The Executive Director of Athletics is responsible for overseeing all aspects of interscholastic league athletics within the district. This includes selecting, evaluating, and providing leadership to coaches and staff, organizing athletic events, ensuring compliance with regulations, developing policies, promoting sportsmanship and excellence, managing budgets, maintaining facilities, coordinating communication, and liaising with school officials. Additionally, the director oversees handling injured athletes, ensuring Title IX compliance, and collaborating with principals for a successful athletics program.

The Athletic Director is responsible for managing the district's athletic program and facilities, including establishing eligibility requirements for athletes, promoting sportsmanship, and using data to assess program effectiveness. They handle tasks such as scheduling games, arranging transportation for events, managing operations, overseeing equipment maintenance, and coordinating facility usage. Additionally, the Director implements student management policies, enforces discipline, complies with regulations and policies, handles budgeting and inventory, manages personnel, builds community relations, and supervises coaching staff and support personnel.

The high school Campus Athletic Coordinator (CAC)manages the district's athletic programs and philosophies, ensuring the smooth coordination between the high school and middle schools' athletic programs. Additionally, the (CAC) collaborates with the Junior High or High School to establish a unified sports program in their color track and reports to the Campus Principal, Executive Athletic Director, and Athletic Director for coordination and oversight.

The high school Assistant Campus Athletic Coordinator (ACAC) assists in the managing of the district's athletic programs and philosophies, ensuring the smooth coordination between the high school and middle schools' athletic programs. Additionally, the ACAC collaborates with the HS CAC and JH CAC to develop a unified athletic program in their color track, reporting to the Campus Athletic Coordinator, Campus Principal, Executive Athletic Director and Athletic Director.

The head coach must understand the abilities and interests of each staff member, assigning them tasks with proper authority while allowing them to voice opinions in staff meetings. Ultimately, decision-making lies with the head coach who should also support and promote the growth of assistants. Resolving philosophical differences should be done privately. The head coach oversees equipment inventory, scheduling, facility care, official selection, athlete eligibility, and communication with administration.

Assistant coaches at the high school level support the head coach by supervising assigned athletes, helping with practice, and assist with facilitating contests as directed. They report to the head coach to ensure the success of the program.

The athletic trainer oversees, manage and treat athletic injuries across all campuses, managing healthrelated paperwork for student athletes, enforcing participation limitations, and facilitating referrals to medical professionals, when necessary, all under the supervision of the Campus Athletic Coordinator. They will also work with the Athletic Directors of facilities coverage and EAP management for the district.

The assistant athletic trainer collaborates with the athletic trainer to establish a safety-focused system ensuring top-notch care for student athletes. They are authorized to limit athlete involvement, direct injured athletes to healthcare professionals for specialized assistance, and are accountable to the Campus Athletic Trainer and Coordinator.

Junior High level Head Coaches oversee the organization, implementation, and supervision of sport-specific programs for student athletes. They are accountable for all teams, coaches, and athletes within their level, collaborating with high school head coaches to prepare students for success at higher levels. They report to the Campus Principal and Campus Athletic Coordinator.

Junior High assistant coaches are required to adhere to the guidance provided by the head coaches of each sport. Their responsibilities include overseeing and nurturing the student athletes, leading practices, supervising competitions, and handling athletes and equipment in alignment with the head coach and Campus Athletic Coordinator's standards. Assistant coaches are accountable to the designated head coach for the sport.

All coaches are evaluated on an annual basis to ensure a structured approach towards continuous improvement and excellence. The main objectives of these evaluations are as follows:

1. Timely Feedback: Provide coaches with timely feedback on their performance to help them understand their strengths and areas needing improvement.

2. Identifying Growth Areas: Identify specific areas where coaches can grow and develop, ensuring their skills and strategies remain effective and relevant. Providing specific areas with documentation.

3. Goal Alignment: Help coaches identify common goals and objectives shared with other staff members, fostering a unified and collaborative coaching environment.

4. Promoting Improvement: Encourage continuous improvement through constructive feedback and strategic development plans, enhancing the overall quality of coaching.

5. Recognizing Excellence: Serve as a forum for recognizing and praising high-quality work, motivating coaches to strive for excellence in their roles.

