Ann Arbor School’s Athletic Philosophy

Board Policy R 6147 regulating Extracurricular Activities
1. Every student has many strengths and abilities and it is our responsibility to encourage them to function at the highest level possible.
2. School staff must have high expectations for all students and act upon those expectations.
3. Our actions must constantly be aimed at motivating and rewarding rather than punishing students.
4. The support we offer students should be timely, accessible, preventative, remedial and effective.

Pioneer High School Mission Statement:
Pioneer High School will provide an environment which educates, guides, and inspires all students to become responsible individuals.

PURPOSE

1. To establish a policy and guidelines so that coaches, directors, students and parents can minimize conflicts and determine the priority of any given practice/event scheduled for music or athletics.

2. To define excused and unexcused absences so students can make informed choices and know what the consequences of those choices will be.

3. To prevent Students from being penalized for missing practices or events if these guidelines are followed.

DEFINITIONS

1. Curricular Activity: Any class, practice or event upon which a grade is dependent. If a practice or event requires absence from other classes, it constitutes an excused absence. Music is a curricular activity.

2. Extracurricular Activity: A school sponsored activity for which grades and credit are not received. If an event requires absence from other classes it constitutes an excused absence. Athletics are extracurricular activities.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. The Music Department Chairpersons and the Athletic Director will meet in the spring to establish a Common Calendar with as few conflicts as possible.

2. If a scheduled event is changed due to an outside agency (League, MSVA, etc.) it will be reported to all parties directly affected as soon as possible.

3. Students will understand that both Music and Athletic participation is important and their attendance at each practice/event is expected.

4. Coaches will attempt to coordinated their practice/event schedules with the Common Calendar. Where there is a conflict, coaches will send a roster of students to the affected director for resolution.

5. Students should go to their directors/coaches and seek solutions regarding individual attendance problems as a first step.

6. Careful attendance records should be kept for all events and practices. Students are responsible for making sure that their attendance at shared practices is recorded.

SCHEDULE GUIDELINES

1. Curricular Music events take priority over Athletic events.

2. Scheduled Music practice takes priority over Sports practice. (With permission of both parties, practice times may be shared).

3. An Athletic event takes priority over a Music practice unless the student has a major or solo role in the upcoming Music event (See Resolution Guidelines).

4. If an event must be rescheduled on the same date and time as a previously scheduled event, the event originally scheduled takes precedence. Exceptions to this policy: 

a) Single practices for curricular Music events.

b) Times when students have major or solo roles in Music events (See Resolution Guidelines).

5. Unscheduled or irregularly scheduled practices have a lower priority than previously scheduled commitments. However, coaches and directors may require a written excuse from a coach/director, or a parent (for a personal commitment).

RESOLUTION GUIDELINES

1. Students are responsible for notifying Directors/Coaches of any scheduling conflicts as soon as they occur. Students must remind Coaches/Directors within three to five days of the scheduled absence.

2. Since Music is the curricular subject, it is up to the Music staff to determine how important the student’s participation is in the particular event or practice when it conflicts with a scheduled athletic event/practice.

3. The Music staff member may be requested by student or coach to indicate in writing that the student is either excused from the Music event/practice, or needs to be excused from the Athletic event/practice.

4. Regularly occurring Music/Athletic practice conflicts should be discussed by Coaches/Directors and arrangements made at the beginning of the season (e.g. fall sports/marching band).

SUMMARY

* This document requires that Students and Staff respect their collective commitments to each other.
* Flexibility is essential on the part of all concerned.
* Records of attendance to events or practices and partial practices need to be maintained.
* Students and staff will not punish by word or deed students who fulfill their obligations to the best of their ability and maintain their readiness to perform when asked.