Courville Stadium Guidelines

(NOTE: These guidelines are subject to change pending need of safety and security at Courville Stadium)

 

General:

 

  1. No Pets, No Dogs allowed unless with proper service animal credentials.
  2. Gates open to the public 1 hour before the start of the game.
  3. Home teams will sit on the West side of the stadium (press box side). Visiting teams will sit on the East side of the stadium (opposite press box).
  4. UIL Constitution and Contest Rules apply at Galveston ISD Courville Stadium. A copy of these rules can be found at http://www.uiltexas.org/policy/constitution .
  5. Galveston ISD will enforce all policies set forth from District 5A
  6. Each band and dance team parent chaperone MUST wear a visible identification badge at all times and must enter the stadium with and sit with his/her designated organization.
  7. Courville Stadium is a smoke-free facility; this includes electronic cigarettes. Drinking and gambling will not be tolerated at any athletic contest. 
  8. All signs allowed must be positive. 
  9. Galveston ISD prohibits spectators from crossing over from one side of the field to the other side. This also includes halftime.
  10. Each school will be allowed a total of fourteen minutes for their entire halftime performances.
  11. Passes accepted: District 5A, THSCA, TGCA, THSADA, SENIOR CITIZEN Cards. This is for immediate family ONLY.
  12. Only authorized personnel, authorized news media & authorized photographers will be allowed on the field or in the team area before the game, during the game, during halftime and after the game. Radio, TV and authorized media personnel must contact the athletic secretary by Wednesday of game week. More specific information is in the “Athletic-Video/Photography Guidelines” found in this document.
  13. Sideline passes for authorized news media personnel and photographers are to be picked up at the home ticket window located on the West side of the stadium. PRESS BOX PASSES for authorized news media only and Scouts are to be picked up on the West side of the stadium.
  14. For pass authorization, please contact the athletic secretary by Wednesday of game week at 409-766-5883.
  15. Scouts will sit in the stands and are not allowed in the press box. 


ATHLETIC EVENTS – VIDEO/PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES

All media (TV, newspaper, community, photographers, videographers) are required to obtain a media pass from the Galveston ISD Communications Department to be allowed on the sidelines for any event at Courville Stadium. Media passes are limited. The following guidelines should be adhered to during all events:

 

  • All media should remain in designated areas: Between the End zone and 25-yard line on both sides of the field; For all other sports, the head coach will designate media areas.
  • At no time should any media be beyond the 25-yard line (FOOTBALL)
  • At no time should any media be in the coach’s/player box (ALL SPORTS)
  • All media should remain behind the designated markers on the sidelines for their safety and the safety of athletes.
  • Access to student athletes, coaches, locker rooms or other areas for interviews, photos or media needs is at the discretion of the Galveston ISD Athletic Coordinator and/or the head coach and should be arranged prior to the event. Contact the Athletic Department for information.
  • Media shall comply with requests made by administrators or coaches on duty during any Galveston ISD event.

 

Galveston ISD Communications staff and designated students may attend events for district or campus photo and video needs. District staff and students have preference for sideline access for all Galveston athletic events.

SPECTATOR EXPECTATIONS 

Fair Play Among The Spectators 

  • Remember that you are at a contest to support your team and to enjoy the competition. Spectators are not to intimidate, taunt, or ridicule the opposing players, opposing fans or officials.
  • Remember that high school and middle school athletes are students and that they sometimes make mistakes. Praise student athletes for their attempts to improve, just as you would praise students working in the classroom. 
  • Remember that holding a ticket to a school athletic event is a privilege to observe the contest, not a license to attack others verbally or to be obnoxious. 
  • Learn the rules of the game to understand and appreciate certain situations that take place during a contest. 
  • Show respect for opposing players, coaches, spectators, and support groups. Treat them as you would treat a guest in your home. Avoid comments of an ethnic, racial, or sexual nature. 
  • Respect the integrity and judgment of the game officials. They do their best to promote student-athletes, so admire their willingness to participate in full view of the public! 
  • Show appreciation for an outstanding play by either team. 
  • Refrain from using alcohol or drugs before, during and after games on or near the site of the event (i.e. tailgating). 
  • Cheer only in a way that supports and uplifts the teams involved. 
  • Compliment school and league administrators for their efforts to support educational athletics and fair play. 
  • Be a positive role model through your own actions and censure poor behavior in other spectators. 

