Co-Curricular Activities Eligibility – Swahili version
The Cedar Rapids Community School District offers a variety of voluntary activities designed to enhance the classroom education of students. Co-curricular activities provide the benefits of promoting additional interests and abilities for students during their school years and for a lifetime. Participation in school activities is a privilege. Students desiring to participate in co-curricular activities must meet the participation requirements established by the District.
Students who participate in co-curricular activities serve as ambassadors of the school/district 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, both away from school and at school. Students who wish to have the privilege of participating in co-curricular activities must conduct themselves in accordance with board policy and must refrain at all times from activities that are illegal, immoral, or unhealthy.
Students who fail to abide by this policy and the administrative regulations supporting it may be subject to disciplinary measures. The principal/designee shall keep records of violations of the co-curricular activities eligibility requirements.
Co-curricular activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Athletics, instrumental and vocal music performances, drama productions, speech contests, state contests and performances for cheerleading and drill team, mock trial, Academic Decathlon, or any other activity where the student represents the school /district outside the classroom in a competition or performance.
Student Eligibility for Co-Curricular Activities
Good Conduct Rule
To retain eligibility for participation in the Cedar Rapids Community School District co-curricular activities, students must conduct themselves as good citizens both in and out of school at all times. Students who represent the school in an activity are expected to serve as good role models to other students and to the members of the community.
If an employee of the district learns that a student may have violated the good conduct rule, the student shall be confronted with the allegation, the basis for the allegation and given an opportunity to tell the student’s side. If a preponderance of the evidence indicates that the student has violated the good conduct rule, the student will be deemed ineligible to participate in co-curricular activities for a period of time, as described below. The following are violations of the Good Conduct Rule:
- possession, use, or purchase of tobacco products, regardless of the student’s age;
- possession, use, or purchase of alcoholic beverages, including beer and wine (“use” includes having the odor of alcohol on one’s breath, (this includes “near beer” labeled non-alcoholic beer);
- possession, use, or purchase of illegal drugs or the unauthorized possession, use, or purchase of otherwise lawful drugs;
- engaging in any act that would be grounds for arrest or citation in the criminal or juvenile court system, excluding minor traffic offenses, regardless of whether the student was cited, arrested, convicted, or adjudicated for the act(s);
- inappropriate or offensive conduct including but not limited to fighting, insubordination (talking back or refusing to cooperate with authorities), hazing or harassment of others.
If a student transfers in from another school district and the student had not yet completed a period of ineligibility for a violation of a Good Conduct Rule in the previous school or school/district, then the student will be confronted regarding that ineligibility and will be given the opportunity to tell the student’s side. Violations of Good Conduct Policies in other school districts may result in loss of eligibility in the Cedar Rapids Community School District as described below.
Penalties:
Any student, who, is found to have violated the Good Conduct Rule, at any time, is subject to a loss of eligibility as follows:
First Offense within the student’s High School Athletic Career: up to one-third of season ineligibility with referral for professional evaluation.
Non-athletic: up to four weeks or longer if necessary to include being ineligible for a minimum of one public performance with referral for professional evaluation.
Second Offense within the Student’s High School Athletic Career: up to one-half the season of ineligibility with professional evaluation and/or treatment prior to reinstatement.
Non-athletic: up to six weeks with professional evaluation and/or treatment prior to reinstatement or longer if necessary to include a minimum of two public performances.
Third or more offense within the Student’s High School Athletic Career – up to twelve (12) calendar months of ineligibility with professional evaluation and/or treatment prior to reinstatement.
Non-athletic: up to twelve (12) calendar months with professional evaluation and/or treatment prior to reinstatement.
The period of ineligibility attaches immediately upon a finding of a violation if the student is currently engaged in a co-curricular activity. If the student is not currently engaged in a co-curricular activity, or if the period of ineligibility is not completed during the current activity, the period of ineligibility begins or is carried over to the time the student seeks to go out for the next activity or contest. However, if the period of time between a violation and an activity is 365 days or more, the student shall not serve an ineligibility period for the violation. When a student begins a season with an ineligibility period from a previous violation the student is expected to complete that activity to the coach’s/administrator’s satisfaction
or the penalty will attach when the student next seeks to go out for another activity, subject to the 365-day limitation above. An ineligible student shall attend all practices or rehearsals but may neither “suit up” nor perform/participate.
