Activities and Athletic Policy Handbook:

Activities/Athletic Policies

Policies specific to activities and athletics.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Activity/Scrimmage List
Assault Upon Officials By Coaches
Assault Upon Officials By Students
Assault Upon Coaches By Coaches
Assigning VPA Tournament Officials
Bomb Threat Evacuation Plan
Coach Replacement During A Contest
Cooperative Team/Activity Programs
Criteria for cooperative team/Activity Programs
Decision Making Power
Criteria for Divisional Alignments
Criteria for Divisional Alignment Appeals
Criteria for VPA Sanctioning of a New Activity
Definition of A Jamboree
Disclaimer Statement
Dressing Facilities for Game Officials
Using VPA E-Mail/Website for Outside Groups
Ejection of Players and Coaches
Reporting of Game Disqualifications
Member School Game Disqualification Reporting Process
Eligibility Limitations and Amateur Status/Recruiting
Eligibility Standards for Home Study Students
Family Ticket Policy
Fine Policy for Submitting Inaccurate Pairings Form
Foreign Exchange and International Students
Girls Who Play on Boys Ice Hockey Teams
Individual Participation Limitation
Lightning Policy
Teams Maintain Original Seed
Maximum Contests Per Day
Member Participation on Other Member School Teams
Out of Season Sports Activities
Partial Waiver of 10-Practice Rule
Past Due Accounts
Policy Governing Participation in Individual Competitions
Policy on Student Eligibility
Protest Procedures
Raffles
Religious Non-Participation By Students
VPA Rules Committees - ASC and Executive Council
Scheduling Tournament Games on Sunday
Ski School Participation in VPA Sanctioned Skiing Activities
Sportsmanship: Disqualification’s
Tournament Awards Policy
Tournament Fundraising Activities
Tournament Incidents Reporting Process
Tournament Withdrawal Policy
Transfer Rule
Waiver of Mandatory Mouthguard Liability

ACTIVITY/SCRIMMAGE LIST
Number of Scrimmages
A team cannot play more than 20% of the maximum number of regular season games as scrimmages with other schools (teams) up to the conclusion of the regular season. (example: Ice Hockey permits a maximum of 20 regular season games, thus 20% of 20 means that 4 scrimmages would be maximum number permitted during the regular season.

ACTIVITY AND NUMBER OF SCRIMMAGES PERMITTED (MAXIMUM)

Baseball 4
Basketball 4
Cheerleading: Fall 3 Winter 4 Spring 4
Cross Country 3
Field Hockey 3
Football 2
Golf 4
Ice Hockey 4
Lacrosse 4
Skiing 4
Soccer 3
Softball 4
Tennis 4
Track and Field 4
Wrestling 4

During the tournament period, scrimmages are not limited, but common sense should prevail.

ASSAULT UPON OFFICIALS BY COACHES

A coach who intentionally strikes, shoves, kicks, or makes other aggressive physical contact with an official before, during, or after an interscholastic contest, shall be disqualified immediately and his/her coach’s eligibility may be suspended for up to one full calendar year. A coach who is disqualified under this provision shall not coach in any contest, pending a hearing before the Activities Standards Committee. The Activities Standards Committee shall determine the length of the suspension, giving due consideration to all relevant factors, including the seriousness of the offense. At the end of any suspension the coach may request the reinstatement of his/her eligibility. At this time, the Activities Standards Committee will place the request on their next meeting agenda, at which meeting the coach and principal are required to attend. The Activities Standards Committee will make the determination whether or not to reinstate the coach’s eligibility.

ASSAULT UPON OFFICIALS BY STUDENTS

Any member of the team who intentionally strikes, shoves, kicks, or makes other aggressive physical contact with an official before, during, or after an interscholastic contest, shall be disqualified immediately and may be ineligible to participate in all sports for up to one full calendar year. A student who is disqualified under this provision shall not play in any contest, pending a hearing before the Activities Standards Committee. The Activities Standards Committee shall determine the length of the suspension, giving due consideration to all relevant factors, including the seriousness of the offense. NOTE: Member of the team includes player, manager, score keepers, timers, and statisticians.

ASSAULT UPON COACHES BY COACHES

A coach who intentionally strikes, shoves, kicks, or makes other aggressive physical contact with another coach before, during, or after an interscholastic contest, shall be disqualified immediately and his/her coach’s eligibility may be suspended for up to one full calendar year. A coach who is disqualified under this provision shall not coach in any contest, pending a hearing before the Activities Standards Committee. The Activities Standards Committee shall determine the length of the suspension, giving due consideration to all relevant factors, including the seriousness of the offense. At the end of any suspension the coach may request the reinstatement of his/her eligibility. At this time, the Activities Standards Committee will place the request on their next meeting agenda, at which meeting the coach and principal are required to attend. The Activities Standards Committee will make the determination whether or not to reinstate the coach’s eligibility.

ASSIGNING VPA TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS

For each tournament the VPA will hire an assigner(s) to provide officials for all of the games.

a) The fee will be $2.00 per official plus expenses (phone, postage).
b) The assigner(s) will be Advisory Committee members.
c) The assigner(s) will provide a list of tournament officials to our office for approval, prior to assignments being made.
d) The assigner(s) will provide a list of officials qualified to work tournament finals to our office, for approval, prior to tournament final assignments being made.
e) Assignment of all officials through the semi-finals shall be by region(s).
f) Assignment of officials for all finals will be made on the basis of the highest rated officials available without consideration of region.