6. Addressing Weaknesses: If a coach shows weaknesses in specific areas, a detailed improvement plan will be devised collaboratively by the coach and their immediate supervisor. This ensures targeted efforts towards overcoming these weaknesses.

7. Accountability: Hold coaches accountable for addressing identified areas of improvement. Failure to make necessary improvements could result in the coach losing their coaching position in the future.

8. Professional Development: Encourage all coaches to participate in professional development opportunities. This is vital for increasing their knowledge base within their sport and enabling them to help student-athletes reach their full potential each season.

The evaluation process is designed to support coaches in their professional development, promote a culture of continuous improvement, and maintain high standards of coaching excellence within our organization.

The evaluation procedure for coaches within the district follows a structured hierarchy to ensure thorough and fair assessments. The steps are as follows:

1. Evaluation of the District Athletic Director:

• Evaluator: Executive Director of Athletics.

• Process: The Executive Director of Athletics conducts the annual evaluation of the District Athletic Director.

2. Evaluation of Campus Athletic Coordinators:

• Evaluator: Executive Director of Athletics and District Athletic Director.

• Process: Both the Executive Director of Athletics and the District Athletic Director collaborate to evaluate each Campus Athletic Coordinator.

3. Evaluation of Campus Coaches:

• Evaluator: Campus Athletic Coordinator (CAC).

• Process: The Campus Athletic Coordinator evaluates all coaches on their respective campus.

4. Evaluation of Assistant Coaches:

• Evaluator: CAC and Assistant Campus Athletic Coordinator (ACAC).

• Process: The CAC and ACAC seek input from Head Coaches regarding the performance of their assistant coaches. However, the final evaluation of Assistant Coaches is conducted by the CAC and ACAC. 5. Review Conference:

• Process: After the written evaluation is completed, a conference to review the evaluation will be held if requested by the coach.

• Growth Plan: If the evaluation identifies areas needing improvement, a growth plan will be developed by the CAC and ACAC. This plan will be reviewed and approved by the Athletic Directors and the Building Principal.

6. Appeal Process:

• Process: If a coach believes their evaluation does not accurately reflect their performance, they may request a meeting with their CAC, ACAC, and Athletic Directors. This meeting must follow the established Athletic Chain of Command to ensure proper procedure and fairness.

This evaluation procedure ensures that all coaches are assessed fairly, provided with constructive feedback, and given opportunities for professional growth while maintaining a clear structure and accountability within the athletic department

Every head coach should submit a roster for each team to their campus Skyward Administrator for your students to be placed onto an Activity Roster. The coaches responsible for each Activity Roster should be assigned access to the roster as well as the CAC and ACAC. The UIL/TEA Academic Eligibility Calendar for LCISD is posted on the Athletic Department home page. The Head coach is responsible for running the grading reports and verifying eligibility at each of these deadlines for all athletes in their program. They should be done in the morning following the reporting deadline for grades and should be run as a Report Card Summary – not a progress report. Head Coaches should keep a printed copy of their Report Card Summary for each grading period on file for the school year, in case eligibility questions arise.

If an athlete is ejected from an athletic event, the head coach is responsible for informing the District Athletic Director by e-mail, text or phone call the same day. Any athlete that is ejected from an athletic event at any level will draw an automatic suspension of athletic contests for a calendar week. If a coach plays an athlete who has been suspended, it will result in the coach being suspended from the next week of contests as well as the athlete and possible forfeiture of the played game.

Athletes must be always supervised. This includes during passing periods between classes in the athletic areas of the building, in the locker rooms, transitioning to practice areas, before practice, after practice, between dismissal and game time, during travel, and after contests. Athletes must be supervised while waiting for their parents to pick them up after any practice and games. A designated area should be identified to athletes and parents for drop off and pick up. This area should be supervised until all athletes have left the premises.

Working with our athletes during the school day is a benefit and should be treated as a privilege. Athletes should be actively engaged in practice or training activities daily that will make them stronger competitors. Coaches will not use athletic periods for study hall or any other non-athletic purpose. All athletes are expected to be in the athletic period, in-season and off-season program, year-round. Athletes may move from one athletic period to another by mutual agreement of the head coaches involved. If there is an academic reason that an athlete cannot be scheduled into an athletic period, CACs will need to approve their participation in the sport without participation in the class period.

