The WY athletics department set new rules governing WY athletes, coaches, and fans. The WY Code of Ethics was presented when principal Joyce Kenner met with all athletes, during long division on Sept 9.

“I believe we should hold our athletes at a higher standard because they represent our school on a daily basis and they are out in the public with WY’s face. We cannot afford for any of our students to be doing alcohol or drugs, damaging their bodies so that they can’t perform at the highest level of their capabilities,” said Kenner.

According to athletic director Chris Cassidy, the talk was an idea that was created last year after a few incidents involving athletes and alcohol.

“When I proposed it to the administration, Dr. Kenner said that it would be a good idea, rather than to just post it somewhere or talk individually to teams to do it as a whole for long division,” said Cassidy.

He researched the policies of different high schools, including Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, to see how they handled the issue.

Stevenson golfer Stephanie Namkoong ‘15, said that her school has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to athletes and substance abuse.

Cassidy said that most of the policies of the different schools were strict, and athletes could lose their whole season immediately. He took inspiration from the part of many policies that said that students found engaging in substance abuse had to attend drug awareness classes to lessen their term of suspension, but chose to make the classes an option for students who have been caught twice.

“We felt like some of the students would feel like, this is just a one time thing, I’m not addicted to alcohol or anything. Most of them aren’t, it is just a one time thing,” said Cassidy.

The WY Code of Ethics begins with, “participation in the athletic program at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is regarded as a privilege and not a right.” It then goes on to describe the expectations and the consequences for disobeying the expectations.

The policy, which is available on the WY athletics website or right here, is also in effect for vacations, the summer, and the off season. Fans and spectators are also held to the Code of Ethics when attending WY home games and are held to the Code of Ethics of other schools when cheering at away games.

Failure to abide by the WY Code of Ethics can result in suspension from extracurricular activities for 25 percent of the IHSA season. A second offense will result in suspension for an entire season while a third offense will result in permanent suspension from activities at WY.

“Don’t think about it as how it affects you, as much as it affects your teammates and coaches. Think about all the time that you’ve put into your program, said Cassidy. “It’s kinda unfair to you to go out and have one crazy night and it affects what you’ve been doing for 4 years here or all the hours that you’ve put in at practice.”