Friday, August 27, 2010
School Activities Case
Your school board policy allows you to determine local school activity schedules, including the ability to cancel extracurricular activities and practices. Schools were closed on this day due to snow and ice and your basketball coach wants to go ahead with practice anyway. What is your response and what actions will you take?
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I have been on the other end of this spectrum and wanted to practice, but couldn't. I know it sounds like nonsense, but as a coach you want your kids to get better and be prepared. Sometimes we get wrapped up in trying to win and be the best we forget that they are still kids and their health and safety should come first.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that the way it has been handled in our school system is been on the cautious side, but I also have known other school systems who gambled and have lost.
For me, I would say that if it is bad enough for all employees not to go to work then NO practice, but if its b/c the secondary roads are bad then I would allow it only by permission from me each day. Also that practice will not be mandatory and the coach can't discipline those who can't come. I know there is a fine line here and believe I have seen where my players would come no matter what if they could and others who were looking for any excuse to get out of practice. That is just something we will have to live with because safety comes first.
Being a coach in Grayson County myself, I run into this situation almost weekly in the winter months. Being able to practice is soley based on code red declared days with other days being up to the principals discretion. I believe if it were up to me to decide I would definitely not allow practice on days that employees werent allowed to come. But if employees were required to come then I think the roads would be good enough for practice. All of which would still depend on the weather and if any additional storms were on the way and students could be in danger. Not only do I not want any students/players put in a situation that they might be in harms way, but I dont want stuck spending the night at school with students who couldnt make it home. The safety of the students should always be the first priority and if practice has to be terminated then the coaches would have to live with that.
ReplyDeleteZack Dotson
As a principal, I would not allow practice to be held on a day in which school was cancelled due to bad weather. I feel that it is best to act cautiously when it comes to the safety of our students. I would explain to the coach that the safety of our students is our number one priority and offer to allow him to hold an extra practice on a day with more suitable weather.
ReplyDeleteAlana Sexton
I would tell this coach how much I appreciate his dedication to coaching. However, my first priority is student safety and I would tell him he will not be allowed to have his practice.
ReplyDeleteSafety first for sure! As a parent and a future administrator, I would not allow practice on days that school was cancelled due to bad weather, etc;
ReplyDeleteIt is best to act with caution when it comes to the safety of the children we serve.
Kind regards,
Amanda G. Gibson
I also coach a winter sport and have had the same issues. The only difference in Galax and the systems that are included in this discussion is that Galax is a system where many of the kids can walk to practice. It is the policy of Galax that if school is released early due to weather, then there no after school functoins can be held. If school is cancelled due to weather then it is the responsibility of the administrator to determine whether practice can be held. As a rule of thumb, our administrator has left the decision up to the coach. As a coach who lives in the county I will always call to see how the roads are before calling practice. As administrators we should always use good judgement when it comes to the safety of the children and develop a plan that best suits our school and the situation.
ReplyDeleteIf the school system has deemed to roads unfit for students (and employees) to travel, then I would not allow it at school. If the coach chose to practice elsewhere (not on school property), and his/her athletes accepted responsibility for transportation, then that would be out of my hands; however, I would rule out practice on snow days.
ReplyDeleteDear Coach,
ReplyDeleteThe school is closed. That includes the gym. Take the day off and relax! Go sledding! If you must engage in basketball related activities, perhaps you could ask one of the players to volunteer their home for an optional team meeting?
I think this decision is one that is more complicated than some of your posts have shown. Being the coach of a winter sport, it is not easy to just say enjoy your day off and go sledding. Of course you are talking about basketball, so it does make sense. Also it is not "his" practice, it is a team practice. Obviously if you have coaches that are serious about their athletes training and competing at a high level they are going to want to practice. The team wants to practice and everyone wants to be prepared.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I would not ever want to put any student in harms way by being on roads of the weather is bad.
I believe as an administrator it is a day to day decision that would have to be made. If the county has no employees going to the schools, it would probably be a bad idea to have any type of practices or activities. However, it does depend on the roads, the weather, V Dot reports and so on. I would have to juggle what is best for our kids on both ends of the spectrum.
The first step to take would be to contact the Director of Transportation. I would find out if the roads are safe enough for students to travel to practice. If approval is given by this individual, I would explain to the coach he can have practice. The coach would also be instructed that he/she can not make the practice mandatory. He/she will have to tell their athletes to make a smart decision of whether or not to come, but it is NOT mandatory.
ReplyDeleteJerad Ward
I would not allow the practice. It is too big of a liability. If the county is closed and I say "practice anyway", I am responsible for everyone that drives to the school and back home that night. It is not worth the potential trouble and injury...Practice is cancelled.
ReplyDeleteAs is practice in our county, I think open gym could be held. However, it would not be mandatory, nor would players be penalized for missing practice.
ReplyDeleteI would remind the coach that the safety of our students and his players is of the utmost importance and our top priority. I would also remind the coach of our policy, which I would make sure all winter coaches knew, that there is no mandatory practices held when school is out. However, an "open gym" approach would be possible as long as players and parents were are there would be no punishment for missing.
ReplyDeleteRobert Sturgill