Attendance Policy

The following will apply to athletic practices, competitions, and all extracurricular activities:

• In order to participate in a practice or an activity/contest on any given day, a student is expected to be in school all day. Students may participate in after school activities during the same day as a physician’s appointment or an approved college visit provided documentation from the appropriate party (college or physician) is presented.
• Late arrivals or early dismissals without a valid, documented excuse (e.g., medical note) will result in ineligibility for that day’s extracurricular or athletic activity. The school day begins promptly at 7:48 AM.
• Students who arrive late to school following a morning practice or club meeting will be ineligible to participate in the next scheduled activity, including games, performances, or meetings.
• Students must be in class on time after lunch. On time after lunch in the High School is 11:22 AM, when 6th period class begins.
• Students may not participate in after school athletics or extracurriculars on the same day as an absence due to illness or an unexcused absence.
• Repeated violations will result in progressive consequences.
• Students who are suspended from school on a day of an athletic contest, practice session, club event, party, meeting, school dance, or any other school affair scheduled after the regular school day are not eligible for participation or attendance at such events.
• Extenuating circumstances can, and do, arise. Such incidents may be evaluated by the Athletic Director and Principal.

• Student participants are expected to be at every scheduled practice and activity/contest unless the student has a medical or legal excuse from the office, a teacher, or parent or guardian.
• Students who plan to be absent must personally notify the advisor/coach prior to the practice or activity/contest that they expect to miss.
• Students who are absent from practice or practices may result in a loss of conditioning, cohesiveness, or gaps in concept awareness of team/group strategies - which is likely to impact “playing time”.
• Students are expected to be in attendance the day after an activity/contest.

Point of clarification from the NYSPHSAA handbook: “A practice session conducted on the same day as a game cannot be counted to meet the minimum practice requirement to be eligible for that day’s contest. All required practice sessions shall be organized and planned for a reasonable length of time and shall include vigorous activity specific to the sport for the purpose of improving the physical condition of the players. Warm-ups prior to a game/ contest are not considered “practice.” Each of the required number of practices for an individual must include vigorous activity; however, practice sessions required for the team beyond those needed by the individual may be used solely for meetings, film review and similar activities.”

No student shall quit a team/group without first talking with the coach/advisor to explain the reason for leaving the team/group. Students who quit or are dismissed from a team/group will forfeit all school-supported awards associated with the group, and may risk consequences associated with participation in other current or future activities. The student must meet with the coach/advisor within three (3) school days from the last day of participation. Students in need of support should meet with the Athletic Director or Principal.

• A student may withdraw from a team at any time prior to the first competition (regular season game) without consequence. The student must personally meet with the coach in order to inform the coach of their decision.
• A student who withdraws from a team after the first competition without permission/consent of the coach will be ineligible to participate in an upcoming interscholastic sport season (typically the next sports season). The Sports seasons will be defined as Fall, Winter, and Spring.
• Exceptions for withdrawal after the first interscholastic competition will be at the discretion of the Athletic Director after consulting with the coach and meeting with student athlete and parent.