A BOMB THREAT EVACUATION PLAN FOR ALL VPA SPONSORED ACTIVITIES

In the event of a call or notice to the effect of a bomb threat at a VPA site the following procedures shall be immediately implemented:

1. The individual who took the bomb threat call shall stay on the line with the caller as long as possible and then immediately alert security. He/she will record in writing as much as he/she can remember of the contents of the call: the exact words of the threat, possible location of the bomb, time of detonation, type of device, any background noise, and any voice characteristics of the caller (i.e., sex, age, excitement level, ethnicity or speech peculiarities).

2. The person receiving the bomb threat shall immediately notify the VPA Staff Member and Security Staff immediately of such a threat.

3. When a bomb threat is received, a pre-arranged coded statement will be given over the public address system immediately notifying VPA Staff and Security Staff of a bomb threat potential.

4. The VPA Staff Member, Security, and Site Administration Staff shall proceed to evacuate the building immediately.

5. While spectators and participants are evacuating, security will quickly check for any unusual or suspicious items.

6. A systemized building search will be conducted by local fire and law enforcement officials in accordance with local or site policy.

7. A bomb threat shall result in all participants in the VPA sponsored event being evacuated immediately to their busses. A public announcement will be made that the activity is suspended and will be completed at a time and date to be announced by the VPA and that the site is to be evacuated immediately.

8. All contacts made by the media shall be handled by the VPA Tournament Staff Member. While every effort should be made to cooperate with the media, activities associated with assuring the safety of spectators and participants shall receive priority attention.

9. The VPA will adhere to all local policies regarding bomb threat protocols.

10. Where possible, team and spectator busses should remain on the tournament site.

COACH REPLACEMENT DURING A CONTEST

1. Prior to the start of any athletic contest the head coach must identify the adult who is designated to replace him/her in the event he/she is unable to complete the contest, i.e., illness, ejection, etc.

2. When a coach is unable to continue, his/her team shall forfeit the contest if a replacement was not named prior to the start of the contest.

POLICY ON COOPERATIVE TEAM/ACTIVITY PROGRAMS - REVISED MARCH, 2002

The Activities Standards Committee shall coordinate and approve the work of all activities, committees; interpret and enforce eligibility regulations for interscholastic activities; recommend policy changes for review and presentation to the official delegates of member schools, conduct hearings involving probable violations of the bylaws and policies; conduct Pilot and Experimental Programs with respect to any activity; and perform such other duties as necessary. Membership on the Activities Standards Committee shall be limited to official delegates of member schools. (revised)

Notwithstanding the provisions of any other Bylaw or Policy, except Article II. Purposes, the Activities Standards Committee shall have the authority to conduct pilot/experimental programs with respect to any activity."

CRITERIA FOR COOPERATIVE TEAM/ACTIVITY PROGRAMS

The Activities Standards Committee shall have the authority to approve the formation of cooperative interscholastic activities by two member schools under the following conditions:

(a) Schools having sufficient numbers of competitors and/or schools offering that activity presently, are advised not to request the formation of a cooperative team in that activity.
(b) A school(s) which requests a Cooperative Team/Activity Pilot Experimental Program based upon budgetary reductions in its existing program(s) will not be considered for an experimental pilot program.
(c) The schools are located in a close geographical area with each other. Travel to practice shall not be unreasonable.
(d) Each school participating in the cooperative activity must be a member of the Vermont Principals' Association, Inc.
(e) The combined boy or girl enrollments in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the schools involved in the cooperative activity will be used to determine the classification of the cooperative for participation in VPA tournaments. (The only exceptions shall be ice hockey and football.)
(f) The cooperative activity pilot/experiment agreement is established for a period of two consecutive school years.
(g) The governing boards of each member school participating in the cooperative team agreement will jointly make the application to the Activities Standards Committee for approval of the cooperative team program.
(h) At the end of a two-year period, the Activities Standards Committee will determine if the cooperative team program will be reviewed. An approved cooperative activity agreement will allow full participation in all Vermont Principals' Association tournament/championship activities.

All applications must include the following information:

(1) A statement expressing the reasons for the formation of a cooperative activity.
(2) A statement of the number of students from each of the cooperative schools expected to participate on the cooperative activity will be required.
(3) A statement will be required detailing the number of students, if any, from each of the cooperating schools who have been participating in the activity involved, in programs offered on a non-cooperative basis by their own schools.
(4) Written assurance that the cooperative activity will not limit or lessen participation opportunities for students in each of the cooperating schools.
(5) Written comment to addressing the impact of the proposed activity on existing activities currently being offered in the same season.
(6) Written comments from the league(s)in which the cooperating schools are members, and/or in which the cooperative activity will participate--or, in the event the cooperative activity will not be affiliated with a league, written approval from a minimum of six schools included in the cooperative activity's schedule of competition.
(7) A statement signed by each principal of each cooperating school designating the name under which the cooperative activity will compete. The name of the cooperative activity shall be a combination of each school that is participating as a member of the cooperative team.
(8) Written verification that the coach(s) shall be under the responsibility of a designated cooperative member school.
(9) A mutually agreed upon eligibility standard will be required of the participating cooperative schools.
(10) The Activities Standards Committee shall have the discretion to establish additional or different requirements for good cause.

DECISION MAKING POWER

The Activities Standards Committee will serve as the Cooperative Team/Activity Program Review Committee, whose power it will be to approve or disapprove all applications.

CRITERIA FOR DIVISIONAL ALIGNMENTS

* Divisional alignments will be determined by a percentage factor to insure equity between divisions and where feasible to balance member school numbers within a division.

* The ASC will review this percentage factor every two years and adjust if necessary to maintain alignment equity.

CRITERIA FOR DIVISIONAL ALIGNMENT APPEALS - Adopted: January 25, 2001

The Activities Standards Committee when addressing divisional appeals must have the following required documentation submitted and signed by the principal:

* Official October 15 school count.

* Competitive record over the past two years (or more).

