What are the policies in your athletic department on athletes taking in-season vacations? How have you handled any conflicts between coaches and parents? Athletic Management wants to hear about your experiences. Click here to read an article appearing in the October/November issue of Athletic Management about in-season vacation policies. To submit comments that will post in this discussion forum, e-mail: rja@momentummedia.com. To view comments from your fellow administrators, click below.

COMMENTS:

Taking a family vacation during the school year can pose a challenge to the coach of a particular sport and to the athletic department. The student athlete may be in a position where the parents plan to take their child out of school. Missed academic time is one issue, missing practices and contests as a team member is another.

What should the athletic department and coach do? First, be proactive. We try to send a message that the expectation here is to be at all practices and contests during the season. A solid work ethic is necessary, as is a commitment to the sport. Being present throughout is part of signing on. A question coaches should ask those trying out for the sport is: Can you be here all the time? It is not fair for a player to take a roster spot, then announce they are going on vacation.

The parents have a key role. They should understand that participation is a privilege and not a right. Going on vacation the first two weeks of tennis practice is not fair to the other team members whose parents worked around the season to schedule a vacation. If they insist on taking their child, they need to be aware that there may be consequences when they return.

—Dan Cardone, Athletic Director, North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa.