Nondiscrimination Statement

The Bakersfield City School District (BCSD) is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education and in employment. BCSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis and/or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics of age, ethnicity or race, which is inclusive of traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks, and twists, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identifications, religion, pregnancy, marital status, parental status, physical disability, mental disability, sex (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, medical information, genetic information, homelessness, foster status, military veteran status, political affiliation or any other basis prohibited by California state and federal nondiscrimination laws consistent with Education Code 200, 220 and 234.1, Penal Code 422.55, Government Code 11135, and Title IX. Not all bases of discrimination will apply to both educational services and employment. If you believe you, or your student, have been subjected to discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or bullying you should contact your school site principal and/or the District’s Chief Compliance and Title IX Officer, Erin Johnston, by phone at (661) 631-4663, by email at johnstone@bcsd.com, or in person at 1300 Baker Street, Bakersfield, CA 93305. Copies of BCSD’s Uniform Complaint policy, Sexual Harassment policy, and Nondiscrimination policies are available here.

Eligibility

The District Junior High/Middle School After School Athletics Program Coordinator shall have the authority and responsibility to monitor the eligibility of all participants.

1. A student will be declared eligible to participate in the Bakersfield City Schools After School Athletic Program if he/she meets the following requirements:
1. The student received a minimum of a 2.0-grade point average on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent of a   2.0 if a different evaluation system is used) in the previous grading period. (4 report grades a year, one every quarter)
2. A student with one or more “U” grades in conduct in the previous grade report will be declared eligible only by approval of the school principal.
2. A student with a previous grade report from an elementary school will be granted probationary eligibility for not more than one grade period. A student with a previous grade report from a school other than a District school will also be granted probationary eligibility for not more than one grading period. The determination of student eligibility for a student who transferred from a District junior high/middle school will be based on the previous trimester grade report from the student’s prior District school.
3. A student who is declared ineligible to participate in the District After School Athletics Program shall remain ineligible until the student obtains a grade report card that meets the eligibility requirements listed above in number one.
4. A student must be in full or partial attendance at school on the day of a game to be declared eligible to play in that day’s game. Suspended students shall be excluded from District After School Athletics Program during the period of suspension or expulsion.
5. Students added to the participant roster (see below) after the start of the season will be declared eligible to participate only after approval of the District Junior High/Middle School After School Athletics Program Coordinator.

Eligibility Revocation

The Superintendent or designee may revoke a student’s eligibility for participation when the student’s poor citizenship is serious enough to warrant the loss of this privilege.

Participant Roster

The principal or his/her designee will submit a participant roster to the District Junior High/Middle School After School Athletics Program Coordinator no later than five school days prior to the first game day of the season. The roster will include the student’s name, the name of the school the student attended during the previous trimester and the student’s previous trimester grade point average. This roster is a confidential pupil record and shall be maintained consistent with state and federal law.

Definitions

Grade report – The recorded grades given by District teachers at the end of each of the four quarters make up an entire school year. All four quarter grades count for eligibility! Note: A grade report will not be used to determine eligibility if a pupil was not in attendance for all, or a majority of the grading period due to absences excused by the school for reasons such as serious illness or injury, approved travel, or work.

Previous grade report – The grade report given by District teachers from the previous quarter reflects the student’s performance. If the student attended more than one school, then the school with the largest number of school days attended by the student during the previous grading period would be the grade report used to determine eligibility.

Health and Safety

Parent(s)/guardian(s) shall be made aware that there is an element of risk associated with all athletic competitions and that the District cannot guarantee that students will not be injured, despite a commitment to every participant’s health and welfare. The student and parent/guardian shall, prior to the student's participation in the athletic activity, sign and return an acknowledgment that they have received and reviewed the sudden cardiac arrest information posted on the California Department of Education's website (Education Code Sections 33479.2 & 33479.3).

Student-athletes and their parent(s)/guardian(s) shall receive annually an information sheet on concussions and head injuries. The student and parent(s)/guardian(s) shall sign and return the information sheet before the student’s initiating practice or competition (Education Code Section 49475).

If a student-athlete is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in athletic activity, he/she shall immediately be removed from the activity for the remainder of the day. The student shall not be permitted to return to the activity until he/she is evaluated by a licensed health care provider trained in the management of concussions and receives the health care provider’s written clearance to return to the activity. If the health care provider determines that the student-athlete sustained a concussion or a head injury, the athlete shall also complete graduated return-to-play protocol no less than seven days in duration under the supervision of a licensed health care provider (Education Code 49475).

Under state law, school districts are required to ensure that all members of school athletic teams have accidental injury insurance that covers medical and hospital expenses. This insurance requirement can be met by the school district offering insurance or other health benefits that cover medical and hospital expenses. Some pupils may qualify to enroll in no-cost or low-cost local, state, or federally sponsored health insurance programs. Information about these programs may be obtained by calling 1 (800) 300-1506 or the BCSD School Health Department at (661) 631-5895.

It is the District’s expectation that students adhere to all safety rules, regulations, and instructions, as well as rules and guidelines related to conduct and sportsmanship.