BAYLOR UPPER SCHOOL VARSITY HEAD COACH GUIDEBOOK
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HEAD COACHES’ APPROACH AND DEPARTMENTAL PHILOSOPHY
At Baylor School, we believe that athletics are a vital and integrated component of our holistic educational experience. Participation in sports is not extracurricular, it is co-curricular, carrying equal significance to academic learning. Our athletic program reflects our institutional values: discipline, resilience, teamwork, and personal excellence.
The Upper School Varsity Head Coach holds full oversight and leadership of all teams and coaching staff within the sport, spanning grades 6–12. This role is pivotal in establishing and nurturing a competitive culture that pushes athletes to achieve excellence on and off the field. We foster an environment where participation is both challenging sand meaningful while also existing as a source of camaraderie, personal growth, and joy.
SECTION 1
ASSISTANT COACHES AND STAFF
A. The Varsity US Head Coach should work with the Athletic Director in sufficient advance of the competitive season or school year to secure coaching staff members that adequately serve the number of participants at all levels (Varsity, JV, Middle School). These may be non-faculty (community coaches), or full-time Baylor employees. It is ideal for the head coach to maintain a network of potential assistant coaches that might potentially fit faculty/staff openings and make both the athletic director as well as the Dean of Faculty or other department heads of the available positions aware of their potential candidacy.
B. Community Coach onboarding process. For a community
coach to work with one of our teams at Baylor they must complete all the following steps prior to any student-facing activity with our student-athletes:
1. Complete a criminal background check with HR
2. Meet with the Athletic director to review expectations and agree to compensation
3. Complete payroll paperwork in the HR office
4. They must complete the NFHS required testing, placed on the TSSSA portal by the assistant to the Athletic Director
C. It is the responsibility of the Head coach to ensure that all assistant coaches in the program are fully apprised of all TSSAA rules and remain compliant.
SECTION 2 PRACTICES AND HOME COMPETITIONS
A. Please refrain from routine morning (before school) practices except for the swimming and diving program. If an occasional morning practice is needed then it should be approved by the Athletic Director, planned, and communicated via the weekly Sunday email to parents and athletes.
B. Practices after school should not end and athletes released later than 6:30 p.m. to ensure that boarding athletes have adequate time to eat in the dining hall which closes at 7:00 p.m. If a competition or practice does cause boarding students to miss dinner in the dining hall, that said coach is responsible for feeding the said boarding students dinner from that sport’s allocated budget.
C. Each Sunday night during the competitive season the Upper School head coach should send an email to all parents and upper school athletes in the said sport
(using the MyBaylor roster platform) that details the weekly schedule for both the Varsity and the JV teams for that week. Included in this email should be all assistant coaches as well as the athletic trainers, and the Athletic Director. This communication should include but not be limited to the following information:
1. Approximate start and end times for daily activities
2. Specific expectations for the week
3. Games times and locations (bus departure and arrival times if applicable)
4. Other housekeeping items such as uniforms, meals provided, etc.
D. Weekend practices are acceptable and expected, especially at the Varsity level. If practice occurs on a Sunday, it is expected that it would occur mid-to late afternoon to not conflict with traditional church hours.
SECTION 3 SCHOOL DAY PROCEDURES
A. Each head coach will have a Baylor email address and is responsible for all communications from administration that are circulated.
B. There will be monthly US Head Coaches’ meetings that will be sent to every coach’s Outlook Calendar. Full attendance at these meetings is expected and is a priority.
C. Any head coach or assistant coach that is a full-time employee and also serves as an advisor in either division should routinely attend the respective chapel
and assembly and be sure that their advisees are in attendance and have proper decorum.
D. Each head coach is responsible for managing their Varsity and JV Rosters on the MyBaylor platform. Athletics Administrative staff can help you learn to use this platform if you require guidance.
E. Daily attendance of the athletes at practice that are on your MyBaylor roster is the responsibility of the Head Coach. Any unexcused absences should be reported to the athletics office
SECTION 4 GAME SCHEDULING/TRANSPORTATION/FACILITIES/LOCKER ROOMS
A. All Region/league games and postseason brackets will be assigned by the TSSAA (ISC for Middle School) if Applicable to the sport. The head coach will schedule all non-region games for all levels including Varsity, JV and all Middle School teams as well as work with Region/ League colleagues to agree to dates for region contests.
