The Shelby County Board of Education believes students will benefit from opportunities to grow physically and intellectually through their experience in self-discipline and their contributions to team effort made possible through competitive interschool and intramural team and individual sports activities.
It is the Board's policy to provide high school students interscholastic athletic competition in a variety of sports. Students shall be allowed to participate in individual sports on the basis of their physical condition and desire. Qualified personnel shall be provided for coaching and supervising individual sports. In addition, it is the policy of the Board to provide intramural athletic activities as an outgrowth of class instruction in physical education and wellness and commensurate with the grade level of the students involved.
The purpose of high school athletics is both educational and recreational. The athletic program should encourage participation by as many students as possible and should be implemented with the best interests of the participants as the first consideration. This should be done without unreasonable interference with other obligations in the school community.
It is recognized that a well-organized and well-conducted athletic program is a potent factor in the morale of a high school student body and an important phase of good community-school relations. Too great an emphasis on winning contests or too consistent a record of losing them are both harmful to the development of good attitudes among students and the public.
Policy Conditions
Participation in interscholastic athletics is limited to students in grades 9-12 with participation of properly supervised teams from grades 7 and 8 also permitted in a limited program within their own grade levels with other schools.
The athletic program is an integral part of the high school curriculum and comes under the authority of the principal to the same degree as do all other phases of the curriculum.
Those teachers having direct responsibility for the conduct of the athletic program of the school are required to conform in all ways to the general education program as approved by the Board and administration, including such matters as schedules, financial expenditures, relationships with other schools, and health and safety regulations.
The Shelby County high schools are members of the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association (TSSAA) and in all athletic matters will adhere firmly to the rules and regulations of that body and to the philosophy of sports which TSSAA encourages. The eligibility of students to participate in the athletic program is determined in accordance with TSSAA regulations.