The State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction recognize the value of athletic activities to the educational experience of students in North Carolina public schools. When effectively planned, organized, administered, supervised, and evaluated, athletic activities can better serve the interests and needs of young people than any other channel. For this reason, it is important that school administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members identify appropriate educational objectives and plan athletic programs in keeping with the overall purposes of K-12 education.
Underlying every phase of a school’s athletic program should be a primary concern for the student-athlete as a person, student, and a member of society. At all times, emphasis should be placed upon increasing levels of maturity, both physical and emotional; fostering integrity, both personal and social; and promoting responsibility, both for oneself and for all involved in the athletic program. Any play between organized teams or individuals from different schools is defined as an “interscholastic athletic activity” and shall be subject to State Board of Education rules and policies governing such activities.
The State Board of Education is authorized to adopt policies governing interscholastic athletic activities for students in middle, junior high, and high school. At the high school level, SBE policies are enforced by an “administering organization” such as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) or the Carolina Athletic Association for Schools of Choice (CAA4SC). In addition to SBE rules, both the NCHSAA and CAAS4C have adopted supplemental regulations for their respective member schools concerning the organization of conferences and divisions, gameplay, and penalties for violation of SBE and association rules. At the middle and junior high school level, SBE policies are enforced by the local board of education or charter school board of directors with administrative support from the Department of Public Instruction.