* Rationale why this request is being made.

* Activity offering by season.

* All divisional appeals must be filed prior to January 15th.

This required documented information submitted by the principal will help the Activities Standards Committee in rendering a decision concerning the divisional alignment appeal. In addition, the Activities Standards Committee will consider recommendations for alignment from the various sports committee before making a final decision.

CRITERIA FOR VPA SANCTIONING OF A NEW ACTIVITY

It is our recommendation that the following criteria be approved by the ASC for the sanctioning of any new VPA activity:

* A new activity may be sanctioned by the ten members school rule or by the ASC.

* The member school must officially sanction this activity by approving its sponsorship, jurisdiction, and administration.

* A minimum of four teams, or as determined by the ASC, will constitute the sanctioning and running of an approved VPA Tournament for the first year of the activity.

* A member school will have one (1) year to end any participation by cooperative student(s) from its roster unless a Cooperative Team Program has been officially approved by the ASC.

* The National Federation Rules will be the official rules where applicable.

DEFINITION OF A JAMBOREE

Jamboree: A jamboree is defined as a scrimmage in which a team engages two or more other teams in an exhibition whi8ch may or may not be designated to declare a winner. Total playing time must not exceed the total time allowable by the rules of the particular activity.

DISCLAIMER STATEMENT

Every attempt will be made to develop tournament dates and sites well in advance, but with the understanding due to circumstances beyond the control of the Vermont Principals' Association, such tournament dates and sites may be subject to change and/or tournament games may be in conflict if a school has more than one team participating in post-season play.

Application for admission to a tournament is made with the understanding that if selected for a tournament, the team will participate in said tournament under the conditions as stated above.

The National Federation of State High School Associations and the Vermont Principals' Association promulgate voluntary rules of competition for athletic and non-athletic activities. Rules are drafted by committees consisting of school administrators, coaches and officials. The National Federation directs each of its rules committees to adopt rules that promote and preserve the sound tradition of its sport. There is an inherent risk of major or minor injury from participation in interscholastic athletics. Therefore, the National Federation and the Vermont Principals' Association make no representation concerning the degree of safety or suitability of the rules for any particular contest, participant or facility. All parties conducting and participating in events within these rules must assess safety issues with respect to each contest, athletic, and facility and conduct their programs accordingly.

Prior to the start of each athletic season, your athletic staff should advise your students and their parents of the inherent risks in athletic and activities programs and to obtain signed, written waivers from the students for their participation. Simply, this is good and prudent athletic/activities program administration.

DRESSING FACILITIES FOR GAME OFFICIALS

The following are recommendations for game hosts:
Schools should provide, if at all possible, private dressing facilities for the game officials employed to officiate their home contests. They should be separate from either of the participating teams with toilet and shower facilities, if possible.

No unauthorized personnel are to be admitted to the officials’ locker room before, during, or after the contest. This includes friends of the officiating crew. Only the assigned officials, school administrators and VPA personnel, including official observers who may be in attendance, are to be admitted to the officials’ dressing room. A sign indicating NO ADMITTANCE should be placed on the door to the officials’ locker room and be monitored so that only authorized personnel are admitted.

The host school or site administrator is directly responsible for the safety and security of all game officials before, during, and after all interscholastic contests (including the parking lot).

Game officials are to arrive on time at the site and cooperate with school officials and not to admit any of their associates or friend into their locker room. A cooperative effort between school officials and game officials will pave the way for a smooth contest and helps avoid undesirable incidents.

POLICY ON USING VPA E-MAIL/WEB SITE FOR OUTSIDE GROUPS - July 1, 2003

It is the policy of the Executive Council to restrict the use of VPA e-mail and/or the web site by outside groups unless the following criteria is fully evident to disseminate the requested material:

* The information must be of an immediate importance to the VPA Membership.
* VPA e-mail addresses will be suppressed on all e-mail messages.
* The use of e-mail addresses shall be restricted to those entities having a direct relationship with the VPA for the sole purpose of immediate and important school leadership information.

The President, President-Elect, and Executive Director shall serve as an Ad Hoc Committee to review and approve request(s) where there are questions about content.

EJECTION OF PLAYER[S] AND COACH[ES]

If a varsity high school team receives more than two ejections or disqualifications (of athletes or coaches) during the course of a sports season, the coach, Athletic Director and/or Principal of the school must meet with the Activities Standards Committee before the school will be admitted to or allowed to continue in the VPA post-season tournament. This meeting will occur in all situations regardless of a team's standing in the regular season or tournament. The intent of this meeting is to discuss the situations that occurred and the steps being taken to address the situation. Failure to meet with this committee would result in the school/team being ineligible to participate in the VPA Tournament.
Note this recommendation was approved by ASC on 5/4/04 and will go into effect for the 2004-2005 school year.

REPORTING OF GAME DISQUALIFICATIONS

Game officials shall use the following process in reporting a game disqualification(s):
* The official shall notify a player(s) or coach(s) that he/she has been disqualified from the contest.
* The official shall notify the commissioner/assigner that a player(s) or coach(s) was disqualified from a contest for behavioral reasons.
* The commissioner/assigner shall notify the principal or athletic director and the VPA Office within a twenty four (24) hour period as to the type of the disqualification of that player(s) or coach(s). If a sub-varsity player is ejected, the AD who is hosting the event will report this ejection to the VPA within 24 hours of the contest.
* In the case of out-of-state and/or sub-varsity competition a school is obligated to report as provided in reporting of game disqualifications.

MEMBER SCHOOL GAME DISQUALIFICATION REPORTING PROCESS

The member school shall be responsible for confirming the game disqualification with the VPA within forty-eight (48) hours with either a verbal or written report (either method being acceptable).

