While shopping at the local market, school board member Chris Edwards meets a neighbor in the frozen food aisle. The neighbor asks questions about the new varsity soccer coach.In particular, she wants to know if the school has a policy about team practices on the weekend. The neighbor understands that her son has a Sunday afternoon soccer practice that is conflicting with a family cookout.
Chris explains that the board has a policy that extracurricular activities are an extension of the regular school program and that all school rules apply to the governance of the program. He suggests that his neighbor contact the coach or the school to check on the athletic policies that apply to practice times. The neighbor explains that her son understands that he will be cut from the team if he does not show up for the Sunday session.
Chris calls the superintendent the next day and learns that an athletic handbook is distributed to all participants at the start of each activity season. The handbook clarifies practice schedules, training rules, transportation regulations, and eligibility requirements. It also outlines the communication expectations with telephone numbers for coaches, etc.
Chris calls his neighbor that evening to mention the handbook information. An embarrassing moment of silence is followed by the admission that her son had agreed to attend a "pick up" game on Sunday organized by his friends. A call to the coach revealed that there was no Sunday practice scheduled. The coach also offered to provide a second copy of the Athletic Handbook for her son at Thursday’s practice.
Did the board member follow appropriate channels?
What is the difference between the co-curricular policy and the Athletic Handbook policies?
What do we know about the communication system in this school system?
What might we guess happened to the soccer player at home?