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Athletics handbook revisions: 24‑hour communication protocol, energy‑drink ban and placement rules proposed
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Summary
Athletic director Deb Ferry presented a consolidated athletics handbook that adds a five‑step communication chain with a 24‑hour 'cool off' period, recommends against early sport specialization, bans caffeinated energy drinks at school athletic events, and formalizes the athletic placement process and some playing‑time guidance.
Deb Ferry, the district athletic director, presented a revised, consolidated athletics handbook that brings athlete, parent and coach guidance into a single document and adds new procedural detail.
Ferry said the handbook introduces a formal five‑step chain of command for raising athletic concerns and a 24‑hour waiting period aimed at preventing heated post‑game confrontations. "This 1 does lay a formal 5 step chain of command, also with the 24 hour cool off period, for both parents and athletes and coaches," she said.
The handbook also adds several substantive items: a spectator code of conduct aligned with New York State interscholastic sportsmanship language; an explicit recommendation discouraging early sport specialization (presented to the board as a recommendation rather than a binding policy); and a ban on highly caffeinated energy drinks (named examples included Red Bull, Monster and Celsius) at any athletic event, including practices, with enforcement language describing removal of the beverages.
Ferry described tightened digital‑communication standards: coaches should use ParentSquare, district email or FamilyID (transitioning to FinalForms) so contacts are compliant with Ed Law 2‑d protections for student privacy.
On athletic placement and playing time, the handbook formalizes the coach‑recommendation process for moving middle‑school athletes up to JV or varsity and includes guidance that seventh‑through‑ninth‑grade athletes should not be placed on varsity unless they are expected to play 50% or more of contests; Ferry said the standard intends to avoid younger athletes becoming "practice players."
Board members pressed Ferry on the handbook’s enforcement and alignment with board policy. One board member asked whether the handbook should soften a line that currently said middle‑school athletes "may not quit the middle school team to try out for a high school team," and Ferry and administrators agreed they could revise language to "strongly encouraged" if the board prefers that wording. Ferry described the handbook as a "living document" that can be reviewed and updated by the handbook committee.
The board thanked Ferry for the presentation and asked staff to return with any recommended text changes so the handbook and board policy are aligned before the handbook becomes effective on July 1.
