sign off form to his/her teacher and the teacher will determine whether the student will regain full eligibility or remain on probation based on the student’s effort, cooperation, and academic performance.

If a student is failing two (2) or more courses, he/she is immediately ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities. After a week has passed the student must bring the sign off sheet to his/her teachers and the teachers will select whether the student will be placed on probation or remain ineligible. *(A student cannot go from ineligible to eligible. Students must transition from ineligible to probation to eligible.) For a student to remain ineligible, he/she must be rated ineligible by two (2) or more teachers.

For students whose eligibility status is affected by the spring carryover, the determination of eligibility begins on the first day of school. Final averages (not fourth quarter grades) are used for this purpose.

Course credit earned during summer school overrides a failing average from the end of the school year.

A student’s initial status in the fall is otherwise consistent with the eligibility rules: one failure earns probationary status, and more than one failure renders a student ineligible.

For a student to return to eligible status from the spring carryover, he/she must complete an eligibility form signed by all teachers of all classes that the student is enrolled in during the fall semester.

Attendance

All students must be in school on time and for all periods of the day of a scheduled extracurricular practice or event in order to participate on that day. The only acceptable reasons for being late to school are a scheduled health appointment, required court appearance, college visitation, or extreme emergency. If a student misses school for any of these reasons, authentic documentation must be provided (i.e. doctor’s note). An unexcused absence on the day following an extracurricular event will make the student ineligible to participate in the next extracurricular event.

Behavior

Expectations for student behavior are described in the student Code of Conduct. Teachers may report to the Athletic Director, Assistant Principal or the Principal those students whose behavior is unsatisfactory, and this information may be shared with the coach/director.

A student will be ineligible from an extracurricular activity on the day of an in-school suspension.

A student will be suspended from participation in their extracurricular activity for a maximum of one (1) week, or three (3) athletic contests, in the event of any out-of-school suspension.

If a student athlete quits a sport without the consent of the coach, he/she will become ineligible for the remainder of that sport season and 20% of the next sport season they participate.

Students who violate the ban on alcohol, drugs, tobacco and vaping will be ineligible for their extracurricular activity for 2 weeks, or 20% of the full season. Further violations of this provision may result in a student being declared ineligible for extracurricular activities for up to one year.

The building principal may declare a student ineligible at any time for disciplinary reasons.

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Review of Eligibility

A student who has been classified as ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities for the duration of an athletic season or drama production may request a review of that classification by a review board. The review board will consist of the building principal, Athletic Director and the teacher reporting the information leading to the determination of ineligibility.

The student and the student’s parent(s) (or person in parental relation) will be given a reasonable time to present their appeal to the review board. If the student has been suspended from school, or a disciplinary hearing is pending, the appeal to the review board shall not re-argue the facts about the student’s alleged behavior. The review board will inform the Superintendent, the student, and the student’s parent(s) of its decision within five (5) school days of the review by providing them with a written and dated decision.

Within five (5) school days of the date on the review board decision, the student may make a written request to the Superintendent to review the decision. The written request may set forth the student’s arguments for a change; however, there will be no additional meeting or conference unless the Superintendent decides to schedule one. The Superintendent shall inform the student and the student’s parent(s) of the Superintendent’s decision within five (5) school days by providing them with a written and dated decision.

Further review of the eligibility decision by the Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education will be available as provided in policy and the Education Law.

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