Athletics

Above all else, athletics at the high school level is an educational endeavor. Athletes learn lessons that serve them for their entire lives. Among these are sportsmanship, perseverance, teamwork, and appropriate responses to winning and to losing. For these lessons, each coach is the teacher.

The coach sets the tone for these lessons, and the coach's behavior serves as a model to the crowd, and most of all, to the athletes.

Athletic coaches in the Upland Unified School District are expected to reflect a positive attitude in all their approaches to and their interactions with officials and opponents.

There can never be justification for physical or verbal abuse of an athlete, nor for personal malignment in any form. Coaches are expected always to treat every athlete with dignity and respect.

In the Upland Unified School District athletic programs, swearing and the use of obscenities are always inappropriate, whether at practice of during an event.

Spectators, both students and adults, are an important and integral part of all athletic events. Spectators serve to validate the positive values learned through athletic experiences, and to support the personal efforts and successes of individual athletes.

Occasionally, the excesses of spectator behavior can unnecessarily taint the activities at an athletic event. What follows is an effort to provide clarity about inappropriate behavior, and about the consequences of such behavior.

At athletic events, it is inappropriate for spectators to engage in:

Each of these inappropriate spectator behaviors whether by students or adults, shall be cause for immediate removal from the event, a pattern of these behaviors shall result in being barred from future event.

At the high school level, the importance of parents behaving as model spectators cannot be overstated. Support by parents for the rules of conduct defined in Conduct of Athletes is also critical. Of particular concern are parents who directly or indirectly participate in providing alcohol to athletes and/or knowingly permit athletes to drink alcohol. Such parents are potentially responsible for the adverse consequences to their own athlete as well as to the team.

An important part of the educational aspect of high school athletics is the learning of behavior appropriate to the circumstances. Because athletes often perform publicly, their behavior is subject to more than the usual scrutiny.

With this in mind, there are some behaviors that are particularly offensive and are subject to standard consequences.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct
If an athlete is ejected from a game for any reason, (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting, etc.), the athlete shall be prohibited from participating in the next contest also.

Drugs and/or Alcohol
Possession or use of drugs or alcohol, in or out of season, on school time or at a school event, or based on verifiable information outside of school, shall result in immediate removal of the athlete from participation in all athletic contests for not less than ten (10) school days. A second offense shall result in immediate removal from the team for the remainder of the season, up to one calendar year with an appeal process available to the student at the end of the season.

Interaction with Officials
If an athlete physically assaults an official, the athlete shall be banned from interscholastic athletics for the remainder of the student's eligibility. (CIF Blue Book, Section 522)

Parent support for this Athletic Code of Conduct is crucial to its success.

If, in the judgement of the Superintendent or designee, a specific case merits review, the Superintendent or designee may convene a panel to review the case.