B. A healthy balance of home and road competitions that largely fit your annual budget is highly necessary.
C. The head coach is responsible for knowing the scheduling calendar and game limits dictated by the Constitution and Bylaws of the TSSAA for their sport. (See Section 9.)
D. Any out-of-town tournament/competition (sizable trip) that requires more than one night away from Chattanooga requires advanced approval from the Athletic Director
E. Game Schedules should be submitted to the Athletic Director for approval in the following time frames:
1. Fall Sports: by January 31 of previous year
2. Winter Sports: by May 31 of previous year
3. Spring Sports: by August 31 of current school year
F. Once schedules are approved the head coach should arrange a meeting with the Assistant to the Athletic Director to submit travel requests. If travel numbers grow or diminish as the trip nears, then please notify the Asst. to the A.D. to make the necessary modifications to the original request.
G. Each sport should have two coaches that are certified to drive Baylor 14-passenger buses and/or SUVs. This is a simple certification process that we execute on campus. Each head coach is responsible for having the appropriate number of assistant coaches certified to drive.
H. Game Re-Schedules: Please notify and get the approval of the Athletic office prior to agreement with the opponent. Once cancelled, postponed, or rescheduled. Please notify the A.D., Assistant to the A.D., Athletic Training staff, and all Baylor media constituents.
I. Home competitions hosted Monday through Thursday should not be scheduled later than 6:00 p.m. unless permission is granted via the Athletic Director.
(Basketball Girls/Boys double headers during the week should not tip off after 5:00 p.m.)
J. All class dismissals are limited to competitions and requests for dismissal must be submitted to the Assistant to the Athletic Director by the Head Coach no later than Sunday evening of the competition week. Once approved, these dismissals will be circulated to faculty members on Monday morning of the competition week.
K. Senior Night Ceremonies: Senior nights should be notated and submitted for approval on the original varsity schedule. Senior night planning is the responsibility of the Baylor coaching staff and should not be passed on to parents or parent groups. Each Senior night recognition should be held prior to the start of your competition unless otherwise approved. Please plan the script to be read and coordinate with an approved public address person as well as advanced communication and instructions to the senior parents. It is preferrable that senior night occurs during the final regular season home contest. If this is not feasible, then the head coach should get approval from the Athletic office.
L. Facilities: Each head coach and their staff should do their part to keep their specific facilities (practice/game venues, locker room) clean and in good working order. In the event that outside help is needed please use the work order system in the MyBaylor platform to request any service necessary by the Campus Maintenance staff. It is prudent to follow up requests that are close to deadlines with emails to the Director of Maintenace and copying the Athletic Director.
M. Locker Rooms: In the event a sport has a locker room exclusive to that sport then the Head Coach is responsible for the upkeep, supervision and decorum in this area. There should always be a coaching staff member in or near the locker room each day before and after practice to curtail any potential illicit behavior. Sports specific locker rooms are not to be used during the school day as lounge or study areas. Players are NOT allowed in these areas during the school day without a coaching staff member present and should remain locked otherwise.
A. It is the expectation of each sport to hold a minimum of two in-person parent engagements, with the recommendation of a third informal gathering during the course of the school year for the Varsity/JV program
1. Some variation of an informal gathering prior to the season: tailgate, social, open play day, etc. to provide the parents and athletes with an opportunity to meet and mingle with the coaches and other families in the program.
2. Formal parent meeting at or near the very beginning of the competitive season. (Template of materials that should be covered is included in the appendix)
3. End of season celebration/banquet/culmination event (dates provided by Baylor)
B. Each Varsity Head Coach should organize the information for the Middle School parent meeting, coordinate the time with the MS coach(es) and be a part of this meeting to demonstrate oversight of the MS program by the Upper School Head Coach
C. Reference section 2C for the weekly email communication.
D. The Athletic Director will include the Head Coach in any parent issues that come straight to the Athletic office if communication with the Head Coach was omitted. The A.D. will notify the head coach of any parent request for a meeting related to their sport. I will ask the parent(s) to make effort to resolve the issue with their child and the coach first. If no resolution can
be reached with this engagement, then the A.D. coach and family members can all meet to gain resolution.
