New Handbooks Set Expectations For PM Athletics
The Buena Vista School Board unanimously approved two new athletic handbooks – one for coaches and one for students and their parents at this month’s meeting.
The handbooks were proposed by Parry McCluer High School Athletic Director Adam Haynes at the June 25 meeting.
The division previously did not have an official handbook to set expectations for coaches, student athletes and parents or a documented process to evaluate coaches on an annual basis.
The handbooks include guidelines on everything from ethical conduct standards to student and player development, safety, leadership expectations for coaches, fundraising and budgeting. The student and parent handbook outlines academic eligibility requirements, sportsmanship, citizenship, attendance requirements, transportation requirements, social media guidelines and parent involvement.
The coaches code of ethics makes it clear that the development of student athletes both on and off the field is more important than winning or losing. One bullet point reads, “Athletic contests are ONLY A GAME and not a matter of life or death.”
Haynes said in a statement to The News-Gazette that none of the new guidelines affect current or future player eligibility. He said he hopes the handbooks will be a positive change that provides more transparency about the expectations for both coaches and families.
At June’s meeting, Haynes gave a sometimes emotional speech about the importance of coaching for athletes both on and off the field.
“Coaching is the best job in the world, because you have primary contact with the kids and it’s still the one classroom that all the kids there want to be in. And you can teach the kids the things that our society says aren’t important,” Haynes says. “You can still teach accountability, responsibility, hard work, teamwork, work ethic, and I think that’s very important.”
Haynes praised his current roster of coaches, saying that 10 of the 14 in varsity sports are former Blues.
“They’re carrying on what it means to be a Blue. They are carrying on what it is to be transformational and have positive impacts in our students’ lives and don’t put winning and losing above a child and I think that’s very important,” Haynes said. “Because when you do those things, that’s when those types of kids will run through a brick wall for you and those are the things that I see in our athletic department right now.”
Haynes said his goal with the handbooks is to continue to encourage growth and professional development within his coaching staff.
“I think everybody can grow, including me, so I think our job as administrators is to try to help that growth and try to help our coaches grow and continue to grow, and they do a fabulous task, but I think it’s good to have an evaluation system to help that growth,” Haynes said.
When one board member pressed Haynes on how he judges the success of his program, Haynes said it’s all about keeping student athletes invested.
“Are the kids still coming out and trying out? Are they playing hard for the coaches?” Haynes said. “As long as I see growth in the program I feel like we’re in a good spot.”