ELIGIBILITY LIMITATIONS AND AMATEUR STATUS

RECRUITMENT

A school shall be deemed in violation of the rule against recruitment if a representative or agent of the school, or any individual or group associated with the athletic programs of that school, approaches a student athlete in another school, apart from a publicized meeting for all prospective students in that school, and directly or indirectly attempts to persuade or induce a student athlete to enroll in his/her school.

DO's (not all-inclusive)

1. Hold general orientation meetings for parents/students to describe school's educational and
activities programs (athletic and non-athletic), administered by school's administration.
2. Hold individual meetings with parents/students to describe school's educational and activities programs that were initially requested by parents/students. These meetings shall be administered and supervised by the headmaster/principal.
3. All requests made directly to athletic director, coaches, activities advisors and boosters personnel shall be referred directly to the headmaster's/principal's office for administration and supervision (see #2).
4. Shall present the school's educational and activities programs by print (publication) and media (advertisement) as a total entity and not as a single sport, activity or athletic/activity program.
5. Scholarships, tuition aid, transportation assistance, etc. shall be administered equally throughout the student body and not awarded solely on the basis of only athletic/activities participation.

DO NOT (not all-inclusive)

1. No representative or agent of the school, or any individual or group (including players, boosters organization; alumni, etc.) associated with athletic/activities program, shall approach students in another school, outside of their school district, and attempt to persuade or induce a student to enroll in his/her school for athletics/activities.
2. No coach or agent of the school shall use various forms of rewards, such as scholarships, or free/reduced tuition, promises of play-time or college placement, special training opportunities, or free transportation, to persuade a student to enroll in his/her school for athletics/activities.
3. No coach or agent of the school shall use clinics, workshops, camps, development programs, or other special †training modes to recruit a student for athletics/activities.
4. No coach or agent of the school shall publish a publication that only deals with and emphasizes †† athletics/activities of the school.

ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS FOR HOME STUDY STUDENTS

A home study student who wishes to participate in a public school *co-curricular program shall be an eligible student under this section if:

(1) The participating student is enrolled in a home-study program in compliance with Title 16, Section 166.

(2) The participating student must have a legal residence in the school district or is a legal resident of a district that does not maintain a school and pays tuition on behalf of its students.

(3) Participation in a school’s co-curricular activities program shall not commence until a copy of the Vermont State Department of Education Enrollment Letter is presented to the principal by the parent or guardian.

(4) The participating student’s academic program, as referenced in the Vermont State Department of Education Letter of Enrollment, will be reviewed by the student’s parent or guardian at appropriate intervals as locally determined and consistent for all students to determine academic progress. This review and determination must be certified in writing from the parent/guardian to the principal.

(5) Prior to the start of a sport season or fine arts and performance activities in which a home study student wishes to participate, the parent or guardian and student must notify the principal in writing that he/she wishes to participate in a school’s co-curricular activities program. Failure to provide a timely notification will not disqualify the student from participating, but may result in some delays in participation.

(6) The student may participate in co-curricular activities sponsored by a VPA member school provided the student complies with the same physical examination, insurance, age, and any other requirements for participation as required of all students.

(7) The home study student must adhere to the same standards of behavior, responsibilities and performance as other participants of the team.

(8) Eligibility issues on all matters other than academic progress may be appealed in accordance with the bylaws of the Vermont Principals’ Association.

(9) Consistent with law governing all student athletes, participation in co-curricular activities programs is a privilege, not a right and nothing in these eligibility standards to confer a right on any individual to participate in co-curricular activities.

*The definition of co-curricular activities for this document shall include all interscholastic and extra-curricular activities sanctioned by the VPA.

FAMILY TICKET POLICY

No family shall be denied the opportunity to see its son or daughter compete because of its individual economic need. If necessary, a school may request more than the seven (7) complimentary tickets given for each semi and/or final tournament game(s) in which the school is competing. Each school is requested to make such arrangements in advance of its tournament game.

Pre-school children accompanied by their parent/guardian will not be charged admission for any tournament game at an outdoor site. A pre-school child sitting on the lap of a parent/guardian in reserved seating will not be charged.

FINE POLICY FOR SUBMITTING LATE/INACCURATE PAIRINGS FORM - effective August 1, 2004

Member VPA schools who submit inaccurate pairing forms shall be subject to the following fine system:

1st Submission: Warning and no fine.
2nd Submission and beyond: $200.00 per occurrence for activities that require applications.
$100 per occurrence for required non-application materials (participation surveys, etc.)
The member school principal shall be notified each time an inaccurate pairing form is submitted.

VPA POLICY REGARDING ELIGIBILITY FOR FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - Adopted May,2002

A. Foreign Exchange Students

1) A foreign exchange student is an international student who attends high school in the U.S. to be eligible for interscholastic athletics in the U.S., such students must be under the auspices of and be placed with a U.S. host family by an international student exchange program that has been accepted for listing by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) and be recognized by the U.S. Department of State. The foreign exchange program must assign students to host families by a method that ensures that no student, is placed because of his/her athletic interests or abilities.

2) A foreign exchange student is considered to be placed with a host family when written notice of placement is provided by the exchange organization to the student and his/her parents, and to the host family.

No member of the school’s coaching staff, paid or voluntary, shall serve as the host family.

3) The foreign exchange student must possess a current J-1 visa, issued by the U.S. State Department.

4) The foreign exchange student must comply with all eligibility requirements set forth by the state high school association of which the school he/she attends is a member.

5) The foreign exchange student may not be a graduate or have received a diploma from a secondary school or its equivalent in the student’s native country that is comparable to a Vermont secondary school.

