IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT’S ADMINISTRATION TO MAINTAIN A CLIMATE OF GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP AT ALL LEVELS IN ALL CONTESTS.
UNRULY BEHAVIOR SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED AND ANY INDIVIDUAL, COACH, PLAYER OR SPECTATOR SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE AREA IMMEDIATELY TO ALLOW THE CONTEST TO CONTINUE WITHOUT THE DISRUPTION OF DISTRACTING INDIVIDUALS.
THE OSSAA ENCOURAGES ALL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND COACHES TO TAKE A STRONG STAND AGAINST UNSPORTSMANLIKE ACTS.
Ensuring good sportsmanship at OSSAA member schools requires the responsibilities of different groups be coordinated and carried out at each contest involving secondary level students.
- School Administration: The responsibility for fan behavior resides with the participating school administrations from each participating school (combined with the host site security in neutral site contests). School administration must provide adequate supervision at the venue. Negative behavior targeting participants or officials must not be tolerated. Removal of non-compliant fans shall be managed by the administrative team. A report detailing the circumstances must be sent to the OSSAA anytime a fan is removed from a contest.
- Coaches: Head coaches must communicate expectations for fan/parent, and player behavior. Communications should include consequences for unruly fan/parent or player behavior and be shared with each player and the player’s parent/guardian.
- Officials: Officials shall, upon arrival at the contest, meet with on-site administration to ensure lines of communication are open and officials know where to find school administration should a problem arise outside the playing area. Under no circumstances should an official directly remove a person outside the playing area from the venue. The administrative team or designee will be responsible for removal of any fan.
- Participants: Participants experiencing inappropriate behavior from other participants and/or non-participants during the contest must communicate those issues directly to their coaching staff to ensure identifiable issues are addressed by the administrative teams.
Any time an egregious act of unsportsmanlike conduct occurs two or more times during the same season, at the same school, in the same activity, the team and/or individual will be suspended from participation in that activity for the remainder of the season. Egregious acts of unsportsmanlike conduct will be defined as instances not within the OSSAA adopted rules of the contest. In the event the second act of misconduct occurs when there are no contests left in the current season, the penalty will be applied to the next season in the same activity. The OSSAA will notify the school that the team and/or individual has been placed on warning after the first offense. Unsportsmanlike acts under this policy will include acts by coaches, players or spectators.
