JCBE/POLICY FILE: 348

Approved: 4/27/78

Revised: 5/27/88

EXIRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

The Board recognizes that extracurricular activities, when properly planned and conducted in an appropriate, safe environment, represent an essential part of the educational experience. The Board supports such extraclassroom activities and shall attempt to make them available on a voluntary basis to the students. It is the Board's goal to provide each student with a balanced program of academic studies and extracurricular activities to be determined by the school, the parents and the students.

Extracurricular activities shall be organized, supervised activities conducted under the auspices of the school system, the local school or an element thereof which primarily involve students in other than a classroom situation and for which no credit separate from an approved course shall be given toward graduation. The following may be considered extracurricular activities:

A. Student government and its related activities and organizations

B. Judged musical festivals or contests, speech contests, debates, dramatic contests

C. Organized activities which are a part of interscholastic athletic activities

D. All types of interscholastic competition

E. Special interest clubs

The Board shall approve extracurricular activities through delegated authority to the local school principal. The principal shall keep an up- to-date list of approved activities which shall be circulated by the principal or the principal's designee periodically for review. A faculty sponsor must be appointed to each activity. The sponsor shall attend all activity meetings and shall keep the principal informed regarding the activity. Sponsors shall not be required to be absent from class time to supervise the activity at any level. The principal shall be responsible for either serving as the coordinator of the student extracurricular activities or shall designate an employee of the County Board of Education assigned to the school and Community Education zone to assume the responsibility under the principal's supervision. The coordinator of extracurricular activities shall provide for staff development and training for all sponsors and for officers and leaders of the organization.

There shall be two categories of extracurricular activities: those which meet during a period or periods listed on the daily schedule and those which meet partly or wholly at a time outside the regular school hours.

These activities must not require that participants be frequently absent from regularly scheduled classes. Excessive expenditure of time and effort by participants shall be discouraged. Membership shall be limited to students currently enrolled in school. Organizations or activities which restrict membership because of race, sex, creed or color shall be forbidden.

Activities sponsored by outside agents shall be carefully reviewed and approved by the school for participation if they have a local school official or group as sponsor also. Neither students nor schools shall be required to pay entry fees nor purchase materials to participate. Care shall be taken to ensure that organizations sponsoring activities are not using the activity for advertising a company or agency name or product.

National activities approved on the list published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals shall be acceptable. If participation is offered to students and schools in three or more systems it shall be regarded as a state activity and application should be made for placement on the approved list of the Committee on Activities, Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals.

Every effort shall be made to prevent extracurricular activities from unduly interfering with the regularly scheduled school day. Participation shall not be permitted in activities that may cause a school to violate State Accreditation Standards, Regulations of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, or other such organizations.

Certain activities may require the involvement of judges for the selection of participants. In such instances, board-approved procedures shall be utilized.