IGDJ-R - After-School Sports-Activities
AFTER-SCHOOL SPORTS/ACTIVITIES
RULES
Eligibility Requirements
In order to emphasize the need for high expectations for all students, the Acton School Committee has established the following standards for participation in after-school sports and activities. The belief is that students who participate in athletics and academic teams should consider their participation a privilege and be held to higher standards than other students.
Co-curricular activities are an integral part of school life. The knowledge and skills learned through these activities are critically important to the healthy development of students. School administration is responsible for creating and enforcing appropriate eligibility rules for sports and co-curriculars at Acton Elementary School. Students should be demonstrating proper effort and meeting the score criteria for effort grades for all subjects. Athletes should be allowed to continue to practice while working towards earning the requisite effort scores.
Eligibility for sports and co-curricular activities will be based on two criteria:
Effort Grades - Student athletes are expected to maintain weekly effort grades of 3s or 4s at all times. Student athletes that receive an effort grade below a '3' in any class on a given week will be ineligible to participate in games for that week. They are allowed to practice. If the ineligible student displays appropriate behavior, the student may continue to travel and sit in on games without suiting up. Two instances of effort grade ineligibility during a sports season will result in suspension from game participation until meeting effort grade requirements for two consecutive weeks.
Code of Conduct - Student athletes are expected to follow and model the high standards of student behavior as outlined in the student Code of Conduct. Students who receive a detention or in-school suspension during the season will be ineligible to participate in games for that week. They are allowed to practice. If the ineligible student displays appropriate behavior, the student may continue to travel and sit in on games without suiting up. Two instances of code of conduct ineligibility during a sports season will result in removal from the sports team. An out-of-school suspension will result in immediate removal from the sports team.
Other Co-curricular Rules
Equipment Return- A student who fails to return equipment will be ineligible to participate in sports or other co-curricular activities until the equipment is returned or compensation is made to the school.
Parental Permission- The students must give coaches permission slips before attending the first practice.
Travel- Students are required to travel to and from meetings/games by the means provided by the school. Any student may leave the meetings/games with a parent/guardian only with approval from the coach. For safety reasons, a parent/guardian will be requested to sign out their child with the coach.
Leaving School Early- Students who are dismissed before the end of the school day or who are absent may not participate in a game or practice on the same day unless getting prior permission from the principal.
After Practice/Games- Parent/guardian will be responsible for picking up students participating in sports or arranging for their supervision, no more than 15 minutes after the end of the scheduled practice/game. Repeated violations of this rule will result in the student being suspended from the team for at least 2 weeks.
Additional Rules- Additional rules may be established by the coach of the individual sport. If this is the case, each athlete in that sport and the principal will receive a written copy of these rules before the team meets for the second time. The principal has the discretion to alter the eligibility rules in individual circumstances.
Adopted: October 23, 2006
Revised: May 8, 2025