E. All formal communications for the program should originate from the Head Coach or other members of the coaching staff that are full-time Baylor employees. Please do NOT ask parents to send initial or official communications to the team via a Parent GroupMe or any other communication platform.
F. Refrain from soliciting parent groups to provide team meals that are connected to team travel (road games) or home competitions. It is completely acceptable for parent groups to offer occasional meals, but this should not be solicited by the coaching staff as each sports’ budget is resourced for meals connected to road games.
G. If it becomes necessary under certain circumstances to ask a parent group to provide any level of resources related to the sport (equipment, team travel, etc.), then this request must be approved ahead of time by the athletic department.
H. Two different end of year banquet/dinner dates will be provided for the fall/winter/and spring respectively. Each head coach will choose one of these dates and notify the Athletic office and this will be added to the calendar. A coaching staff member that is a Baylor fulltime employee should execute all facility reservations and set up for their respective banquet/dinner in lieu of passing this along to parent groups.
SECTION 6 PRESENTATION/TEAM APPAREL/UNIFORMS
It is Baylor’s intention that our teams and athletes be outfitted in a way that most properly represents our institution. Team attire should be worn for Baylor activities related to your sport including team practice/training sessions, and competitions. Baylor School is amid a seven-year contract with BSN Sports in which all competition, practice, and coaching apparel that is worn representing Baylor should be Nike or BSN brands and must be purchased through BSN Sports only. There are exceptions in which Nike or BSN do not offer products specific to a sport. In this case BSN may direct you to an alternative retailer. All Head Coaches are responsible for facilitating equipment and apparel orders with the BSN representative and remain within the apparel budget limits.
A. For optimal availability and shipping dates, all necessary equipment, practice apparel, travel apparel, etc. should be ordered three-months prior to the first practice date of the competitive season.
B. Nike makes custom game uniforms available to all our teams which are paid for from the general athletics budgets and are generally replaced on a three-year cycle. When a particular sport is due for new uniforms
in the cycle, then custom uniforms must be ordered six months in advance of the competitive season to ensure timely delivery and availability. If stock uniforms are being ordered, then please order no later than threemonths in advance of the competitive season.
C. All new uniform design, quantity and price must be approved by the Athletic Director PRIOR to placement of the order.
Baylor sports specific camps and clinics are a tremendous opportunity for our coaches to promote their program in the spirit of prospective students and student-athletes. It is also an ideal way to fortify compensation for yourself and your assistant coaches.
A. 75 percent of the net revenue from camp is returned to the Head Coach of the related sport to be distributed at their discretion. Baylor Summers coordinator and staff will market, post and facilitate registration for each camp.
B. Camps and/or clinics can be held at different times of the year and are not limited to the summer months. It is ideal for a camp week to be scheduled no later than six months in advance. All Camps and/or Clinics MUST be registered and operated through our Summer Camps/Auxiliary programs office.
C. It is recommended that each Head Coach offers at least two sessions of half-day camp during the summer months.
D. All summer camp pricing will be set by the Summer
Camps department. The same department will work with coaches to set the price point for any sports specific clinic that is offered.
E. Each head coach should follow the Baylor Summers process for hiring internal or external camp staff.
F. Any camp/clinic registration serves as an admissions inquiry. It is prudent to connect with admissions at the conclusion of your camps/clinics to have them facilitate connections with attendees that project as “mission appropriate” prospects.
G. It is ideal and encouraged for the Head Coach to be involved and visible with the day-to-day operations of his or her camp.
SECTION 8 MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM OVERSIGHT/US PARTICIPATION FOR 8TH GRADE
While some US Head Coaches carry the duty to also be the head coach of their MS team(s) this is not a said expectation for all Varsity US Head coaches. However, having oversight and responsibility of the scheduling, coaching, and operations of the Middle School teams is an expectation. We want to build connectivity between the US program and the middle school program in each sport. The responsibilities associated with the MS program include but are not limited to:
A. Cultivating and providing coaches and coaching candidates for all middle school teams via full-time Baylor employees or Community coaches that have quality and demonstrated knowledge of the sport.
