I. Each school may establish an advisory board for athletics to include the school athletic director and any other member deemed appropriate by the school principal.

II. All District high schools shall be members of the Florida High School Athletic Association, Inc. (FHSAA) and shall be governed by the rules and regulations adopted by FHSAA. Students who participate in athletics shall meet eligibility requirements established by FHSAA and the School Board. Membership dues will be paid from the internal accounts of each respective school.

III. Students practicing or participating in any type of interscholastic athletics shall provide proof of accident insurance covering medical expenses of any injury sustained in a sport. The principal shall be responsible for obtaining proof, as evidenced by a copy of the insurance card and a signed statement from the student’s parent(s), as defined by Florida Statutes, of the student’s insurance prior to practice or participation in interscholastic athletics. Such insurance may be made available to the parent(s) through the school, or the parent(s) may submit evidence that insurance has been provided through another source.

IV. No student shall engage in practice or participate in any interscholastic game without the written permission of the student’s parent(s) and a current physical examination as required by FHSAA being on file.

V. No student shall be a candidate for an athletic team or a participant in athletic competition without filing an informed consent signed by his/her parent(s). The consent must explain the nature and risk of concussion and head injury as required by law. The consent must be filed annually prior to participating in any physical activity related to athletic competition or candidacy for an athletic team.

VI. A student athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in a practice or competition shall be removed from play immediately. The athlete may not return to play without a clearance from appropriate medical personnel.

VII. Pursuant to Florida Statutes licensed medical personnel who act as volunteers for school events and agree to render emergency care or treatment shall be immune from civil liability for treatment of a participant in any school-sponsored athletic event, provided such treatment was rendered in accordance with acceptable standards of practice and was not objected to by the participant.

VIII. An Automatic external defibrillator (AED) will be available for use, if needed, at every Sarasota County preseason and regular season interscholastic contest and at every FHSAA state championship series contest held within Sarasota County. Staff and/or the certified athletic trainer will be trained to use such equipment.

IX. All students shall be subject to all School Board rules and to the Code of Student Conduct while attending athletic events and practices.

X. In order for a student to be eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular student activities, he/she must meet all of the requirements established by FHSAA and maintain satisfactory conduct, as defined by the District Code of Student Conduct. If a student is convicted of an on- or off-campus felony or a delinquent act which would have been a felony if committed by an adult, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld, the student’s participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities will be suspended for the balance of the school year.

XI. A report of an alleged violation of this standard of conduct shall be submitted to the principal or his/her designee for investigation. If the principal or his/her designee determines that a violation has occurred, the student and his/her parent(s) shall be notified in writing, of the suspension from school sponsored extracurricular activities.

XII. Students who are suspended off campus and/or expelled from school may not participate in athletics during the period of the suspension/expulsion.

XIII. Procedures as outlined in the Sarasota County School Health Services Manual will be reviewed annually and updated as necessary.

XIV. A student at a traditional public school who is eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities may participate in an interscholastic extracurricular activity at a different public school in the district or develop an agreement to participate at a private school, if their public school does not offer the activity.

XV. A student who participates in an interscholastic extracurricular activity at a public school and transfers from that school during the school year shall be allowed to continue to participate in that activity at the school for the remainder of the school year. In these situations, the parents of the student are responsible for the transportation of the student to and from the school where the student participates in the activity.

XVI. A student that transfers schools, due to living in the new school's attendance zone or through district re-assignment, is eligible for athletics at the new school. The student must still meet other FHSAA requirements.

XVII. Students in full compliance with home education laws and students attending a charter school, a full-time program in the Florida Virtual School, or a private school who meet all the eligibility requirements established by Florida Statutes are eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities at the school to which the student would be assigned according to the School Board's attendance area policies or which the student could attend in any interscholastic extracurricular activity of that school. These types of students can also go through the district’s athletic choice in order to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities outside of their attendance zone.

XVIII. Students attending a district special school (Pine View, Suncoast Polytech or Sarasota Virtual Academy) are permitted to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities at any traditional high school in the district.