Voluntary Admission:
The voluntary admission provision is in place to allow students to seek help with substance abuse. It is designed for students and parents as a tool for treatment without penalty of losing eligibility. This admission is not intended as a loophole to avoid consequences for students found to have violated the good conduct rule. This provision may only be used once during a student’s high school career. This admission may prevent the loss of eligibility.
The purpose of the provision is to create honesty and openness when dealing with code of conduct violators. It is designed to help violators, not punish them.
Violators, or their parents/guardians, must approach building administrators acknowledging the student offense. To remain eligible, the student must:
- Be referred by the school to a substance abuse agency for evaluation.
- Complete all appointments with the agency.
- Fully cooperate with all recommendations made by the agency.
The student shall provide a copy of the recommendations from the agency to the school and evidence of compliance with completion.
The voluntary admission provision does not apply to violations of the good conduct rule when:
- The violation occurs at school or a school sponsored event.
- Law enforcement officials are involved.
- Investigations into a specific incident of student violations have already begun.
A voluntary admission is considered a first offense of the Good Conduct Policy, even if there is no period of ineligibility.
Cost of Evaluation and Treatment:
In cases of either violation of the Good Conduct Rule or Voluntary Admission, the District will provide a professional evaluation through a provider of the District’s choice. If treatment is recommended as a result of that evaluation, the District will provide only for a basic level of outpatient services through that provider, and not pay for any in-patient treatment. By completing the evaluation and treatment provided by the District, the student will be in compliance with the evaluation and treatment requirements of this Policy.
Letters and Awards:
Students who are ineligible at the conclusion of an activity shall not receive a letter or award for that activity.
Appeals:
Any student who is found by the administration to have violated the Good Conduct Rule may appeal this determination to the associate superintendent by contacting the superintendent within 3 days of being advised of the violation. The penalty will be in effect pending the associate superintendent’s decision.
If the student is still dissatisfied, he or she may appeal to the Board of Education by filing a written appeal with the board secretary at least 24 hours prior to the next board meeting. The review by the board will be in closed session unless the student’s parent (or the student, if the student is 18) requests an open session. The grounds for appeal to the school board are limited to the following: the student did not violate the Good Conduct Rule; the student was given inadequate due process in the investigation and determination; or the penalty is in violation of the Handbook Rule or Board Policy. The penalty will remain in effect pending the outcome of the meeting with the board.
If the Board of Education reverses the decision of the administration, the student shall be immediately eligible and shall have any record of the ineligibility period and violation deleted from the student’s record.
General Requirements for Athletic Eligibility
To be eligible for an activity, students participating must:
- be enrolled or dual-enrolled in school;
- be under 20 years of age;
- be enrolled in high school for a maximum of eight semesters;
(students retained academically are not granted extra eligibility) - for students in athletics, have not been a member of a college squad nor trained with a college squad, nor participated in a college contest nor engaged in that sport professionally;
- have met all transfer requirements, if the student is a transfer student, or be eligible under state law and regulations if the student is an open enrollment student.
Academic Eligibility Requirements for Co-curricular Activities
To be academically eligible for an activity, students must:
- per Iowa Law 36.15 (2) “The Scholarship Rule,” all students participating in athletics shall pass ALL classes at the END of each term in the past 12 months to be eligible;
- be earning passing grades in at least 4 credits in the current term at the grade check times;
- be making adequate progress toward graduation;
- Students in co-curricular activities failing to meet 1 and 2 above will not be allowed to participate in the next performance/competition during the current/ following term as determined by the school administration.
Special education students or students covered by a Section 504 plan shall not be denied eligibility on the basis of scholarship in the identified area of disability, if the student is making adequate progress, as determined by the goals and objectives on the student’s IEP or accommodation plan.
Code of Iowa: §§ 279.8
Iowa Administrative Code: 281-36
Bunger v. Iowa High School Athletic Assn., 197 N.W.2d 555, 564 (Iowa 1972)
- Approved: 05-24-99
- Revised: 01-12-04, 07-25-05, 06-12-06
- Revised: 12-11-06, 04-26-10, 05-12-14, 04-10-18
- Translated to Swahili 04-10-18
- Documents: 410
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