B. Other International Student

An international student who is not under the auspices of and placed by a CSIET listed exchange program must meet the following requirements in order to be considered for interscholastic athletics eligibility in any state:

1) The student must possess a current F-1 visa, issued by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

2) The student must provide to the principal of the school he/she attends an official un-translated transcript and a transcript that is translated into English, by an acceptable agent or agency, which indicated work taken in all grades in which the student was enrolled.

3) The international student must pay tuition to the high school he/she attends as prescribed in Section 625 of U.S. Public Law 104-208.

4) No member of the school’s coaching staff, paid or voluntary, shall serve as the resident family for the student.

5) The international student must comply with all eligibility requirements set forth by the state high school association of which the school he/she attends is a member.

Non-compliance with one or more of the foregoing provisions shall render the international student ineligible for interscholastic athletics at any high school that is a member of any NFHS member state high school association.

GIRLS WHO PLAY ON BOYS ICE HOCKEY TEAMS

Whenever a school sanctions a Girls Ice Hockey Varsity Team as a sport, a girl(s) who is at that time a member of the boy’s varsity team shall be allowed to continue on the boys team for her remaining years of high school eligibility, if she so chooses. If at any time she becomes a member of the girl’s team she shall forfeit her right to again become a member of said boy’s team.

Exceptions:

* The school removes the sanction of the girl’s varsity team.
* Waivers may be granted to provide comparable opportunities for girls.

INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION LIMITATION

Several schools have called the VPÅ Office in regard to the individual participation limitation. The following is offered as clarification. Further, our attorney indicates that we must follow the VPA policies to be consistent from one sport to another.

The present VPA policies relating to individual participation limitation are:

Section 2. Specific Rules

A. Each interscholastic sport activity has a maximum number of games limit exclusive of playoffs or tournaments. No school, individual, and/or individuals may participate on the combined freshman, junior varsity and varsity level or equivalent that exceed the maximum number of games limit within that sport.

Baseball – maximum 16 games (16 x 7 innings = 112 innings)

Basketball – maximum 20 games (20 x 4 = 80 quarters)
“No basketball player shall play more than four (4) quarters in any day, exclusive of the need of overtime play. An overtime in a junior varsity or freshman game shall be considered a quarter. Participation in a quarter constitutes a quarter of play.

Field Hockey – maximum 14 games (14 x 2 halves = 28 halves)

Football – maximum 9 games (9 x 4 = 36 quarters) See exceptions/Guide

Ice Hockey – maximum 20 games (20 x 3 = 60 periods)

Soccer – maximum 14 games (14 x 2 halves = 28 halves)

Softball – maximum 16 games 16 x 7 – 112 innings)

Lacrosse – maximum 16 games (16 x 4 periods – 64 periods)

Summary:
1) Each individual is limited in participation based on total number of scheduled varsity games or maximum VPA game limit (whichever is smaller) multiplied by number of game quarters, halves or periods.
2) Entry into a contest by an individual constitutes a quarter, half or period of play, regardless of length of play of the individual.
3) It is the responsibility of each school to record and control the participation of each student.
4) VPA playoffs and tournaments are not included as part of the maximum levels of regular season.
5) Schools are also cautioned to check their respective league rules and policies, since further restrictions may be in effect concerning individual participation.
6) Schools should also refer to the individual VPA Sport Guide for any rules or recommendations specific to the activity.

LIGHTNING POLICY - Revised - August, 2001

The VPA policy on lightning procedures for outdoor interscholastic activities is the following:

* When thunder is heard or lightning is seen, students and spectators must leave the field and go inside.

* Once lightning has been recognized or thunder heard, it is strongly recommended to wait at least thirty minutes (thirty minute rule) before resuming activities. Any subsequent lightning or thunder after the beginning of the 30-minute count should reset the clock and another count should begin.

* When in doubt ... use good common sense -- the safety of students is your most important responsibility.

* Stay away from tall or individual trees, lone objects, standing pools of water, and open fields. Avoid tallest object in field. Do not take shelter under a single tall tree.

* If there is no safe shelter within a reasonable distance, crouch in a thick grove of small trees surrounded by taller trees or in a dry ditch. Crouching with only your feet touching the ground and keeping your feet close together, wrap your arms around your knees and lower your head to minimize your body’s surface area. DO NOT LIE FLAT.

* Pay more attention to the lightning threat than the rain. It need not be raining for lightning to strike; lightning can strike far from the rain shaft.

TEAMS MAINTAIN ORIGINAL SEED

At the May 7, 2002, Joint Meeting of the Executive Council and Activities Standards Committee, it was voted that teams shall maintain their original seed throughout the entire tournament in all sports.

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONTESTS PER DAY

In all sports with the exception of baseball and softball, schools shall schedule no more than one contest per day per team. In baseball and softball, schools may schedule double headers, provided that all other policies and bylaws are followed.

Explanation

It has generally been understood that the VPA has limited the number of contests per day to one. This is necessary to assure that young athletes do not face too much competition. The sole exception has been baseball and softball, in which weather conditions and the nature of the sport have allowed the playing of double headers.

The above policy is meant to confirm this long-held understanding.

MEMBER PARTICIPATION ON OTHER MEMBER SCHOOL TEAMS - Revised May, 2006

Member high school students may participate on another member high school's team provided that the following criteria is met:
Application Process:

1. Member high schools that are interested in developing a program must submit a written request for participation on another member school's team to the VPA Executive Director or Director of Student Activities sixty days prior to the start of each sports season to allow adequate time for reviewing the application. The VPA will only approve requests that satisfy all of the criteria of this experimental program.

