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Some information all parents, students and fans should be aware of, as the fall 2008 sports season approaches ...

Including cheerleaders and drill team candidates, more than 300 Pahrump Valley High School students have registered to participate in fall extracurricular activities this fall.

Unfortunately, too big of a percentage of the boys and girls who signed up will be ineligible to compete this fall. Academic standing will sideline many, because they did not make passing grades in the final quarter of the 2007-2008 school year.

Ineligibility can prevent a student-athlete from competing for three to nine weeks at the beginning of the school year, which starts Monday throughout Nye County. During the school year, grades are checked weekly; students are also in jeopardy if they are discipline problems. Referrals can sideline a boy or girl for at least a week.

In the Nye County School District handbook -- which every parent and student should have received when they either picked up registration forms or turned them in -- is a section entitled "NIAA Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug Possession, Use, Abuse and Penalties Policy."

The section begins, "Participation in NIAA-sanctioned sports is a privilege and responsibility which requires all participants to adhere to athletic training rules imposed by the school district and member or affiliate school the student attends and represents.

"Adherence to training rules ensures that all student-athletes are in top physical condition, minimizes potential for injury, and further ensures that all member and affiliate school athletic teams are appropriately represented by their student-athletes.

"Therefore, the possession or use of any controlled substances, alcohol or tobacco products by a student-athlete, whether it occurs on or off of school property, is prohibited and shall result in penalties."

Penalties can include suspensions of seven days or longer, depending on the frequency or severity of the infraction. Possession, incidentally, means a student-athlete who is in actual physical control of alcohol, tobacco or a controlled substance.

One of the requirements for reinstatement includes completing a Substance Abuse Intervention Program.

According to the handbook, "all investigations and penalty enforcements will be conducted by the school and / or district, with support through the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association office."

Legal residency is also one of the requirements for a student-athlete; a section in the handbook covers those requirements. Students and parents/guardians may be asked to prove the boy or girl egally resides at the address listed in registration forms.

If a student did not attend a Nye County school in the 2007-2008 academic year, he or she must complete a NIAA transfer eligibility form.

Students without health insurance coverage should have told their respective athletics department personnel, who can help them acquire the proper policy.

The bottom line? If you have not read the NCSD Student Handbook, do it, ASAP. The season starts next week.