PLAYING FIELD

  • All team personnel that are not in game uniform must have a sideline pass. This includes: Coaches, athletic trainers, student trainers, student managers, and any other support staff. Cheerleaders that are in game uniforms do not need a pass, but any support staff not in uniform must have a pass.
  • Use of tobacco, sunflower seeds, and gum is prohibited.
  • Absolutely no glass bottles, cans, or food on the field. This includes cheerleaders and their support groups.
  • All equipment such as training tables, fans, and heaters must have a protective base – Make arrangements with the stadium manager.
  • UIL Constitution and Contest Rules apply at Galveston ISD Courville Stadium. A copy of these rules can be found at https://www.uiltexas.org/policy/constitution
  • No cannons or confetti. All mechanical noisemakers, such as air horns or victory bells, must be mutually agreed on by both competing teams. A written agreement must be signed by both coaches and faxed to the GISD Athletic Office prior to the game. Without this written agreement, mechanical noise makers will not be allowed in the stadium.
  • All run through signs must be vinyl/cloth with permanent paint that does not run when wet. DO NOT use painted paper.
  • Band props must not mark or scar the field. This includes painted items as well as sharp wheels or other equipment that may damage the artificial surface.
  • Only personnel with sideline passes can be on the field – spectators are not allowed on the field before, during, or after the games.
  • No ice chests will be allowed in the stadium; except for the competing teams, bands, and drill teams.
  • No paper banners or signs are allowed in the stadium.


STUDENT MANAGEMENT AND EXPECTATIONS AT COURVILLE STADIUM:

 

General:



  1. Students must have a student ID in order to enter ANY athletic event. 
  2. No loitering of students in common areas, particularly out in front of the stadium, in front of the concession areas, in front of the bathrooms, behind the home-side bleachers, north & south of the home-side bleachers, behind the end zone areas inside of the stadium, or in walkway areas within the bleachers/stands.  Essentially, students should be in the stands or moving to and from the bathroom or concessions; never standing, loitering, or being highly disruptive. 
  3. Students should be moving alone or in very small groups to and from the bathroom or concession area. 
  4. Students should NOT be going in and out of the stadium.
  5. Students should NOT yell (unless cheering), cursing, running within the stadium, causing a safety hazard, or being highly disruptive or discourteous to others. 

 

GISD Student Code of Conduct:  “School rules and the authority of the district to administer discipline apply whenever the interest of the district is involved, on or off school grounds, in conjunction with or independent of classes and school-sponsored activities. The district has disciplinary authority over a student… While the student is in attendance at any school-related activity, regardless of time or location (and) For any school-related misconduct, regardless of time or location.”  We have the jurisdiction and we have the authority. 

 

Personnel:  Currently, GISD will have the Galveston police department serving as SO’s at the football game, but they are NOT charged with administering the Student Code of Conduct.  SOs will address a breach of the law and common safety.  Discipline management at a school event is up to GISD Administration.  



  • Intermediate/Middle School Principals
    • Will ensure an Assistant Principal and two additional staff members are in attendance of all home games to manage students.  

 

NOTE: Time on duty should be set when the gates open for students to arrive and through the end of the game when students have vacated the building.    

 

Location of Personnel:  Extra duty staff members (including APs) should focus support in the general admission/student bleachers and in the common areas.  Staff members may need to move based on need throughout the game. Pending on behavior and situations, location may need to be adjusted. 

 

Strategies:  The admin planning group may employ acceptable and effective strategies as you deem necessary.  One strategy that’s already been mentioned is to separate campus groups in the student section.  Another strategy may be to require unruly students to sit with their parents (if applicable).  Let me know if you’re considering a strategy that’s far outside of the norm, or one that may require special approval. 

 

Parent and Student Notification:  Campus principals are responsible to inform parents and students of Courville Stadium Expectations.  These expectations should not be a surprise and campus principals will assist with communicating this to all GISD parents and students.  In the event that a student is disruptive or disobedient to the point that they must be removed from the game, campus administration will notify the parent prior to removing them from the stadium.  Students should not be removed from the stadium without notifying their parents.  Campus administration will also need to consider a backup plan in the event that you cannot reach a parent.  

 

 

Additional Expectations of GISD Students & Staff:



  1. GISD staff administers the Student Code of Conduct.  SRO’s do not administer school rules. 
  2. GISD (5) extra staff will work from 7 p.m. to conclusion of contest & last remaining students have been picked up
  3. On duty GRO’s should direct school age students to go to their seats in general admission or back to their parents continually throughout the game (excluding half time).
  4. No loitering in the common area of students. This should be monitored by GROs and GISD staff.
  5. Students should NOT be going in and out of the stadium. This should be monitored by ticket takers and GISD staff. 
  6. Students should NOT yell (unless cheering), cursing, running within the stadium, causing a safety hazard, or being highly disruptive or discourteous to others. Monitored by GROs and GISD staff.
  7. BHS administrators will make a plan in the event a student needs to be removed from the stadium.  It’s preferable that the administrator requires the student to use their own cell phone to call their parents, as opposed to us looking up in Skyward and calling the parent on staff personal cell phones.  Nevertheless, administrators need to agree on a worst-case-scenario plan.
  8. BHS administrators need to be in the common area and stand throughout the game.  

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