Andy Gillentine

Prayer 101: Deciphering the Law — What Every Coach and Administrator Should Know

Sport and religion have been linked in many societies and are still a part of many traditions today. In recent years, the topic of prayer in interscholastic sport has received public attention due to many high-profile court cases. Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000) was the landmark case that prohibited school officials, administrators, and employees from initiating, leading, sponsoring, or promoting prayer at interscholastic athletic events. Unfortunately, the practice still continues today and is most prevalent in the sport of football in the Southern states. Public school administrators and coaches need to be aware of the current laws regarding prayer and interscholastic sport. This article highlights key court cases and includes several steps that administrators and coaches can take so that religious controversy is minimized at interscholastic athletic events.

A Student Perspective of Intramural Sport Risk Management Procedures

One of the best ways for an intramural sports program to ensure that an ordinary and reasonable standard of care is adhered to, as well as guarding against litigation, is communication of a risk management program. While having a risk management plan has been widely stressed, no previous research has been conducted from a participants viewpoint. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of university intramural risk management plans from the participants perception. The primary results of this study indicate that the majority of the intramural sport participants responded that they had never: a) noticed an intramural supervisor being present while the activity was taking place; b) been informed about the potential for participant injury; c) noticed signage relating to emergency procedures at the area of the activity; d) knew of a risk management plan for intramural sports; d) noticed emergency equipment at the site of the activity; and e) been informed about the possession of First Aid/CPR certification or equivalent by the supervisor.