2. As part of the application, there must be a written agreement between each participating school that has been approved by the respective school boards (and is reflected in the boards' official minutes), principals, superintendents and athletic directors. Receiving (or host) schools may enter into multiple agreements in a sport season as long the total number of students does not exceed the 20% allocation of students from other member schools. The agreement must specifically authorize the participation

3. The agreement must state that the schools have considered compensation from the sending school(s). Compensation could be in the form of an exchange of opportunities in other programs, or any other form that the schools agree to. If compensation is agreed to, the agreement shall describe the compensation.?? Substantive Requirements:

4. This program only applies to team sports (i.e., Baseball, Basketball, Field Hockey, Football, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer and Softball). Students can continue to participate as individual competitors in all other sports under existing standards.

5. The athlete(s) must meet all eligibility requirements otherwise established by VPA rules and the involved schools.

6. There must be no athletic recruitment of the student athlete. No coach, booster, or persons involved with the athletic department should directly or indirectly solicit students from other schools for this program. This means that a coach or school employee who receives a direct inquiry must immediately refer the inquiry to the appropriate school administrator.

7. The sending school(s) may not offer the team sport in which the student wishes to participate. If a sending school has previously offered this team sport, they are ineligible to participate in this program for two year from the date the team was dropped.

8. In sports which the VPA sanctions separate championships for boys and girls (Basketball, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse and Soccer), a student may request participation if the student's school does not offer the sport to his or her gender. (All schools should provide athletic programs that provide appropriate opportunities to both genders)

9. In order to assure that the sending school(s) is generally meeting its responsibilities to provide activities for student athletes, the sending school(s) must be a member of the VPA and offer at least one-half of the team sports activities sanctioned by the VPA. The sole exception to this rule is if a school has less than 50 boys or 50 girls in grades 9 through 12. These schools would be eligible for entering into a Member to Member Program. Boys and girls teams in the following sports shall be counted separately as single sports in both the calculation of the sports offered and the potential sports to be offered: Basketball, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse and Soccer.

10. There must be no displacement of student athletes from the receiving (host) school sponsoring the activity from spots on the team. Thus, the receiving school sponsoring the team must maintain a no-cut policy for the team in question, or have less than the normal complement of players required for a team who are enrolled in the sponsoring school. Two schools may reach an agreement for a particular sport, however the agreement will not take effect until tryouts have been completed and it is determined there are available slots. Schools may enter into a Member to Member Program for sub-varsity teams as long as there is no displacement at the JV or Freshman level. Schools that have a varsity program and a JV program may only enter into a JV program agreement.. For purposes of this rule, the normal complement of players required for a team shall be the following for each of the listed sports:??• Baseball - 18?• Basketball - 12?• Field Hockey - 20?• Football - 38 (8 player football - 25)?• Ice Hockey - 24?• Lacrosse - 20?• Soccer - 20?• Softball - 18??Students from sending schools shall comprise no more than 20% of the normal complement or team roster (if the school does not have the normal complement) for each team listed above. The maximum numbers are listed below. (Note - a team must go with the normal complement or team roster, whichever number is lower)??• Baseball - 4?• Basketball - 2?• Field Hockey - 4?• Football - 7 (8 player football - 5)?• Ice Hockey - 5?• Lacrosse - 4?• Soccer - 4?• Softball – 4

11. In the event that a receiving school receives more requests for placement on a particular team than are available, the sending school shall allocate the available slots through a lottery. In cases where there are multiple schools, lotteries will be done by both the receiving school (to determine which sending school gets priority) and the sending schools (to determine which students get selected for the available slots). A sending school may not award the slots based on ability.

12. The student athlete must comply with the standards for behavior, academic progress (or its equivalency and any other eligibility requirements of both schools. The receiving school must also conduct a mandatory pre-season meeting for all sending school students in order to explain all training requirements of the team and other requirements of the school (academic, behavioral, etc.).

13. The sending school(s) and receiving school shall define all legal liabilities for student participants in the program agreement.

14. The sending school student(s) shall assume all responsibility for transportation to and from the receiving school. ??Evaluation:
All schools involved in a program shall complete a VPA evaluation of the program at the end of the sports season. All agreements are one season in length and must? be renewed on an annual basis.

OUT OF SEASON (INCLUDING BETWEEN SEASONS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR) SPORTS ACTIVITIES - Approved 8/2/2000

A. Out-of-season(including, for all purposes in this section, to also encompass the time between sport seasons during the school year) practice is not permitted under the direction of a school's instructor or coach, or student leaders. There shall be absolutely no practice during the out-of-season period for a particular sport.
B. During the out-of-season and summer recess, the school, a school's organization (Boosters) and the like may not assist the student-athlete during the out-of-season or provide equipment, uniforms, transportation or funds related to camp or clinic attendance when same is of a participatory nature. Sports equipment may be provided per local school policy.
C. From the last day of school to the start of the fall season ten calendar days prior to the Fall Sports Season all restrictions are rescinded. Local schools may determine to what extent the school, the coaches, and the students are to be involved in the "summer recess" program.
D. There shall be no student practices in any sport ten calendar days prior to the official start of that season.

E. Definitions:
1) Out-of-Season-all days during the school year, except for the season of the sport in question.
2) Summer recess – from the last day of school in June to ten days prior to the start of the Fall Season.

Partial Waiver of 10 Practice Rule

It shall be the policy of the Activities Standards Committee that the Executive Director/Designee may waive up to five(5) practices of the required ten(10) for student athletes who are attending military basic training during the mandatory ten (10) practice period of time. The waiver of up to five (5) practices may be made by the Executive Director upon written request of the school principal and upon receipt of the physical training log signed by officers in charge of the physical training.
Rationale:

Young men and women serving in our military should have some flexibility as the military training schedule is not something under their control. The objectives of the ten (10) practice rule include physical training and team building skills. Team members should attend at least five (5) practices for team building skills.