To participate in after school practices and contests, student athletes should be in attendance for the instructional portion of the school day. If a student athlete is too ill to attend class, they are too ill to participate in athletics. If an athlete misses a portion of the instructional day, the coach should use their judgement in determining what level of after-school participation that student athlete should be allowed to attend.

Lamar CISD requires that the athletic booster club be an All-Sport Booster Club. The CAC is responsible for ensuring that all booster club activities follow all UIL and LCISD policies and expectations. All booster club purchases and donations should have the approval of the CAC to ensure compliance with all state and local guidelines. In addition, any donation from the booster club valued at over $5,000 must be submitted through the CAC and Campus Principal for LCISD School Board Approval. Head coaches will be held responsible for UIL/Lamar CISD compliance regarding working with and receiving benefits from booster club supporters.

Communication between coach and athlete or any student should always be kept professional and as public as possible to prevent any misinterpretation. Parent Square and Mascot Media are the approved communication tools for Coaches and their teams. Coaches should set up a group for players, parents, and players & parents as needed. Parents will be given access to the player group if requested.

Coaches should not call an athlete after 9 p.m. unless there is an emergency. Personal correspondence should never take place on call or text message. In an emergency if a test is sent it should always include another coach, your ACAC/CAC or the District Athletic Director to prevent any misinterpretation.

Any coach that is ejected from a ball game must contact the District Athletic Director and their CAC the same day. The coach should provide a written statement regarding the ejection to the AD, CAC and Campus Principal within 24 hours. LCISD and all LCISD Coaches will adhere to the U.I.L. Policy regarding a coach’s ejection. In addition to any UIL penalty requirements, any coach ejected from a game will automatically be suspended from coaching another game for a calendar week. It is the LCISD expectation that coaches serve as role models during contests and ejections do not meet this expectation.

Lamar CISD Coaches are expected to be dressed in a professional manner while conducting their assigned duties. Each coach will be provided with coaching attire that is in the school color and includes the school logo. Coaches should be dressed in school color and/or logo attire when representing their school at a contest or at practice. If a coach desires to wear something more formal while coaching, it must be school appropriate and follow the campus dress code expectations. Other than the apparel provided from the LCISD Athletic office, there should be no budget, activity account or booster club monies spent on coaching apparel as the purpose of these funds is to enhance program offerings for the students.

It is expected that each sport have 2 certified CDL drivers on staff. It is the expectation that if the staff is short of that, then the expectation will be given to the staff that they should be working towards attaining their CDL. The Campus Coordinator should be actively monitoring this process and should consider this in the hiring process as well.

LAMAR CISD Athletics has exclusive rights as the district vendor; therefore, no additional concession stands can be operated at any of the District Athletic Facilities without permission from the Athletic Director. All Campus concession stands must operate under the guidelines distributed by the LCISD Athletic Office and utilize only approved products provided by approved vendors.

The extracurricular portion of the Secondary School Student Handbook should be used as the basis for developing the expectations for athletes within an athletic program. Coaches will communicate their behavior expectations to their athletes and parents during their pre-season parent meeting as well as in writing at the beginning of the school year or athletic season. It is the responsibility of each coach to ensure the high level of expectation for athletes’ conduct is met by all students within their program through proactive monitoring and character development.

Any student who is removed from their regular campus and enrolled at the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, also known as the Alternative Learning Center, remains ineligible for participation in campus extracurricular programs during the semester they are enrolled at the alternative campus. A student in grades 7 through 12 shall lose the privilege of participation in extracurricular activities during the semester in which they are placed in a disciplinary Alternative Education Program or Expulsion, this includes tryouts.

All DEC/UIL paperwork will be turned in through the UIL Portal. The CAC or ACAC will confirm submission to the DEC. In Individual Sports, Swimming, Wrestling, Tennis, Golf, and Track and Field, the district entries will be turned into the athletic office prior to the district meet. The Athletic Office will verify athletic eligibility prior to the district meet. Rosters for advancing individuals will need to be submitted to the athletic office as well.

In the event a student athlete is involved in serious or persistent misconduct, the coach will take steps to address the misconduct. The coach may take action to restrict or remove the student from participating. Before an athlete is suspended or removed from participation in an extracurricular activity, the alleged infraction will be documented, and a reasonable investigation of the allegation shall occur. The coach should consult with the ACAC or CAC and Campus Principal regarding the incident, including sharing their desired discipline consequence prior to taking any action involving the student. The coach shall notify the athlete and the athlete’s parent/guardian to discuss the reasons for which the action is being taken and to offer the athlete the opportunity to discuss the matter before a final decision regarding participation is made. This communication should take place prior to an athlete being suspended from a game.

