I recently wrote of the importance of keeping after-school sports programs alive in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. At the same time, a negative side of high school sports is brewing in the Acalanes Union High School District, with allegations being raised that student athletes are getting preferential treatment after they violate ethics code that regulate their behavior during school activities and outside of school.
The publisher of the blog, EastBayDaze reports that he has become aware of a number of alleged ethics violations among student athletes. These codes might involve student athletes being caught drinking or using other drugs in season, but not being appropriately disciplined.
The EastBayDaze has not been able to publicly detail any exact incident, because these students are minors and their identities are protected. But the blog has been following the case of a raucous party in Lafayette that led to the arrest of seven Miramonte High students. A car leaving the party, carrying a group of girls crashed, into a telephone pole. The passengers scattered, and the driver called her parents, who came and spirited her away. The parents of the teen hosting the party, and the parents of the girl in the accident have been arrested on a variety of charges.
With allegations of favoritism persisting, Miramonte High’s principal distributed a reminder to parents of the rules and regulations that apply to student athletes. Presumably, parents of student athletes should have these rules and regulations lying around their homes, but maybe there are some parents who don’t think these pesky rules apply to their little darlings.
I followed up and checked to see that these rules are similar to those that apply at public schools in the Acalanes and Mt. Diablo school districts.
Essentially, in both districts, athletes are prohibited from the use of tobacco, alcohol, or any illegal drugs or narcotics during their season of sport. Violations of these rules can prompt school authorities to suspend the athlete from participating in his or her sport for 45 school days.
These rules apply to misconduct that takes place both during school activities and outside of school.In the Acalanes district, moreover, a student caught selling drugs may also face expulsion.
7 comments:
Nice way to cast blanket aspersions on all student athletes and their coaches on an incident at one school that was most probably a case of really bad parenting.
So I'll get specific with you. My son was in the football program at YV with most all of the coaches who now run the football program at Acalanes. Their primary concern was grooming young men to be good citizens. Didn't you see the Acalanes FB players cleaning up the trash and recycling at the Lafayette Art & Wine fest 2 weeks ago?
Noone is casting aspersions on all athletes. Anon 5:18 is correct about lousy parenting.
That form is part of the student-parent handbook; and it is a 'contract' that all student-athletes and their parents must sign and turn in (presumably after reading it) - before the student may participate in sports. It is not just a piece of paper lying around the house.
Acalanes Union H. S. District, the principals, and the coaches have simply been asked to stop being hypocritical, and to enforce their own documents in their entirety. Otherwise, they should just stop requiring these forms, since these documents are proving to be a farce.
Of course athletes get preferential treatment, especially if they are the better athletes at their schools, and if they are close to championship games. This is reality, sadly enough.
If we don't show favoritism to our athletes what are we supposed to do? Show favoritism to some band geeks? Yeah right.
I always felt like athletes were held to a higher standard at my school, but the attitudes of each school are probably different. From what I've heard from several of my friends that either are or have coached high school sports in Lafayette, that area seems to have its own attitude and parents that can make their jobs very difficult.
In answer to your headline.....YES, always have and always will.
If you play football or basketball or baseball and you are male then yes - you get off easy if you go to Las Lomas. If you swim or play volleyball or participate in any other sport and/or if you are female and you get caught drinking or smoking dope you get kicked off the team for the rest of the year. I have seen this over and over and over again at Las Lomas and it has angered me to no end.
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