Policy 2151

The board recognizes the value of a program of interscholastic activities as an integral part of the total school experience to all students of the district and to the community. The program of interscholastic activities will include all activities relating to competitive sport contests, games or events, or exhibitions involving individual students or teams of students of this district when such events occur between separate schools within this district or with any schools outside this district.

 The board expects that:

1. All interscholastic activities and events will be in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). The schools of the district will not participate in any out-of-season athletics that are not sanctioned by the WIAA. The district will not be responsible or liable for nonschool-sponsored programs or for programs that are organized, promoted or participated in by staff members without school approval. The district will not be responsible for or control and incur liability for summer and/or out-of-season activities unless specifically sponsored by the school district. The superintendent will establish rules defining the circumstances under which school facilities or equipment that  may be used and under which announcements of summer sports leagues and/or clinics may be channeled to students.
2. An athletic coach must be properly trained and qualified for an assignment as described in the coach’s job description. 
3. In-service training opportunities will be afforded each coach so that he/she is trained to attend to the health care needs of participants. Prior to a sports season, the coach will prepare a plan for handling medical emergencies at practice sessions and games (home and away). 
4. Participants will be issued equipment that has been properly maintained and fitted.
5. All facilities and equipment utilized in the interscholastic activity program, whether or not the property of the district, will be inspected on a regular basis.
6. Nonprescribed medications, including such items as analgesic balms, vitamins and salt tablets, must be approved by the superintendent before they may be available for use by coaches and/or athletic trainers. After athletic training medications have been approved, the coach and/or trainer must secure authorization from the parent and the student’s doctor before the medications may be used during the athletic season. If such release is not on file, the nonprescribed medications may not be used. This provision does not preclude the coach and/or trainer from using approved first aid items.
   
   A sign will be posted that warns students that eligibility to participate may be denied if anabolic steroids are used for the purpose of enhancing athletic ability.

The board recognizes that certain risks are associated with participation in interscholastic sports. While the district will strive to prevent injuries and accidents to students, each participant and his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) will be required to sign a statement which indicates that the parent(s) and the student acknowledge the risks of injuries resulting from such participation and give assurance that the student will follow the instructions of the coach.

Each participant will be required to furnish evidence of physical fitness prior to becoming a member of an interscholastic team. A written report will be completed when a student is injured while participating in a school-supervised activity. A participant will be free of injury and will have fully recovered from illness before participating in any activity.

Each student participating in interscholastic athletic activities is required to have or obtain medical insurance for expenses incurred as a result of injuries sustained while participating in the extracurricular activity. Students will provide evidence of coverage with a minimum limit of $25,000. Students without insurance will be directed to the Washington Health Care Authority for free or low cost insurance. These requirements may be waived or reduced for low income students in order to assure such students are not prohibited from participating in extracurricular activities. School districts in Washington State do not carry insurance for student personal injury costs and parents/guardians are responsible for any medical bills if their child gets hurt.  

The superintendent will annually present to the board for its consideration a program of interscholastic activities for the school year. The superintendent will prepare rules for the conduct of student activities including, but not limited to, use of alcoholic beverages; use of tobacco; use or possession of illegal chemical substances (including maijuana/cannabis) or opiates not prescribed by a physician; physical appearance; unsportsmanlike conduct; absence from practice; gambling; or any infraction of civil law. Notice of rules and disciplinary actions related to rule violations will be distributed to each participant and his/her parents prior to the beginning of an interscholastic activity season. 

Nondiscrimination

The district will not exclude any person from participation in the interscholastic program, deny any person the benefits of such a program or otherwise discriminate against any person in any interscholastic program on the basis of the categories identified in the district’s Nondiscrimination policy. 

The district will provide necessary funds for recreational and athletic activities for both sexes, although the aggregate expenditures are not required to be equal for members of each sex and expenditures for separate male and female teams are not required to be equal.  

When individual students with disabilities are unable to participate in existing activities even when offered reasonable modifications and necessary accommodations, aids or services, the district may offer opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in separate or different recreational or athletic activities. 

The district may operate or sponsor separate teams for members of each sex where selection for such teams is based upon competitive skill or the activity involved is a contact sport.  However, when the district operates or sponsors a team in a particular sport for members of one sex but not the other, and athletic opportunities for members of the other sex have previously been limited, members of the excluded sex will be allowed to try out for the team offered. For the purposes of this policy, contact sports include wrestling, football, basketball and other sports in which the major activity involves bodily contact.

The district will provide equal athletic opportunities for both sexes within each school for interscholastic, club or intramural athletics.  In determining whether equal athletic opportunities for both sexes are being provided, the district will consider the following factors: 

1.     Whether the selection of sports and levels of competition effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of members of both sexes;  
2.     Provision of equipment and supplies;  
3.     Scheduling of games and practice time, including the use of playfields, courts, gyms and pools;  
4.     Travel and per diem allowances, if any;  
5.     Opportunity to receive coaching and academic tutoring;  
6.     Assignment and compensation of coaches, tutors, and game officials;  
7.     Provision of locker rooms and practice and competitive facilities;
8.     Provision of medical and training facilities and services;
9.     Provision of housing and dining facilities and services, if any; and  
10. Publicity and awards.

Annual athletic evaluation

The district will evaluate its intramural and interscholastic program in each school at least once each year to ensure that equal opportunities are available to members of both sexes with respect to participation in interscholastic and/or intramural programs.  The evaluation will include consideration for the factors listed in the above paragraph.

 Student athletic interest survey

Every three years, the district will administer to each school that operates interscholastic, intramural and other athletics the survey developed by the office of the superintendent of public instruction to determine male and female student interest in participation in specific sports.  The district will consider the survey results when planning and developing recreational and athletic activities offered by the district and when determining whether equal opportunities are available to members of both sexes.

 Facilities

The district will provide separate facilities (e.g., showers, toilets, training rooms) for male and female students or schedule the facilities equitably for separate use.

 Cross References: 2121 Substance Abuse Program
3210 Nondiscrimination
3413 Student Immunization
3414 Infectious Diseases
3416 Medication at School
3418 Response to Student Injury or Illness
3422 Student Sports, Concussion, Head Injury and Sudden Cardiac Arrest
4260 Use of School Facilities
5004 Infection Control Program

Legal References:
RCW 28A.400.350 Liability, life, health, health care, accident, disability, and salary insurance authorized  Health savings accounts  Premiums  Noncompliance
RCW 28A.600.200 Interschool athletic and other extracurricular activities for students  Authority to regulate and impose penalties  Delegation of authority  Conditions
RCW 69.41.330 Public Warnings  School districts
RCW 69.41.340 Student athletics  Violations  Penalty
WAC 392-190-025 Recreational and athletic activities

Management Resources:
2015 – January Policy Alert
WIAA Handbook
2014 – December Issue 
2013 – April Issue 
2007 – October Issue 
LCSD Athletics and Activities Handbook

Classification: Important 1.15
La Center School District
Adopted: June 26, 2007; Revised: February 25, 2026