According to the TEA-UIL Side-by-Side guidelines, each extracurricular activity is restricted to a maximum of 8 hours of practice outside of the school day during the school week. School week is defined as the period from the beginning of the first instructional day of the week (typically Monday) to the end of the last instructional day of the week (typically Friday). It is crucial to ensure that all scheduled practice times and activity calendars adhere to this 8-hour limitation.

Emergency Action Plans have been developed for each LCISD Athletic Facility. Those emergency procedures are available at all facilities and accessible to all staff who use the facility via QR Codes. Emergency procedures will be explained to and practiced by each group who uses the facility to ensure proper preparation in the event of an emergency. The athletic trainer will be responsible for distributing emergency procedures on each campus. If there is a critical incident of any type at a practice or contest, the ACAC or CAC should be notified immediately. If the ACAC or CAC cannot be reached, the Athletic Director should be contacted by telephone. A written report of the incident should be sent to the CAC, Campus Principal and Athletic Director within 24 hours of the incident.

Junior High Athletic Programs will not have an end of season banquet but may choose to celebrate athletic achievements as part of their end of year awards ceremony at Principal discretion.

All High School teams will conclude their seasons with an end of season celebration. It should include recognition of individual and team accomplishments. Each Head Coach should make their ACAC/CAC aware of when their end of season celebration is scheduled. Celebrations should take place at an approved nonreligious facility or in an LCISD Facility.

Athletic facility priority will come to athletic teams before other extra-curricular activities. Facility use by athletics will be prioritized in the following order:

1. Teams that are in playoffs

2. Teams that are in district play

3. Teams that are in season

Competition will have priority over practices, but schedules for the facilities that overlapped must be approved by the CAC or ACAC and confirmed with all teams that use the facility before being finalized.

Any LCISD Coach who plans to use district athletic facilities (Traylor Stadium, District Natatorium(s), or any campus facility) for team practices, games, events, etc., must receive prior approval from the campus and Athletic Office through Facilitron. Events must be scheduled properly to ensure availability and utilities are active. Failure to reserve facilities could result in a loss of use of the facility due to scheduling conflicts. Staff may not use a District facility for a non- District activity, without acquiring proper approval through Facilitron. Non-LCISD groups will be required to request use of the facility through the LCISD Facilitron service and pay all applicable fees.

Any type of fundraising must be approved by the Campus Athletic Coordinator and Campus Principal. Coaches will refer to Lamar CISD Board policies regarding fundraisers. All fundraisers must be approved prior to beginning and all fundraised money must be spent on student supplies, facilities and programing. There should be no GoFund me or blind fundraisers asking for a straight donation from individuals not associated with a coach or student-athlete within a program. Fundraising should be linked to a product or an activity, not just a blanket request for a donation. Athletic fundraisers need to be approved by the Executive Director or Athletic Director.

Each coach should run a weekly grade report to create a timeline for grading discrepancies and to be able to see where the student-athlete stands as the grading period progresses. You can run this through Skyward with your activity rosters. You will run this as a progress report, and you can set a standard grade. It will print any studentathlete with a numerical value below that grade. It will not print blank grades or incompletes. This is the best way to keep track of your student- athletes’ weekly progress. Coaches should not send paper grade checks out to their students as they are not as accurate while putting additional work and responsibility on classroom teachers.

To determine eligibility at the end of a grading period then a report card summary should be run. It will display every student on the roster as well as all of the classes on their schedule. If there is a grade discrepancy pertaining to an athlete, coaches should discuss that with their designated administrator and never directly with a teacher.

The procedure when contacted to host a playoff game is to forward them on to the Athletic Department to secure possible sites. This will ensure that all schools have equal access to our facilities and local board policy is followed regarding outside groups using those facilities. We hold our facilities to allow our teams in the playoffs to use as a neutral site before allowing other schools to utilize them.