The principal has the option to apply for 1-5 days’ relief depending on the policies of the school.

PAST DUE ACCOUNTS - July, 2003

It s the policy of the Executive Council to charge past due accounts of 60 or more days a one percent interest late fee per month.

This interest charge may be waived due to extenuating financial circumstances.

POLICY GOVERNING PARTICIPATION IN INDIVIDUAL COMPETITIONS - Adopted May, 2004

INTRODUCTION

The VPA sponsors several activities that have both individual and team competitions. These activities are: golf, gymnastics, skiing, snowboarding, tennis, cross- country, track (indoor and outdoor), and wrestling.

Traditionally, the VPA has allowed student athletes who wanted to participate in these sports as individuals but attended schools that did not sponsor teams to practice with and participate through schools with teams. These student athletes would only participate as individuals. They could win individual awards, but their scoring would not count for any team.

The purpose of this policy is to formalize this practice and establish regulations that are consistent with the VPA's regulations.
Participation Standards

1. To participate under this policy, a student athlete must be enrolled in a school that is a member of the VPA or be enrolled in a home study program in compliance with Title 16.

2. Participation in this program is limited to the following sports: golf, gymnastics, skiing, snowboarding, tennis, cross country, track (indoor and outdoor), and wrestling.

3. Student athletes under this program may practice and travel with the school team. Student athletes under this program only participate as individuals. They may win individual awards, but their scoring will not count for any team.

4. A student is ineligible for this program if his or her school maintains a team in the sport. A home study student is ineligible for this program if the school district in which he or she has a legal residence (or a school that the home study student's town pays tuition to) has a team. Enrolled students and home study students should first be placed on their home school or home town teams as participants.

5. This program does not allow student athletes to select the school teams at which they will participate. If the school district in which he or she has a legal residence does not have a team, the student athletes must participate on a team that is geographically closest to the student's residence.

6. The participating student must comply with all VPA regulations to be eligible to participate.

7. The school where the student is enrolled and the school that is sponsoring the team must consent to the student athlete's participation.

8. The participating student must adhere to the same standards of behavior, responsibility and performance as all other participants on the team. The participating student may be subject to the same discipline and sanctions as are applied to team members.

Dated at Montpelier, Vermont, this ______ day of ___________________, 200
Vermont Principals' Association
BY: _____________________________________

POLICY ON STUDENT ELIGIBILITY - Approved 8/2/2000

The VPA depends on its member schools. Each member school has the responsibility to educate student athletes, coaches, parents, staff and the community on how VPA rules and regulations could affect them. Each member school is responsible for its own compliance with the VPA Rules and Regulations.

Final responsibility for compliance rests with the Principal. While we understand that Principals must frequently rely upon the work of their coaches and athletic directors, the ultimate responsibility for assuring compliance cannot be delegated. It rests with the Principal.

The Principal should be the official representative of the school at all hearing in appeals. Frequently, hearings in appeals require questions that can only be answered by the person who is ultimately responsible for the administration of VPA Rules and Regulations. Thus, the responsibility to represent the school at hearings and appeals cannot be delegated unless prior approval has been provided by the VPA.

No student shall represent a school in an interscholastic athletic activity under the VPA’s Public Participation Policy unless the Principal of the school sponsoring the team certifies the student’s eligibility under the forms required through the VPA Affiliation Agreement. In order to make this certification, the Principal of the school sponsoring the team has the responsibility of confirming with the Principal from the sending school that at all times the student maintains athletic eligibility under the policies of the sending school for items such as behavior, scholastic progress, continued enrollment, and any other applicable local policies.

CHANGES TO THE VPA POLICY ON PROTESTS\

ARTICLE VI. PROTEST PROCEDURES

Section 1. School Sponsored Activities

A. Unfortunate circumstances and misunderstandings can and should be resolved between the Principals/Headmasters of the schools involved.

B. If the Principals/Headmasters of the schools involved are unable to arrive at a resolution to the problem, a principal will:
1. Notify the President of the league, in writing, filing a copy with the Executive Director of the VPA.
2. If the dispute is not league related, the Executive Director/designee will be available to mediate the disagreement.

Section 2. VPA Sponsored Activities

A. In all activities sponsored by the VPA, athletic and non-athletic, the following will be the procedure for handling protests and grievances:
1. Any protest relative to any aspect other than the actual activity will be settled by the observer. Should there be no observer assigned or present the host principal will make the necessary decisions.
2. Any protest relative to the activity will be settled by the chief official. If no official has been designated as chief official by the Council, the referee or the official so designated by the playing rules will be considered the chief official. In any athletic activity where protest procedures are provided in the playing rules these procedures will be followed. Only playing rules of the rule book/guide governing that activity being protested can be protested.
3. The director of any activity or the coach of any team desiring to lodge a protest during the actual activity or game must notify the chief official, referee, umpire, and the opposing coach that the contest is going on under protest. If a protest has not been made as set forth in the rule book or guide, no protest may be lodged.
4. Should the Principal of any school wish to appeal the ruling, based on the misapplication of a rule, made by the chief official, observer or host principal, The Principal must contact the VPA office within 24 hours. The Executive Director/Associate Executive Director will conduct an investigation requiring written reports, if deemed necessary, and will render a decision.
5. Any protest to be made of a decision by the VPA office shall be by telephone communication within twenty-four (24) hours. It will be the Executive Director/ Associate Executive Director’s responsibility to contact the other members of the protest committee and to obtain statements from all concerned.
The following will constitute the protest committee:
a. The President of the Association
b. The President-elect of the Association
c. The Executive Director of the Association
d. The Chairman of the Committee concerned
e. An additional principal from the committee concerned and not one of those listed above
f. Alternates shall be appointed by the President to serve in place of any of the principals listed above whose school is involved in the protest or grievance or who have any conflict of interest.
The decision of the protest committee shall be final.

