Agenda 12.2.15; Minutes 11.18.15
Post date: Dec 8, 2015 10:32:24 PM
Agenda 12.2.15
Approval of Minutes
Reports
Athletics Over Break Motion
Late Start Motion
Notes & New Business
Council Minutes 11.18.15
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” –Albert Einstein
ORDER OF THE DAY
Reports
Mod: Guests from Burlington High School
A-Mod: Sent out survey last night about athletics over break. Homework load over Thanksgiving break was good.
Treasurer: $3,616.26; Co-Curricular Fund: $3,604.00
Secretary: Staff alternate and senior alternate can vote
SL: Member from hockey team came to speak at meeting
Curric: Hopefully homework survey will be out before exam week
Admin: Trying to bring back late start motion
SA: Winter Carnival. Planning to send out survey about it next week
OEC: Worked on minutes
RJ: Finishing video
Nick Beard: Met Monday to discuss letter. Planning on putting it up Friday
Approval of Minutes
Doctor’s Note Handbook Revision
“We move that section seven of the student handbook dealing with attendance for co-curricular activities have the following phrases added:
Under co-curricular eligibility based on attendance, we would add ‘Absences that may be parent-sanctioned may not be school sanctioned and may not allow athletic participation that day.’
Underneath eligibility overrule, we would add ‘Although we prefer prior notification for doctor’s appointments, the Dean of Students will also declare the student eligible if they present a doctor’s note excusing their absence on the day missed.’”
Majority of staff in favor. Some staff in favor of keeping it the same way, others in favor of making a more lenient policy.
Doctor Offices are familiar with the practice of writing these notes
Debate Closes
Motion Passes
Athletics Over Break
“I move that the school adopt a policy to limit athletic practices and games (optional and non-optional) during school vacations. School sports will allow for two consecutive days of no scheduled practices or games during Thanksgiving and February break, and three consecutive days during Holiday and April break.”
Recommendation from Student Life to pass
Fewer practices and games over break may lead to more practices and games for the students during academic time
Most students in favor
Most parents in favor
Most coaches against
Two or three days isn’t enough, and it isn’t much to ask
issue of not the same vacation days, wouldn’t really be more vacation time, families aren’t always going to vacations all the time,
doesn’t get down to the root of the problem: people are not going away/spending time with family because they want to play a varsity sport, holds back siblings/family, ⅔ days doesn’t get down to root of problem
Why are you playing a sport if you don’t want to play, love sports, want to play, best time to play because you don’t have anything else
Varsity sports should have practices every day, students who sign up for it are asking for it
Teachers/parents/students who aren’t participating in sports shouldn’t have an opinion
Family should always come first, rest is important but not having the option to play at all can be detrimental
Scheduling would be difficult
All practices held over break are optional, students cannot be kicked off the team, limiting optional practices for those who could attend would be detrimental to them
Brian Drew (volunteer hockey coach, 25 years): If a young adult is having trouble, coaches are accommodating
This will become an issue more for the athletic department
Council shouldn’t be overruling this for everyone
Question of jurisdiction for Council
Motivated by students who want to preserve a moment or to be genuinely free to visit family/grandma. Give students a break see the whole picture. This is a whole school issue and the perfect council issue. This isn’t just Council looking at the issue, but the whole community looking at the issue.
Should be a player-coach decision
Coaches are already mostly doing this, so Council shouldn’t try to control this
Meeting Adjourns