The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District carries a policy on all athletes, managers, and student trainers. This is a secondary policy and covers the amount that the athlete’s parent’s policy will not cover. If the parent has no insurance, then this policy becomes primary. There are limitations to the amount of coverage in various areas, so questions about coverage should be referred to the Athletic Trainer and they will advise the next step necessary.

Coaches will keep a current and accurate inventory of equipment using Rank One. A system should be installed to check out equipment to students at the beginning of the season. There needs to be a system to check equipment when it is returned at the conclusion of the season as well. This process must be documented to verify that no athlete has received equipment or material goods as part of their participation in one of our programs. Football programs will utilize Helmet Tracker to maintain an accurate inventory of their football helmets.

Any Varsity athlete who participates in most of the Varsity season while remaining in good standing academically and behaviorally will be considered for a Varsity letter. A player, manager or trainer who makes a significant contribution during a portion of the season can also be considered with CAC/ACAC approval. Any sport specific awards and lettering policies are to be approved by the campus athletic coordinator and principal prior to being given to student athletes, trainers and managers. Any changes that are made from year to year will need to be resubmitted for approval. Awards and lettering policies must be communicated annually to every player, manager and trainer prior to the start of the season.

Media should contact the athletic office for approval to have access to a campus. Any coach at a campus contacted by a media outlet for a request to do a story outside of an athletic game must contact the athletic office.

Only LCISD employees are authorized to operate motorized vehicles and equipment on LCISD grounds at any time. Students, student-athletes, and student trainers should not be operating any golf cart, gator, tractor, or any other motorized vehicles on school property at any time.

Student athletes may not drive their vehicles off campus while participating in an athletic activity during a school day. Additionally, only a student’s parent/guardian may check them out and transport them home from an away contest. Students may not transport other students to or from extracurricular activities without written permission from the parent/guardian.

Athletes in Junior High and High School can engage in multiple sports to diversify their athletic experiences. While focusing solely on one sport that can benefit a team, LCISD Coaches prioritize the holistic development of student-athletes by supporting their pursuit of various athletic interests.

Key Guidelines:

1. Freedom of Choice: Every athlete should have the freedom to participate in any sport of interest.

2. No Pressure: Coaches should not pressure athletes to give up a sport to join another. Discussions on participation options should involve all relevant coaches, the athlete, and their parent/guardian.

3. Supportive Environment: Students should not be forced to choose between sports or coaches. Those opting to limit their participation scope will still receive backing from all coaches involved.

4. Sport Integrity: Athletes cannot switch from one sport to another mid-season. If they choose to stop participating in a sport, they must wait until that sport's season concludes before joining another, unless under special circumstances approved by the Campus Athletic Coordinator.

5. Encouraging Participation: The goal is to involve as many students as possible in the program. Coaches can engage students in various roles like practice players, managers, or statisticians, even if they are concurrently involved in another sport if the opportunity arises.

Any coach who chooses to participate in outside employment while employed with LCISD must submit a Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure Form to the Athletic Director’s office so that it can be signed and filed with Human Resources. A coach may be asked to provide information related to any LCISD students who are associated with the group to prevent any conflict of interest or possible UIL violation. No LCISD Coach should make a financial gain because of working with or referring to any LCISD athlete to a non-school program.

Student athletes are encouraged to train and prepare for competition year-round. There are benefits to participating in the various club organizations and private training groups in our area, therefore it is important to emphasize that during the limited school seasons, school sports are the priority. Missing a school athletic contest for a club or tournament team activity will result in consequences and could result in removal from the school team.

Overnight travel will be allowed for teams/individuals that have advanced to the reginal finals of to provide them the competition against teams outside of the Houston Area to provide them experience they will need to be successful at the State Level in UIL activities.

Overnight Team Travel Requirements – In order for a team to meet the requirements for overnight travel they must advance to the regional finals in the previous year.

Overnight Individual Sport Travel – For individual sport participants, one of the following prerequisites must be met:

1. Participation in the state meet the previous season.

2. Medaled at the regional event (top 3) the previous season.

3. A Top 4 time in the region in the current year, or a top 10 times in the state in the current season.

Cheer – any team that places in the top 3 at the previous year state championship will be eligible for an overnight trip to an NCA or UCA qualifying event in the state of Texas to prepare for the State Championship. If a team qualifies (top 3) in an in person NCA/UCA regionals (not a virtual competition) for the NCA/UCA nationals being held in the state, they will be allowed to compete at the national competition within the state. The cheer program will be responsible to pay for the entry fee and travel to UCA/NCA nationals in state because it is not an UIL event. A cheer team may not participate in more than one overnight trip outside of the UIL State Cheer Competition per year.

