Important Clarification from Mr. Jackson

Post date: Dec 15, 2015 6:34:41 PM

Here is an important clarification that Mr. Jackson sent. This clarifies that practices are not optional over break: 

An important clarification from Mr. Jackson about the policy regarding practices and games: 

"That information is not in the handbook.  Schedules are done by the athletic directors in that division, i.e. Hanover's Division I schedules are in Boys Soccer, Boys Ice Hockey, Boys Lacrosse, Boys Tennis and in 2017 Girls Tennis.  Division I athletic directors devise schedules for us in those sports.  I give input for what our needs and desires are. We play the maximum number of regular season contests in many sports but not all.  We play presently in holiday tournaments in Boys Ice Hockey, Girls Ice Hockey and Boys Basketball &  Girls Basketball .  The one exception to that is if I give permission to a coach to hold a Sunday practice, it must be optional.   Many state tournament contests are scheduled over a 2 week time period, depending on how far the team goes. Season start and end dates are set by the NHIAA.

The athletic department policy is that practices cannot be more than 2.5 hours long. Most practices do not go that long.  Fall sports during pre-season (before school starts) can have 2 practices per day.  Winter & spring sports can have only one per day.  Coaches may not have practices on Sundays  during any seasonwithout express permission from me.  No practices, with the exception of Exam Week after first semester, are optional. As you know, family comes first. When a family takes a student-athlete away on a family vacation, they cannot be punished upon their return.

I have pre-season meetings and post season meetings with all head coaches every season.  We talk about contest schedules during the post season meetings for the following year. We talk about the upcoming season in the pre-season meetings.  I have one or two entire athletic department meetings per year.  Scheduling is not usually a topic on those meetings' agendas.  If coaches have questions or input into scheduling for their sport, they can express them to me at any time.  I try to have those suggestions considered when schedules are created by athletic director scheduling committees, keeping in mind the priorities of Hanover High School - limit travel and time out of class as much as possible in terms of who we play and when we play them."