Leaders from San Luis Coastal Unified School District presented on their safe sports and co-curriculars policy during a breakout session at CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in Anaheim.
The discussion covered the intent and challenges, development process, rollout and ongoing efforts related to the policy, meant to double down on the district’s commitment to building a community and culture of health, safety and excellence for students.
A version of the 65-page document was originally adopted by the board in summer 2022 and was last updated in September 2024.
The district contended with what it referred to as “two serious incidents” at its high schools prior to the policy. “So, what were we able to do to help strengthen the district’s position and to help strengthen the trust that the community has in us?” said trustee and CSBA Past President Chris Unger.
Following those incidents, the district found that it was lacking comprehensive policies in K-12 athletics, according to the presentation, and recognized that coaches, student athletes and parents needed a clear framework of expectations and support resources.
Challenges leaders faced in developing the policy included making it developmentally appropriate across grade levels and programs, proactive and inclusive and multi-dimensional.
Tyler Hoyt, athletic director at Morro Bay High School, explained that drafting guidelines that could apply to a four-week interdistrict soccer program for fifth graders as well as a year-round high school basketball program where students compete across the state and nation, for example, and accounting for potential interactions with trusted adults was no easy feat.
Stakeholder feedback was gathered and considered throughout the development process and a safety consultant was brought on board.
The following goals were agreed upon, according to the presentation:
- Foster a safe and inclusive athletic experience for student athletes
- Explicitly state expectations for adult and student behavior within all sports programs
- Encourage dialogue between district staff, athletic directors, coaches, parents, athletes and the school board in thinking about the role that athletics serves our schools
- Create a framework for implementation and training
Federal laws and state and federal policies are referred to in the document as are relevant board policies and administrative regulations.
Marci Beddall, teacher on special assignment for career and technical education, mentioned some key points from the policy, including rules that interactions between students and trusted adults must be observable and interruptible. “We learned that safety is not just meant to be injury prevention, it also includes providing emotional and mental health support,” Beddall said. For that reason, sports psychologists have been consulted and bullying and harassment aren’t tolerated behaviors.
Years after its launch, Hoyt noted that at the site level, practices have become systemized as policy is rolled out. He said that the district has “come out a much stronger and more unified space.”
As trustee Ellen Sheffer highlighted, the policy continues to be expanded.
“The safe sports policy is carrying over to all extracurricular activities,” she said. “These are expectations we’re having not just in sports, but in theater, in music and in band and all the wonderful opportunities we offer to students outside of the regular class day.”
View the policy here.
Learn more about the state of school sports in the winter issue of California Schools magazine.