Coaches may check out a Purchase Card for use when traveling from their campus athletic coordinator. They can only be used for the following items:

• When an approved purchase is made, a receipt must be obtained and turned into the athletic office for reconciliation.

• Lost Receipt Penalty: A $5.00 fine will be imposed on the card user for each lost receipt.

• First Offense: A fine will be issued along with an email notification.

• Second Offense: A fine will be issued, and the card user will lose access to the card.

• Third Offense: The entire campus will lose access to the cards.

• All receipts should be sent to the CAC who will return them to the athletic office on or before the 7th of each month.

• Coaches are responsible for any credit card issued to them and cards should not be loaned to other employees.

• Coaches should make copies of all receipts to be turned in and retain those copies in a file. Failure to follow the approved LCISD Purchasing Card Procedures could result in disciplinary action.

Coaches will communicate their philosophy, expectations, tryout requirements and process, and method for determining playing time prior to the season beginning. Practice and contest schedules will be shared online at least 3 weeks prior to the start of the season. Coaches and parents will not hold conferences regarding athletics before, during, or after contests. If a parent would like to discuss an athletic related concern, they should schedule an appointment for a non-contest day. The athlete/child should attend the meeting as well.

The athletic department will coordinate playoff meetings and athletic department personnel will be present as playoff decisions are made. Coaches may not enter into playoff agreements without the approval of the LCISD Athletic Director. Every effort will be made to secure the location and playing time requested by the coach, but LCISD Athletics will approve such decisions prior to them becoming final.

If an athlete participated in an athletic period or on a team grades 8th – 12th grades the current year or previous school year at another school, this form must be competed and be approved by the District Executive Committee before they are eligible to participate at the varsity level. Every new student athlete must have a PAPF submitted to the previous school prior to participation. Varsity student-athletes must have a completed PAPF that is DEC approved prior to participation. PAPFs are to be completed and submitted in the UIL Portal. Any PAPF for a former student from your campus should be completed within 2 school days and sent back to the coach who is requesting it. If a Coach is responding ‘yes’ to any question in Section III of the PAPF, they should discuss it with their CAC before sending it back to the requesting coach. Please understand that checking ‘yes’ requires the Coach to go before the DEC meeting and provide testimony explaining their position. If a PAPF requires a Waiver, the Head Coach and the Coordinator should work together to upload the proper required documentation. CAC or ACAC should have a meeting or a phone call about the waiver process to explain why the UIL requires a waiver. They should also explain what documentation the UIL is looking for with the parents and the head coach in attendance. Once all required documentation is uploaded the athletic directors should be notified in order to examine the documentation before it is submitted to the UIL and /or the DEC.

LCISD as a district provides funding for professional development and coaching clinics at the following rates per school year: High School Head Coach - $200 / sport High School Assistant Coach - $100 / sport Junior High Head Coach - $100 / sport Junior High Assistant Coach - $50 / sport The funding is per sport and multi-sport coaches can combine the amounts. Requests for summer professional development and coaches’ clinics must be submitted for approval by April 1st, through Lamar Net for a reimbursement to take place.

LCISD pays for Head Coach memberships in coaching associations, and it is expected that every head coach will nominate student-athletes for academic all-district and academic all-state each year. Failure to nominate your student- athletes will be reflected in your evaluation and will also restrict your future memberships and professional development travel.

It is the responsibility of the head coach to maintain a positive relationship with members of the media. Granting interviews and access to players can be arranged in conjunction with practice schedules and team rules. Any media that reaches out to do an extended series or recordings to document a player or a team must have approval from the LCISD Communications department and the athletic office prior to being allowed. Any student being interviewed by the media should always be accompanied by a member of the coaching staff during that interview. Students should do interviews in their uniforms after a game. Any coach taking place in a media interview should be aware that they reflect LCISD and UIL. They should consider their responses and reflect the mission statement and policies of both the UIL and LCISD as their current employer. Any adult can be held responsible for statements made during an interview or podcast that do not align with LCISD and UIL policies.