RAFFLES

50/50 raffles will be allowed at any Vermont Principals’ Association finals (championships) and the semi-final contests in football, ice-hockey and basketball; plus divisional qualifiers in wrestling and track/field, when these events are held at school sites.

A POLICY OF RELIGIOUS NON-PARTICIPATION BY STUDENTS

The Activities Standards Committee has been asked on many occasions to provide advice to its membership regarding the scheduling of school activities so as not to conflict with religious holidays. The ASC advises that it is not within its province to oversee the school/league calendars of the individual school districts throughout the state. In planning VPA state activities the ASC attempts to avoid conflicts with major religious holiday, SAT testing dates, or other major activities of statewide importance. The ASC therefore, urges that the individual schools be sensitive to the social and religious mores of their individual communities and that they plan their school and student activities calendar so as not to conflict with the extra-school needs of large numbers of students, or to place them in the extreme position of having to choose between their religion and a major school activity.

1) Each participant will make for himself/herself the decision to play or not play in a game scheduled on a religious holiday. He/she will inform the coach of his/her decision well in advance of the date.

2) The coach will levy no penalty of any kind on the player for missing the game because of religious reasons whether psychological pressure(shaming) or practical (not permitting the player to play in subsequent games).

3) The school will ensure that both players and coaches know of and understand this policy well in advance of the season.

The VPA strongly urges local school districts to adopt this policy.

VPA RULES COMMITTEES - ACTIVITIES STANDARDS COMMITTEE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

It is important that the total rules writing program of the Vermont Principals’ Association operate within the basic philosophies that are in the best interests of our member schools and students. By authority of the VPA Constitution, the Executive Council is responsible for the final selection of members to serve on VPA sports rules committees with the advice of the Activities Standards Committee.

After each committee has adopted their recommended changes for the subsequent year, such revisions will be evaluated by the Activities Standards Committee to determine if proposed changes conflict with the established standardized criteria for all VPA sport rules committees.

The Activities Standards Committee shall either approve or disapprove rule changes. Any changes disapproved will not be rewritten by the Activities Standards Committee but referred to the rules committee.

It isn’t the purpose nor intent of the Activities Standards Committee to substitute its judgment for that of rules committee members; however, it is their responsibility and obligation to see that high school sports rules are within the basic philosophy desired by our member schools.

A. Guidelines for Use by the Activities Standards Committee When Evaluating Each Change:
1. Does it affect the safety, health or welfare of the participants?
2. It is contrary to the general policy or roles of the VPA/NFHS?
3. Is it a matter that rightfully is the prerogative, or should be left to the discretion of the Activities Standards Committee.
4. What is the financial impact on member schools.
5. Is the rule enforceable?
6. Is the rule practical?
7. Is it an over-reaction to one or two reported incidents?
8. When applicable, is it consistent with he philosophy of other rules codes?
9. Are there legal ramifications or precedents to be found in other sports?
10. If it is a major change:
a. What is the rationale behind the change?
b. Was there any previous experimentation with the rule?
c. Was it previously a recommendation or point of special emphasis?
B. Basic Categories of Rules Changes Which Will Be Brought to the Attention of the Activities Standards Committee are major changes which include:
1. Safety
2. Meet, game or contest administration, including:
a. Scoring.
b. Participation limitations.
3. Equipment, facilities, and uniforms, including:
a. Pads, braces and jewelry.
b. Aids for the handicapped individual
4. Officials:
a. Officials’ jurisdiction.
b. Officials’ uniform.
c. Required number of officials.
d. Disqualification, penalties, and unsportsmanlike conduct.
5. Exceptions or optional modification

The Executive Council is confident each sports rule committee will function within the established guidelines. If, in the opinion of the Activities Standards Committee there are conflicts, they will be resolved by procedures established by the Executive Council.

SCHEDULING TOURNAMENT GAMES ON SUNDAY

The Vermont Principals’ Association will allow the scheduling of VPA tournament play only under all the following circumstances:

* Weather conditions resulted in a postponed Saturday game.
* Both principals agree to such Sunday participation.
* Any game must be scheduled not begin prior to 1 p.m.

This policy applies to all VPA games in the tournament structure.

SKI SCHOOL PARTICIPATION IN VPA SANCTIONED SKIING ACTIVITIES

Policy Rationale:
This proposed policy deals with an omission in our present policies regarding ski school competition in VPA skiing activities. At some point, a section was omitted that prohibited ski schools from participation in our skiing events. This proposed policy will prevent such participation and correct the omission.

Policy Statement:
No ski school/academy which emphasizes skiing activities shall be allowed to participate in any VPA skiing (nordic/alpine) or snowboarding activity sponsored by the VPA.

SPORTSMANSHIP: DISQUALIFICATIONS

Sportsmanship:

If the game disqualification is administered in the final contest of the season (including tournament play), the penalty shall be carried over in that sport and invoked at the first regular season game the following academic year. If a disqualification is administered to a graduating senior or coach (j v or varsity) in the final game of that year, the disqualification will carry over into the first game(s)/event(s) in the next sport season. If a player or coach does not compete in an interscholastic sport for the remainder of the school year, it is expected that the school take appropriate disciplinary action and report same to the VPA.

* This decision cannot be appealed to the Activities Standards Committee as it considered to be a judgment call by a game officials

TOURNAMENT AWARDS POLICY

At the state finals, championship trophies and finalist plaques will be award. Members of the two finalist teams will receive an individual medal. Teams desiring more medals than provided in the official roster may purchase additional medals by making arrangements with the VPA Office.