Physical Examination for Athletes
Any student (grades 7-12) who is participating in a sport at Oak Knoll must have a physical examination prior to participation. In compliance with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, of which Oak Knoll is a member, a physical examination of each student-athlete for a school athletic team must be conducted every 365 days. Any student-athlete whose physical examination was completed more than 60 days prior to the first practice session of their respective season and whose physical examination is still current must also submit a completed Athletic Pre-Participation Health History Questionnaire. Students submit required paperwork on the first day of pre-season practice.
Student-Athletes (grades 7-12) participating in a fall sport SHOULD NOT mail their paperwork to Oak Knoll in advance. Instead, each fall student-athlete MUST turn in all of their physical examination paperwork to her coach ON THE FIRST DAY OF PRE-SEASON PRACTICE. Any student-athlete who does not turn in her physical examination paperwork to her coach on the first day of pre-season practice will NOT be allowed to participate in ANY practices or games until all of the paperwork is completed and turned in.
League Participation
Student athletes must adhere to the “student transfer rule” as well as all rules, including those involving banned substances and pre-consented random drug testing, set forth by the NJSIAA. Athletes may only participate in one school sanctioned sport per season.
Beginning in the fall of 2006 sports season, any student-athlete who possesses, distributes, ingests, or otherwise uses any banned substances, without written prescription by a fully-licensed physician, as recognized by the American Medical Association, to treat a medical condition, violates the NJSIAA sportsmanship rule, and is subject to NJSIAA penalties, including ineligibility for competition. The NJSIAA will test certain randomly selected individuals and teams that qualify for a state championship tournament or state championship competition for banned substances. The results of all tests shall be considered confidential and shall only be disclosed to the student, his or her parents and his or her school. No student may participate in NJSIAA competition unless the student and the student’s parent/guardian sign a consent form for random testing.
Attendance Policy
Athletes are expected to attend all practices and athletic contests for their sport throughout the season. With our commitment to producing competitive teams, this often includes practice, games and tournament play during school vacation. Families are asked not to plan trips, college visits, etc. during the in-season period. For varied reasons, games may be rescheduled, tournament dates shift depending on a team’s bracket; therefore, athletes must be available with the support of her family throughout the entire season.
A student who is absent from school or considered absent is not eligible to participate in either practice or a game on the day of the absence. Students are expected to place academic commitment above athletic participation and, when returning to school following an absence, arrange for make-up first, then athletic participation. Please see our handbook for policies on excused absences.