To purchase equipment for your program from your athletic budget, use the Athletic Purchase Order Request link on the web site. Complete the request using an approved vendor and include a description of the order in the Notes section. You will receive an e-mail confirmation when your request is processed. If approved for purchase, a Purchase Order will be issued, and your items will be shipped to the LCISD Warehouse before being delivered to your campus. When delivered, coaches should verify deliveries and notify the Athletic Office of any issues.

• Purchase Order Requirement: No purchases can be made without an approved LCISD Athletic Office approval.

• Centralized Shipping: All purchased items must be shipped to the LCISD Warehouse for processing; items should not be shipped directly to the campus, unless approved by the Athletic Office.

• Unauthorized Shipments: If items are shipped without a Purchase Order, an invoice will be sent to the campus making it the campus’s responsibility to pay the invoice.

• No Delayed or Fall Billing: Coaches and LCISD employees are not authorized to approve any delayed or fall billing.

• Sport Order Cut-off Dates: Fall Sports: February 1st, Winter Sports: January 1st, Spring Sports: December 1st

• Budget Management: Each head coach is responsible for keeping a record of their expenditures and ensuring they do not exceed their budget.

Rank One will be the primary compliance verification for athletics in LCISD. It is the responsibility of each Head Coach to maintain a roster which is current and includes all participants within their program. No athlete will be allowed to participate (in practice or contests) until their Rank One profile shows they are completely clear and green.

Coaches will also be responsible for publishing their schedules and results in Rank One in a timely fashion. Schedules should be published as soon as they are finalized, and results should be published within 24 hours of each contest. Athletic Trainers will use Rank One for tracking injuries, physician referrals, treatments, and communicating with coaches as to the status of their athletes.

Current high school student athletes will be included in a campus wide signing day celebration. The date, time and location of this celebration will be set by the Campus Administration. It will include all current high school student athletes who are signing during the applicable National Letter of Intent dates. On both the Fall and Spring NLI dates, an alternate time and/or location will be determined by the campus for any current student who is signing a letter to play college athletics in a non-UIL Activity and would like to take their photo with friends and/or family at the school.

LCISD will not tolerate disrespectful comments or behavior online. Any student member of an extracurricular organization representing themselves, or their organization, in an unfavorable, questionable or illegal manner through social electronic media communication devices in such a way as to bring discredit, dishonor, or disgrace on their organization or members of any other school organization will be subject to disciplinary actions. All Coaches will follow the Extra- Curricular Social Media Standards as published in the Secondary Student Handbook.

Restrooms and locker rooms are always off limits to mobile devices and cameras of any kind. Using an electronic device to record in either of these locations is a violation of the Social Electronic Media Behavior Standard for athletes.

Social media accounts such as but not limited to; Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, which are associated with an athletic program or team should be closely regulated and monitored. At no time should students be allowed to post on these sites, only a coach should have access to the account. These accounts should be regarded as the Coach’s voice and treated as such. The coach will be held accountable for what is posted on these sites and should verify that access it regulated to ensure proper representation of the program.

Students are not allowed to transport themselves to any practice or contest sponsored by LCISD. At no point should a coach allow a student to transport themselves or another student to a school athletic function. Coaches should never transport athletes in their own vehicles. Athletes can only be transported in LCISD provided transportation.

Sub varsity teams were created and are in place to help train younger student-athletes about the culture, expectations, and level of play expected at the varsity level. All sub varsity players are expected to play in every game unless they have had a discipline issue or absences from practice.

Student athletes who are placed into In School Suspension or are removed from class via an Out of School Suspension will not be allowed to participate in any extracurricular activity for the entirety of that suspension. Suspended athletes will not practice, participate, travel or be allowed to attend any athletic event on any day that they have been suspended or placed in ISS. They may rejoin regular team activities once they return to regular classes.

Extracurricular activities will adjust both their practice and contest schedules on the days preceding the administration of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests and Semester Finals. Practices will end no later than 6:00 on these days. Contest schedules will be approved by the Athletic Office.

Varsity tournament staff absences will be the head coach and one assistant. If the sport coaches are unable to drive a bus, then the head coach will be the only coach allowed to miss the school day because another coach from another sport will have to miss the instructional day to drive. Sub-Varsity tournaments should be two coaches when possible. Scheduling should be done to attempt to have two coaches available as often as possible, knowing at times only one coach will be allowed to miss the school day. Students should only be taken out of the school day for the required time to travel to and from the game. (If you play in the afternoon, then the student athletes should not be taken out for the full school day.)