B. Scheduling or overseeing the scheduling of all the MS games for each team
C. Integrating US program strategy and philosophy from the US coaching staff by way of training MS coaching staff and intermittent direct instruction from US coaches.
D. Awareness and support of MS coaches with disciplinary or parent issues that arise in the MS program.
E. Initiating, overseeing, and participating in the MS parent meeting at the beginning of the season.
Beginning in the 8th grade, student-athletes are eligible for TSSAA Varsity competition. By TSSAA rules sixth and seventh grade students are NOT eligible for practice or competition in US athletics. For an eighth grade student to play US athletics the following institutional protocol should be followed:
A. The said eighth grader should be determined to be an obvious standout athlete that will largely contribute to the success of the Varsity team (not JV). An 8th grader may not participate in Varsity US athletics to be a member of the JV team or a seldom used reserve player on the Varsity team.
B. Prior to any discussions or commitment with the athlete or their parent/guardian the head coach should request this participation from the Head of the Middle School as well as the US Athletic Director.
C. Once a student-athlete begins competition with an US Varsity team they may no longer return to MS athletics practice or competition.
Each Head Coach of a sport that is a member of the TSSAA is responsible for knowledge and comprehension of sections of the TSSAA Constitution and Bylaws that pertain to their sport(s). An updated version of this document is available online at https://cms-files.tssaa.org/documents/tssaa/2024-25/handbook/2024TSSAABylaws.pdf
The sections that are most frequently referenced are in Article II of the link. Article II includes all bylaws related to Eligibility, Recruiting, and students changing schools. Between pages 29-37 are sports specific calendar guidelines related to practice and contest dates and limitations. All head coaches are responsible for making sure that their assistant coaches (both fulltime and community coaches) know and comply with all.
SECTION 10 BAYLOR ADMISSIONS/FINANCIAL AID PROCEDURES
It is vital for each head coach to work with the Admissions office to help identify prospective students in their sport for both day and boarding enrollment within the framework of the TSSAA rules referenced in Section 9 above. One of our admissions counselors serves as the liaison between the Athletic department and the Admission office and is the initial and primary contact for all prospects that a coach may become aware of. Per TSSAA rules (Section 9), all communication with prospective students and their families MUST be executed through the Admission office at Baylor, except during a campus visit. Once a prospective student athlete for the particular sport has applied to Baylor, the admission team will email the head coach a student-athlete evaluation form to be completed and submitted. The head coach should submit all the information on the form in a timely manner.
Financial Aid at Baylor is awarded to families based on demonstrated need and is assessed by the process of a separate application. Baylor has a finite amount of Financial Aid available to award, so families are encouraged to complete the Financial Aid application as early in the process as possible. The same holds true for overall dorm space for boarding applicants, so helping our admissions staff identify prospects early is best practice.
Please refrain from involving trustees or other stakeholders that have vested interest in certain sports programs in the admissions or financial aid process. The only dialogue necessary or acceptable in the process should occur with the Admission office and/or athletic director.
Campus Visits: Head Coaches are expected to be available to engage with prospective families during their visits to campus. In person contact with athletics staff and coaching staff members from the teams involved is permissible and helpful. Please adhere to the following guidelines pertaining to campus visits:
A. Please do not make social media posts related to campus visits.
B. It is also prohibited to give any athletic gear or apparel to a prospective student or their family members as an inducement for enrollment. Small general items of nominal value are only distributed through the Admission office and are the same for all prospective students that visit.
C. No arranged off campus engagement between prospects and coaches is permitted.
D. All follow up communication with a family after a visit still needs to originate from the admissions office.
E. While visiting campus, a prospective student is NOT allowed to participate in any practices, workouts, or any other athletically related activities with Baylor teams. Please reference TSSAA rules in Section 9 for the first date on which a student may participate in Baylor athletics activities.
It is an expectation that the Head Coach of a Boarding Student-Athlete act as a primary means of support for their respective athletes for the duration of the school year that includes but is not limited to the following:
A. Providing meals for these athletes from their respective budgets when home or away competitions or practices cause the said athletes to miss meals in the campus dining hall.
