Athletics

1. An athlete must be present at all games and practices as designated by the coach unless absent from school due to personal illness or excused by the coach prior to the absence.
2. An athlete must be in classroom attendance all day in order to dress and participate in an athletic contest and/or practice that day, unless excused by a prearranged special excuse. A special excuse is defined as a doctor, dentist appointment, or a funeral. The student must demonstrate proof upon request from the Coach and Athletic Director. Staying home to rest or calling in sick for half the day is not considered excused absences. This will not meet the all day requirement and the athlete will not be allowed to participate.
3. Under emergency circumstances exceptions to the rule MAY BE GRANTED by the Director of Athletics, Principal or Assistant principal. The coach is to be notified of the granting of the waiver.

To be eligible, a middle school and high school student must comply with the following rules:

1. Enrollment — He/she must be enrolled full time in a high/middle school no later than the fourth Friday after Labor Day or the fourth Friday of February. A student must be enrolled in the school for which he or she competes. Full time enrollment is considered taking four core courses through the school for which the athlete competes.
2. Age — He/she must be under 19 years of age, except that a student whose 19th birthday occurs on or after September 1 of a current school year is eligible for the balance of that school year.
3. Physical Examination — He/she must have passed a current year physical examination. A record must be on file in the Athletic Office. The current year commences the first day after the school year closes in the spring for summer vacation. A physician’s statement for the current school year is interpreted as any physical examination given on or after April 15th of the previous school year.
4. Seasons of Competition — He/she must not have more than four first-semester and four second-semester seasons of competition in a sport in a four-year high school, or three first-semester and three second-semester seasons in a three-year high school, including present seasons. When two seasons leading to a State championship of the same sport are offered, an athlete may participate in only one.
5. Semester of Enrollment — He/she must not have been enrolled for more than eight semesters in grades nine to twelve, inclusive. Seventh and eighth semesters must be consecutive. Three-week enrollment or participation in one or more athletic contests constitutes a semester of enrollment.
6. Undergraduate Standing — He/she must not be a high school graduate.
7. Previous Semester Record — He/she must have received at least two credit hours for work taken during the previous semester of enrollment. (four classes passed)
8. Current Semester Record — Students must maintain academic eligibility in order to be eligible to participate in athletics. High school students must be passing four courses (each course passed equals 1/2 credit per semester) to satisfy MHSAA regulations. Students ineligible by MHSAA standards at the semester’s end will be withheld from athletic competition the succeeding semester.
9. Transfers — Student-athletes must have had an accompanying change of residence by the student’s parent, guardian or other person with whom the athlete has been living during the period of his or her last high school enrollment, into the district or service area of the school, to be eligible during the first semester in attendance.
10. Awards — Student-athletes must not have accepted any award or merchandise exceeding $25 in value for athletic performance. Athletes accepting memberships, privileges, services, negotiable certificates, or money are in violation. For amateur practices, students may not have accepted money, merchandise, memberships, privileges, services or other valuable consideration for participating in any form of athletics, sports, games or for officiating inter-scholastic athletic contests, or have signed a professional athletic contract. (Reinstatement will not be considered for one year.)
11. Limited Team Membership — A student who, after practicing with or participating in an athletic contest or scrimmage as a member of a high school athletic team, participates in any athletic competition not sponsored by his or her school in the same sport during the same season, shall become ineligible for a minimum of the next three contests/days of competition and maximum of the remainder of that season in that school year.

MHSAA, which governs high school athletics in Michigan, has very specific rules about student athlete eligibility to participate in sports following a change of schools. Those are outlined here: 

• MHSAA Transfer Regulations 

Parents and Guardians of athletes must acknowledge receipt of the athletics handbook, policies, and concussion protocol. The text below is the section of annual acknowledgements that parents of athletes must sign off on each year.  Families only need to review registration (including the athletics information) one time each school year. 

ACCEPTANCE OF DHS ATHLETICS POLICIES
Parents and Students: by including your digital signature on the DCS Acknowledgements Form, you certify that you have read and understood the Dexter Community Schools Athletic Handbook and agree to accept the responsibilities and obligations required to participate in athletics.

CONSENT FOR TREATMENT
Parents and guardians: by signing the Athletics Acknowledgment in the annual DCS Acknowledgements for your student athlete, you:

• Recognize that as a result of athletic participation, medical treatment on an emergency basis may be necessary for your student;
• Recognize that school personnel may be unable to contact you for your consent for emergency medical care; and
• Consent in advance to such emergency care, as may be deemed necessary under the then-existing circumstances. 

CONCUSSION PROTOCOL

• Concussion Protocol for Athletes

• Concussion information from the Centers for Disease Control for coaches, parents, and young athletes.
• Concussion Protocol