J-4350 © JJIB
INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS

( School Athletic Activities )

School athletic activity means a sanctioned middle school, junior or senior high school function that the New Mexico activities association regulates.

The purpose of school athletic activities is both educational and recreational. The school sports program should encourage participation by as many students as possible and should always be conducted with the best interests of the participants as the first consideration. Districts shall provide comparable athletic opportunity in school athletic activities for both sexes. The district has the option of prohibiting participation by both sexes on the same team, where comparable or separate athletic opportunity exists for both sexes.

District participation in school athletic activities shall be subject to approval by the Board. This shall include approval of membership in any leagues, associations, or conferences, and of any new agreements with other schools for a series of games or events.

The following rules shall be observed for participation by individual students:

• For each type of sport in which the student engages, the parents or guardian must give written consent.

• The student must be determined by a physician to be physically fit for the sport.

• Before participation in school athletic activities, a brain injury information form shall be provided to a student athlete and the student athlete's parent or guardian. The school district shall receive signatures on the brain injury information form from the student athlete and the student athlete's parent or guardian, confirming their understanding of the brain injury information and the student's receipt of the brain injury training, before allowing participation in school athletics.

• The student must obtain or have catastrophic health or accident insurance.

The Superintendent shall set up other rules for participation, such as those governing academic standing, in accordance with policies of the District and pertinent regulations and recommendations of the state interscholastic athletic association.

Charter School Student Participation

Charter school students in grades seven (7) through twelve (12) may participate in School District extracurricular activities sanctioned by the New Mexico Activities Association in the School District attendance zone in which the student lives (participating in only one [1] public school program) if they meet eligibility requirements other than enrollment and if the charter school does not offer such activities sanctioned by the New Mexico Activities Association.

Home School Student Participation

Home school students may participate in three (3) School District athletic activity sanctioned by the New Mexico Activities Association in the School District attendance zone in which the student lives if they meet the eligibility requirements other than enrollment in the school.

Health and Safety of Participants

The health and safety of participants in interscholastic athletic activities must receive careful consideration. Participants must be provided access to water at all times during practice sessions, games, or other interscholastic athletic activities.

A coach shall not allow a student athlete to participate in a school athletic activity on the same day a coach, a school official or a student athlete reports, observes or suspects that a student athlete exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a brain injury or has been diagnosed with a brain injury.

A coach may allow a student athlete who has been prohibited from participating in a school athletic activity to participate in a school athletic activity no sooner than one (1) week after the student athlete has received a brain injury and only after the student athlete:

• no longer exhibits any sign, symptom or behavior consistent with a brain injury; and

• receives a medical release from a licensed health care professional.

Each school athletic activities coach is required to have training on brain injury recognition and follow-up provided by the New Mexico activities association.

The Superintendent shall require that regulations for health and safety of participants in school athletic activities be developed, implemented, and enforced. Such regulations may, at the discretion of the Superintendent, be incorporated into this policy as an administrative regulation.

Adopted: August 8, 2017

LEGAL REF.: 22-2-2 NMSA (1978)
22-8-18 NMSA (1978)
22-8C-8 NMSA (1978)
22-8-23.8 NMSA (1978)
22-13-31 NMSA (1978)
22-31-1 NMSA et seq. (1978)
6.13.4.8 NMAC

CROSS REF.: JJJ - Extracurricular Activity Eligibility
JLCA - Physical Examination of Students