B. Prior arrangements are to be made well in advance, for boarding athletes that are required to be in town for Baylor practices or competitions during days when the dorms are closed. (Summer, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break and Spring Break). Fall boarding athletes that require an early move-in must gain prior approval in the spring from the Director of Residential Life. All guidelines will be given to the head coach by the Residential Life office. It is the responsibility of the head coach to communicate this to the families as soon as possible and begin securing off-campus, supervised accommodation. It is NOT the responsibility of the dorm parent or the residential life staff to facilitate this. This
also includes providing meals for the boarding athletes during these days. Day student families will often offer to host these athletes, but it should not be solicited in a way that is obligatory to the day families from the program. Once arrangements are finalized, please communicate the plans to the respective dorm parent as well as the Director of Residential Life.
C. Please conclude daily practices in a time frame that allows boarding athletes to eat dinner in the dining hall prior to closing as referenced in Section 2B.
D. If a boarding athlete is injured during a practice or competition, the head coach and coaching staff must assist with helping get the said athlete to and from medically related appointments associated with the injury. It is encouraged that the head coach has communication with the parents/guardians of the injured athlete providing assurance of professional care.
SECTION 12 SUMMER WORKOUTS/PRACTICES/TSSAA DEAD PERIOD
Summer Activities begin during the week following graduation at Baylor. In order to participate in summer athletic activities, workouts, practices, or engage in use of facilities on campus, a student-athlete MUST:
A. Be contracted and deposited for the coming school year at Baylor and not have a balance in the business office due from the previous school year.
B. Have completed their Magnus Health Portal and been cleared by the Health Center (These are also required to move into the dorms prior to new boarding orientation for fall athletes that are approved to be on campus early for practices)
Each Head Coach assumes the responsibility for not allowing athletes to participate that do not meet the criteria listed above. Athletes should NOT be required and/or levied any punishment for missing a summer workout or practice unless it falls within the calendar for official practice dates
for a fall sport. Summer activities may be encouraged for athletes to attend when they are available and in town during the times that they are offered.
TSSAA Dead Period: This falls each year during the final week of June and the first week following the 4th of July. The specific dates are available on the TSSAA calendar each year. During these calendar dates no Baylor athletes that are varsity eligible (rising 8th graders and older) may have contact with Baylor coaches (full-time or community coaches) and all Baylor athletics facilities are closed to Baylor athletes. The only permissible way for a Baylor athlete to be on campus using the facilities is if they are a campus resident or they are working at a Baylor summer camp.
The External Affairs office oversees all Media and Marketing of all the departments of Baylor School. Barbara Kennedy and her staff should be provided with the following information from each Head Coach:
A. Any social media account/handle and its respective password(s) that represent and is associated with this sport
B. Assigned and approved personnel that directly make posts to the said account
Athletics Website: The Athletic department manages the athletics website baylorschoolsports.org with roster and schedule information provided by the coaching staff and will publish results and stories related to each sport on this platform. Please provide the athletics staff with the appropriate information and requested materials.
Team Photos: The External Affairs office will schedule team photos, individual photos as well as media day sessions for each team to provide content for both the athletics website and social media use. Head Coaches are to work with their staff to ensure that all coaches and athletes are present and professionally presentable for these photos and media sessions. All team members should be dressed in uniform and coaches should dress alike for these photos.
Senior Banners for the respective home competition venue are provided by the senior parents as the senior athletes will be given these to keep at the end of the playing season. Please direct senior parents to contact the athletic office and
they will be connected to the vendor that has our standard template for all these banners. Upon delivery the athletic department will execute a work order to have the banners installed and displayed at the respective competition sites.
National Signing Day Celebrations will be held three times per year in the quad and are hosted jointly by the External Affairs office and the Athletic Department. The Athletic Department will provide the dates for these events at the beginning of the school year. They are generally held on Wednesdays during advisor time. The Athletics office will solicit each Head Coach in advance for the respective athletes that will be involved with each signing day event and the college with which they intend to sign. The coaching staff will make the signees parents/guardians aware of the details of the signing event in advance so that they can plan to attend. Head Coaches are expected to attend the event and will give a one-minute introduction and summary of the athlete that is signing. The External Affairs and Athletic offices will manage the execution of the event as well as send invitations to local media, provide event set up, photography and refreshments.
