HAVERHILL — When it comes to Haverhill High sports, Athletic Director Garin Veris wants everyone — parents, students and school officials — to be on the same page.
To end confusion about sports fees and other rules, Veris will have a mandatory meeting of student-athletes and their parents the day school opens — Sept. 8.
Veris and other school officials will discuss sports rules regarding taunting, hazing, and drug and alcohol use. They also will talk about academic rules, the relationship between coach, athlete and parent, and safety and training issues.
"I want everybody to be informed so we don't have any surprises," Veris said.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the high school's auditorium and is the first of its kind to be held since Veris was named athletic director last year.
"It hasn't been done in a few years and most schools do it at the beginning of the year," Veris said.
Part of the discussion will focus on sports user fees, the dates for payments, and what parents should do if they are struggling to pay the bill. Veris said the important thing is for parents to communicate their concerns to him.
"A lot of people just wait and wait and then end up feeling like we are harassing them," Veris said. "I've said many times I don't like to do it but we have to. If not received (payment), our policy is we can't allow student-athletes to participate and to contact us to let us know what their situation is."
In July, the parent of a Haverhill High School student entering his senior year complained to members of the School Committee about a letter her son received indicating he would not get his report card until he paid the $230 in sports fees he still owed from the previous year. Parent Elizabeth Sherman said her son Colby Hadley, 17, was told that unless the money was paid by next spring he would not receive his cap and gown. She said she would pay the bill but needed additional time.
Sherman complained that Veris had been too aggressive last year by pursuing her son for the payments, and that he should have contacted her instead.
When The Eagle-Tribune spoke to Veris about the situation, he said there was a mistake and Hadley's report card would be mailed to him.
Veris said it was his understanding that before he became athletic director, student-athletes who did not pay their fees did not get their report cards. He said that after checking into the matter he discovered there was no written policy about withholding report cards.
Veris said the sports program is still owed more than $10,000 in fees.
Donations and fundraisers have brought in enough money to decrease by $40 the fee charged this year to each student playing sports, school officials said. For example, a student who paid $275 to play a major sport like football in previous years will pay $235 this year.
School Committee member Scott Wood said he doesn't like making students pay fees to play sports, but without the fees there would be no sports program.
Veris said the policy on user fees and when they are due will be discussed during the meeting. Payment details and information about the athletics program policies are now available online at http://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/sports.html. Click on the link "Athletic Info. 2010-2011" at the left side of the page.
"It's something that has been needed here. We've gotten a lot of calls as to what the policy is," Veris said. "We need to have that in writing, and have that meeting as a foundation to build upon."
With artificial turf being installed at Haverhill Stadium this summer, football practice for freshmen as well as junior varsity and varsity players is now behind the stadium in Riverside Park. Because of the work, the Hillies might need to play their first and possibly second games out of town, Veris said.
Practice has begun for girls swimming and diving, boys and girls soccer, field hockey, girls volleyball, golf, cross-country and cheerleading.
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