Coaches will need to request school business absences for athletic trips. School day absences should be limited to scheduling and sharing of bus driving duties by all sport coaches. Coaches will be limited in the number of school business days they are allowed to request per sport. Any coach who anticipates costs associated with their travel to any LCISD event, should request travel reimbursement prior to traveling as certain restrictions apply.

All transportation requests must be submitted to the Transportation Department via the Trip Tracker system at least 14 days prior to the trip date. If a trip is not entered in time, you will need to contact the Athletic Director to have your trip entered. If trips are not entered in advance, you may not be allowed to take the trip and will have to forfeit the game. In the event of rain or tournament time changes, contact must be made with the Transportation Department to ensure bus availability. Trip tickets must be filled out accurately to ensure proper billing and payment. All buses are to be returned clean after every trip, failure to clean your bus could prevent the coach/driver from receiving their pay.

All students who participate in school-sponsored trips are required to ride in LCISD provided transportation to and from the event. An exception can be made due to extenuating circumstances if the student’s parent/ guardian requests permission from the coach in advance and the Lamar CISD Parent Permission Travel Form is completed prior to the event. Students should return to the school in transportation provided by the district unless the parent has completed the form to be transported by a parent or guardian from the athletic event. A student-athlete can only leave with a legal parent or guardian and the correct paperwork.

Any Coach having a tryout for a team needs to discuss the tryout process and rubric with their CAC prior to sharing it with students or parents.. An initial cut can be made after 2 separate sessions to help maximize evaluations before final cuts. Tryouts should include a minimum of 3 separate sessions before final cuts are made. Multiple sessions can take place on one day as long as a break is provided between sessions. A tryout rubric must be used that contains a minimum of 10 scored categories. The rubric should be shared with the athletes trying out for the team prior to tryouts. On the day teams are selected, or cuts are announced, a copy of the completed tryout rubric should be emailed to the ACAC or CAC for documentation in the event of any parent concerns.

At the conclusion of the tryout, coaches should have face-to-face conversations with any students who are being cut off from the program. Teams may not be posted until all students who are not making a team have been notified individually, If a parent requests a meeting, then the data from their student must be provided with a detailed explanation of the rubric events. Coaches do not have to show where the student ranked in each category, just where the student-athlete finished in the overall score and where the cut was made.

LCISD provides funding for all athletic programs to provide workout and contest apparel for all athletes. Coaches may elect to offer their athletes the opportunity to purchase their own personal set of workout gear with the following stipulations:

• Identical athletic uniforms will be made available for all students at no cost, if they do not purchase them. Purchased uniforms may include the addition of an athlete’s name.

• All athletes and parents must be made aware that purchasing uniforms or practice gear is not required to participate on the team or in the program.

• Athletic workout uniforms should be no more than $35 total to purchase and no more than 10% profit can be made on the sale of a uniform.

• Athletic uniforms should be sold through the campus activity account and funds generated must be used to benefit student athletes.

• Receipts must be issued for any uniform purchase and records of deposit and purchase maintained by the coach.

P.E. Uniforms should be as consistent from year to year so that students can wear uniforms for multiple years. Used P.E. uniforms should be available to loan any student who has not been able to purchase their own to date. PE Uniform price should be sold at no more than 10% above cost and should cost between $10-$15. Purchases should be made through the activity account. Cash, credit card or check can be accepted, and receipts should be issued.

Any coach who elects to maintain an independent web site to promote their program(s) and communicate on behalf of their school, is responsible for all content associated with that website. Websites linked to LCISD websites, websites that use school logos or names, and websites that include LCISD team information are subject to the same expectations and regulations as Social Media pages maintained by LCISD Coaches.

Coaches are expected to be present and on campus during required workdays, professional development time and assigned duties. Athletic periods, practices and contests are part of a coach’s workday. If a Coach is not able to attend any part of their athletic duties, they will need to notify the head coach of their sport and their ACAC/CAC prior to being absent from duty. If a coach needs to be off campus for athletic related duties, they will need to check out with both the ACAC/CAC and Campus Principal.