The school and Athletic department will not host separate individual or group signing events on campus at any other time during the year.
Social Media: Head Coaches and their assistant coaches should use their personal social media accounts in a way that promotes positivity and professionalism and does not engage in political issues. Please refrain from negative comments regarding Baylor, other institutions, officials, coaches, or athletes from any school.
SECTION 14 BUDGETS/SPENDING PROCEDURES
Each Varsity Head Coach is the annual budget manager for their sport. Budgets for the coming school year are set months in advance, so as the head coach is planning allocated funding for the coming season, it is imperative that they make the athletic director aware if there are items or upcoming events, competitions that will necessitate a budget increase.
All expenses for the season will come directly from the individual sports’ budget. Team uniforms and state tournament expenses will be the responsibility of the General Athletics budget that is managed by the Athletic Director. All new Head Coaches will be introduced and guided through budgeting, purchasing, and credit card coding procedures by the Assistant Athletic Director and Assistant to the Athletic Director.
Each Head Coach is assigned a Truist Purchasing Credit Card through Baylor. All program related expenses should be purchased with this card unless of an emergency. This card is
to be used ONLY for program related expenses. The card must be coded each month through Truist’s Enterprise Spend Platform website and/or associated smartphone app. All receipts from the Baylor purchasing card must be kept and uploaded to the platform or app to code the line item the expenditure will be taken from in the respective budget. In the rare event that an employee is forced to use their Baylor Purchasing card for a personal expense, then it should be marked in the system as personal, and the employee’s account will be charged for the expense. Alcohol should not be purchased with the Baylor credit card. If the charges are not coded by the allotted time, then the Baylor business office will suspend the usage of the card. The Athletic Director will oversee and approve all credit card charges.
Any expenditure that exceeds $1,000 is considered a “capital expenditure” and needs approval via the capital expenditure form that is available on MyBaylor and in the athletics office.
It is valuable for each head coach to have points of connection and relationships with alumni and other stakeholders that have passion for their particular sport. The athletic department general is a place of emotional connection for many of these individuals that have the financial wherewithal to support its development and growth.
Baylor Backers: Each year, the Baylor community has the opportunity to join Baylor Backers, which is our centralized booster program that supports both athletics and the arts. Any stakeholder that wishes to contribute to athletics should first join Baylor Backers. This program is a part of the Baylor Development Office which handles solicitation, membership, and benefits. If a need arises within a sport for items outside the annual budget, then the head coach should make the Athletic Director aware and submit a Baylor Backers request to fund the need. The athletic department makes every effort to distribute the funding from Baylor Backers with equality based on requests.
Stakeholder/Parent/Trustee Engagement: It is common for stakeholders that may be alumni, current parents or even trustees to approach head coaches and engage them
about their specific needs and offer their financial support to that program. When these interactions take place, it is most appropriate for the head coach to gratefully acknowledge such offers, and without any other action, direct that stakeholder to both the Athletic Director AND the Director of Alumni and Development. Please refrain from directly soliciting stakeholders or members of the board of trustees for any donations or gifts. If the head coach has a need for their program that falls outside of the support of Baylor Backers they should engage in dialogue with the Athletic Director who will subsequently include the Development office. It is inappropriate to conduct solicitations for program gifts or donations to parent group(s) via emails, parent meetings, or any other forum.
Alumni Engagement Events: To build relationships with alumni specific to the sport, it is appropriate for head coaches to facilitate communication and/or gatherings with their alumni constituents during Alumni week or at other times of the year. Please notify our Alumni/Development office in advance for approval and proper planning procedures prior to organizing events or circulating any related information.
SECTION 16 OTHER GENERAL BAYLOR EMPLOYEE GUIDELINES
Each month the athletic director will solicit all full-time athletic department employees via email to report Paid time off (vacation, personal, sick days). The head coach and the assistant coaches or staff involved should respond in a timely manner so this information can be sent to the business office. If for any reason, a head coach or assistant coach is absent from work, the athletic director should be notified for approval in advance of the absence. Please contact Brenda Waddell, Director of Human Resources (ext. 258), with any questions related to employee benefits.