Parents and Students Split Over Enforcing Athletic Code of Conduct

New Canaan High School Principal Tony Pavia isn't the only person who has some qualms over school administrators holding students responsible for their actions outside of school.

Athletes and parents alike see the difficulties and possible downfalls of adhering to a clause in the interscholastic code of conduct requiring all students to follow the rules even when they're not in the classroom. 

Football Coach Lou Marinelli calls the proposal "a noble idea," but also wonders about the problems with placing the school in a position of having to keep tabs on students. Marinelli said that it would certainly raise the standards of Rams' athletes as well as other students.

"I'm not sure it's feasible," Marinelli said. "I understand the school receives complaints quite often from people outside the school about students, not necessarily athletes, misbehaving, How much manpower and time would it take for the school to enforce this code?"

In order for students to participate in interscholastic athletics, they are required to sign a code of conduct. One clause being they are subject to suspension and other forms of discipline if they are caught breaking a rule -- even if it's on a weekend.

Andre Dore, a youth hockey coach whose child was a New Canaan track star, thinks school coaches should be very selective when picking captains.

Dore believes a team captain can have a major influence on the behavior of their team, and it should not be the school's responsibility for keeping tabs on their athletes.

"My daughter Chantelle was chosen by [Athletic Director Jay] Egan as a captain... [Egan] wisely used her, along with other captains, to remind one and all, on a consistent basis, their responsibilities as student athletes," said Dore, who believes that delegating authority is key as long as the right people are chosen to lead. Dore added that if someone needed a  gentle shove or a little talking to, it was up to the captains to perform that function.

However, other student athletes see the the clause in the code of conduct as important.

Rising senior David Crandall, who's a member of the hockey and lacrosse teams likes the idea of the code applying outside the school, however believes it could be difficult to administer.

"I wonder if it can be enforced and if it is, who would decide on the punishment," said Crandall. "It certainly could be very time consuming from the school's point of view.''

Junior Varsity  tennis player  Cameron Armstrong concurs with Crandall. He too, thinks the code is a  good idea but also wonders if it could be enforced properly and if the punishmnent would be fair.

"Would a one game suspension for a relatively minor infraction apply in one instance versus a major suspension or even being thrown off the team for a more severe one," asked Armstrong.

"It's hard for the school to pull a kid off a team even if it's just for one game," said Gaynor Luke, a New Canaan parent who believes it's the parents' responsibility to discipline their kids, not the school's. "I think the parents should stand up and do it, even if conference championships are at stake." 

Jack Dowdle, whose son was a starter on last season's championship football team believes the police can play an important role in enforcing the code of conduct.

"The code is a good idea," said Dowdle. "In implementing it, the police can report to the school who can make a decision on how to handle it."

But another parent, David Hill, whose son Brendan hopes to play hockey when he becomes a freshman at NCHS this fall, sees each situation as unique.

"It would really be difficult for the school to wait for the legal process to run its course," said Hill. "It's a tough decision but I think the school could and should render a decision based on what information they have."  

There's undoubtedly a large grey area in terms of  the school implementing a code of conduct that applies to student behavior off-campus. The subject will be revisited in September after the Board of Education redrafts the code.