JJI-R – Interscholastic Athletics (Athletic Code)

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Eligibility Eligibility to participate in interscholastic athletics shall be determined with reference to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), and the rules and regulations established by the school district. Interscholastic Athletic Code Article III of the Constitution and Bylaws of the CHSAA provides in part that:
  1. A student shall be deemed eligible to represent a school in an inter-school activity if such student meets the following specific requirements:
    1. The student is a bona-fide undergraduate member of the student's high school.
    2. In the judgment of the principal, the student is representative of the school's ideals in matters of conduct, citizenship and sportsmanship.
    3. During the period of participation, the student must be enrolled in courses which offer, in aggregate, a minimum of 2.5 Carnegie units of credit per semester and must not be failing more than the equivalent of one-half Carnegie unit of credit. Quarter credit courses must be combined at the end of the semester to determine eligibility for the succeeding semester, and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis as established by the district.
    4. The student must have been eligible in accordance with paragraph "c" above at the close of the last prior semester of attendance. Scholastic eligibility depends upon average grades from the beginning of the semester to the close of the certification day.
    5. A student who drops out of school after having been enrolled and in attendance 15 days will not be eligible the following semester of attendance. If a pupil attends 15 days or more during the semester, the pupil must complete the required number of credits for the whole of that semester to be eligible the next semester.
    6. The student shall not be a member of any organization prohibited by law.
The school district has adopted the following additional rules and regulations:
  1. Participants at the high school level must pass a physical examination as requested, and the examination must be consented to by the participant's parents/guardians. It is strongly recommended students at the middle school level pass a physical examination before participating in interscholastic athletic activities.
  2. Participants at the high school level must maintain school athletic insurance or family insurance coverage in an amount required by the school district and certified to by the participant's parents/guardians. It is strongly recommended students at the middle school level maintain school athletic insurance or family insurance coverage before participating in interscholastic athletic activities.
  3. The following activities are expressly prohibited by students participating in interscholastic athletics on or off school district premises:
    1. Use, possession, sale, distribution or exchange of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other illegal drugs, counterfeit drugs or drug paraphernalia.
    2. Continued willful disobedience or open and persistent defiance of proper authority.
    3. Willful destruction or defacing of school property.
    4. Behavior which is detrimental to the welfare, safety or morals of other people or of school personnel.
    5. Conviction of any criminal offense in the municipal, county or district courts other than minor traffic violations.
  4. Participants shall maintain appropriate standards of academic performance and class attendance.
  5. Participants will abide by general school and community principles of good sportsmanship and conduct.
Disciplinary Procedures and Athletic Sanctions Students determined to be in violation of any of the foregoing shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary sanctions. The determination to impose sanctions related to participation in interscholastic athletics and the nature of the sanctions to be imposed shall be made by the principal or his or her designee. The following procedures have been established with the intention that the high schools within the Cherry Creek School District will use similar procedures as suggested in the High School Interscholastic Participant Card when dealing with alleged infractions of the Athletic Code. These procedures are designed to allow some building flexibility in applying athletic sanctions, yet ensure that the spirit and the actual rules of interscholastic athletics are enforced. These procedures are adopted under policy JJI, and, in the case of conflict, the rules and regulations defined in this Athletic Code and regulation will apply. Investigation of Alleged Violation(s) Any allegation of misconduct relating to the rules in the Interscholastic Athletic Code will be investigated by coaches and athletic and/or administrative personnel immediately or as soon as possible upon receiving a complaint. Notification
  1. Any student athlete alleged to be involved in misconduct relating to the rules of the Interscholastic Athletic Code will be notified as soon as possible of the allegation of misconduct. Upon receipt of the allegation, or as soon as possible thereafter, an investigation will be conducted by the coach in conjunction with athletic and administrative personnel.
  2. As part of the investigation, the student athlete will be provided an opportunity to present his side of the story. This does not include the right to secure counsel, to confront and cross-examine witnesses, or to call his own witness to verify his version of the incident. If the student denies the charge(s), he will be given an explanation of the evidence the principal or designee has received.
  3. A reasonable effort will be made to contact the parents and give them an opportunity for input.
  4. During the time of the investigation, the athletic director and/or administrator may impose restrictions on the participation of the student athlete in question.
  5. Upon conclusion of the investigation, and prior to the imposition of a disciplinary sanction, it is recommended the principal, or his or her designee, should notify the student and his or her parents/guardians of the outcome of the investigation and the sanctions which will be imposed. The principal or designee may provide an opportunity to the student and his or her parents/guardians to answer questions about the action taken. However, the principal or designee may, where he or she determines it to be appropriate and in the best interests of the school and/or the athletic activity, impose sanctions prior to or without such discussion.
Athletic Sanctions Sanctions which may be imposed include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:
  1. Referral to the appropriate coach for disciplinary action.
  2. Placement on probation for a number of days and/or upon such conditions as may be determined to be appropriate, including consideration of probation guidelines as provided in the High School Interscholastic Participant Card.
  3. Suspension from participation in a specific number of athletic events, including consideration of the number of prohibited events as provided in the High School Interscholastic Participant Card.
  4. Suspension from the athletic team for the remainder of the season.
  5. Denial of the opportunity to obtain school awards in the sport in which the student was participating when the violation of rules occurred. (Athletic awards require not only participation, but also completion of the season in good standing.)
  6. Suspension from athletic competition for the remainder of the school year and/or extending into succeeding school years.
Disposition The principal or his or her designee, will make the final decision as to whether a violation has occurred and will determine what sanctions will be imposed. If the final decision is made by the designee, he or she must notify the building principal of the disposition. Upon disposition, the student shall be personally informed of the sanctions. Every reasonable effort will be made to notify the parent in a timely manner, either by telephone, electronic mail, or in person. An appeal of the principal's or designee's decision regarding the imposition of an athletic sanction may be made to the District Athletic Director, who will review the decision of the principal or designee. The decision of the District Athletic Director will be final. In the event the student receives an academic suspension or expulsion from school, such suspension will automatically result in suspension from all athletic participation for at least the duration of the suspension or expulsion period.
Cross References: See the Cherry Creek School District Athletic/Activities Handbook for additional information.
Cherry Creek School District#5 High School Interscholastic Participation Card
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