Athletics

Participation in athletics is a privilege earned by meeting the expectations and standards set by the school and in conjunction with the Interschool Guidelines for Middle Level Schools as established by the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. The opportunity to present oneself to the public, and represent one’s family and school should not be taken lightly. Students who have questions concerning eligibility should contact the Athletic Director or Principal before they endanger their athletic eligibility rather than after it is too late.

Clay Middle School fields 38 different interscholastic athletic teams in 11 sports. Any student in good standing with the school is encouraged to try out for sports that are available to them.

Our teams will compete with neighboring junior high/middle schools in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, softball, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling. Fall sports include cheerleading, cross country, football, tennis, and volleyball. Winter sports include cheerleading, basketball and wrestling.  Spring sports include baseball, softball and track.

The athletic department wishes to inform all parents that due to the nature of athletic competition, your son/daughter may receive an injury in the sport in which he/she participates. The school makes available, at the beginning of the school year, an accident insurance policy which may supplement your family medical policy.

Clay Middle School competes in interscholastic athletics throughout the state of Indiana and therefore must be represented by only ladies and gentlemen. Scholarship and citizenship, along with athletic ability will be the criteria in the selection of participants in the athletic program.

A student planning to participate in any athletic endeavor during the school year, including cheerleading, must have a prescribed physical form on file in the athletic office. It must be signed by a licensed medical doctor (MD or DO), physician assistant, or nurse practitioner and a parent and dated on or after April 1 of each year. Athletic physical forms are provided by the athletic department and are available at the school and online. One physical is good for the entire school year, provided it is dated April 1st or later. Students will not be allowed to try out or practice with any team until this obligation is met. A doctor’s note is not sufficient and will not be accepted.

An athlete is strongly discouraged from participating on any other team (outside the school) in the same sport concurrently.

Students must be in attendance at school by 11:30 a.m. to be eligible for extracurricular activities that day or by 11:30 a.m. on Friday to be eligible for Saturday participation. Exceptions to this would be pre-arranged absences or school-related functions. An athlete who is unable to participate in physical education class will not be allowed to participate in athletics (which includes cheerleading) or intramural activities that same day. An athlete who misses five consecutive days of school or athletic participation due to illness or injury must obtain written permission from a physician and present this to the athletic director or coach before they may become eligible for participation.

Numerous research studies have shown that student participation in extracurricular activities is strongly associated with better grades and better attendance than for those who are not involved in school activities.

To be eligible for athletics, a student must maintain a C (2.0) grade average in all subjects enrolled with no more than one failing mark (F). Quarterly/nine week grades will be used to determine eligibility for athletes. A student must be enrolled in a full course of study at Clay to be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics. A full course of study for a regular education student is defined as a minimum of six classes in an eight period day.

PROVISION: A student-athlete who has lost his athletic eligibility due to academic deficiencies may regain his/her eligibility after four weeks by following these guidelines:

1. The student athlete must meet with the athletic director and his/her coach no later than the second school day after grade cards are distributed to discuss how the student-athlete may regain academic eligibility after four weeks.

2. The student-athlete will be expected to provide a weekly grade report sheet to the athletic director so that the athletic director and coach can monitor weekly progress regarding completion of homework as well as quiz and test scores.

3. During the four-week period, students will be expected to meet with teachers to discuss their academic progress and seek additional help.

4. Student-athletes are permitted to attend practice during this four-week period. Athletes may attend home athletic contests but may not wear team uniform. Athletes may not attend away contests during this four-week probationary period.

5. Four weeks after the beginning of the grading period, the student-athlete must request each teacher to record his/her current grade in the class. After obtaining this information, the student-athlete must submit his/her form to the athletic director.

6. Upon review by the coaches and athletic director, the student-athlete may be granted eligibility to participate in athletic contests for the remainder of the grading period if the student-athlete has raised his/her grade to an acceptable level (2.0 with no more than one failing mark).

Please Note: Grades received from the 4th grading period will be used in determining athletic eligibility for the following fall athletic season. This applies to students who will return to Clay, Carmel, or Creekside Middle Schools only.