MSHSAA DEAD PERIOD
108.0 SUMMERTIME DEAD PERIOD
All member schools shall establish a summertime dead period for all MSHSAA-sponsored activities which meets the
requirements listed below:
a. Duration: The dead period shall be nine consecutive days in length, and must begin on a Saturday and last
through the second following Sunday.
b. Summer Placement: Each school is responsible for setting a dead period for its athletic activities and one for its
non-athletic activities. These dead periods may be concurrent or separate. The earliest possible dead period
may be set no earlier than the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend or the Saturday following the school’s last day
of classes, whichever is later. The latest possible dead period would end on the Sunday prior to the first allowable
high school fall practice (Sunday of Standardized Calendar Week Number Six).
c. Reporting: Each school shall report the dates of its summertime dead period to the MSHSAA office no later than
April 1 each year.
d. Definition of the Summertime Dead Period: A period of defined length in which no contact takes place between
school coaches/directors of MSHSAA-sponsored activities and students enrolled in the member school, or who
will be enrolled in the member school during the next school year. Further, during the dead period school facilities
are not utilized by enrolled students in connection with any sport or activity governed by MSHSAA. The dead
period is a “no school activities time”; no open gyms, competitions, practices, conditioning, weight training; no
activity-related functions or fundraisers, camps or clinics at school facilities or sponsored elsewhere by the school;
no coaches/directors or students may have planned contact other than casual, normal community, non-activity
contact. The school dead period must be the same for all sports and activities. While there may be sports
activities during this time, they must not involve the school coach, the school or school facilities.
e. School Facilities: Bona fide credit-bearing summer school courses taught by certified teachers in their curricular
areas shall be exempt from the ‘use of school facilities’ restriction if held during the dead period; however, no
sport-specific classes (e.g. Fundamentals of Basketball) may be held during the dead period.
RELATED QUESTION(S) AND ANSWER(S) BELOW
Q1: We had originally set our Summertime Dead Period to start the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend; however, we
have now qualified for State Baseball. Can we still hold our Dead Period during this week?
A1: No. If a school qualifies for the state finals in a spring sport that ends on or after the Saturday of Memorial Day
weekend (track, tennis, baseball, girls soccer), and their dead period was scheduled during this week, the school will
need to adjust their dead period to a different week by contacting the MSHSAA office and publicizing the change to
its coaches, students and parents.
Q2: Is the “Summertime Dead Period” different than the “14-day Dead Period” that must precede each sports season?
A2: Yes, these are two different sport requirements. Each school must select a Summertime Dead Period of nine days
as outlined in By-Law 108, for both sports and activities. The 14-Day Dead Period is an athletics-only requirement,
and prohibits instructional contact (camps, clinics and group sport lessons) for the 14 days prior to each of the three
sports seasons, and is listed in By-Law 235.5-c-5. (Note: The fall sports dead period is from August 1 to the day
prior to the first allowable fall sport practice date.)
Q3: Our local youth baseball teams, under the auspices of the Parks Department, use our school's baseball field for their
practices and games during the summer. These youngsters are elementary school age (not of the age covered by
our MSHSAA membership). May we allow the Parks Department to continue to use the field during our school’s
“summertime dead period” or do we need to close the field altogether during that period?
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A3: Because these youth participants are not covered by your MSHSAA membership (too young) and because the
school is not conducting this athletic event (the Parks Department is under a rental agreement), the field may
continue to be used for this purpose during the dead period. Please note that during the “summertime dead period”
member school facilities are not to be utilized by students who are enrolled or will be enrolled in the member school
during the next school year in connection with any sport or activity governed by MSHSAA.
Q4: We rent our school facilities to the local Legion Baseball program for practices and games for high school-aged
players. May this facility use continue during our “summertime dead period” or will we need to prohibit use during
that week?
A4: Teams that include students enrolled at your school or who will be enrolled at your school next year may not use the
field for practice or competition during your dead period due to the outlined restrictions for this period. Other Legion
teams that do not include your current or upcoming students may continue to use your facilities during your dead
period should you choose to allow it.
Q5: Our summer school program begins the first week in June and concludes the second week of July. We have a
conditioning and weight training class. The class is open to all students, most of whom are our athletes. The class
is taught by our football coach. May we hold this class during our summertime dead period?
A5: Yes, if this is a bona fide credit-bearing summer school course and the coach is a certified teacher and teaching in
his curricular area. Since this course is not sport-specific, it would be allowable under the “school facilities” section
above.
Q6: We hold a “Fundamentals of Basketball” class during our summer school P.E. program and our basketball coach
teaches this class. May this class take place, without modification, during our “summertime dead period”?
A6: No. Sport-specific classes are not allowable under the restrictions of the dead period because they involve school
facilities and enrolled students, and in many cases, school coaches as well. During the days of the school’s
summertime dead period, other non-sport-specific topics could be taught, such as health/nutrition and/or weighttraining,
conditioning, etc.
Q7: Our town holds a Fourth of July parade and the marching band of several area schools participate in the parade.
Our school has set our “summertime dead period” overlapping the Fourth of July holiday and this event. a) Can our
band perform? b) Can the band director be present?
A7: Answer a) During the dead period, students could not be directed to attend or participate and no school equipment
or uniforms can be used, including musical instruments. Answer b) No, the band instructor could not have
instructional contact with enrolled students during the dead period.
Q8: During the summer, a local community group comprised of school alumni, families, and current band students take a
tour of a foreign country. This group is not affiliated with the school and participants pay their own way. During the
trip, the group goes to musical concerts and takes historical tours, but does not perform at all. Can our band director
attend this trip if it includes enrolled students and occurs during the school’s “dead period”?
A8: Yes. This is a social event and casual contact may take place. If a similar trip was being planned and the
participants were going to receive instruction or perform, the band director could not attend during the dead period.
Q9: Each summer our music director serves as the director for the musical for our local community theatre. Rehearsals
usually begin in June and end with a performance in mid-July. The cast is made up of all ages and includes a few of
our high school students. If the “dead period” occurs within this time frame may our music director direct this
performance?
A9: Your musical director may direct the performance; however, during the school’s nine-day summertime dead period
he/she could not provide any instruction to students who are enrolled or will be enrolled in your school next year.
Q10: Our high school sideline cheerleaders are also our competitive cheer squad. Our cheerleading coach is also our
“club team” competitive coach. a) Can our competitive squad still use our gym during the “dead period”? and b)
Can our coach still be active with the competitive squad?
A10: Answer a) No. Since the two squads overlap and skills of both sideline and competitive cheer also overlap, neither
squad could utilize school facilities during the summertime dead period. Answer b). No. Again, because of the
overlapping squads and overlapping skills of sideline and competitive cheer, the coach cannot instruct the students
in either during the school’s summertime dead period.
Q11: Our school has scheduled its dead period for the last possible week of the summer and it runs up to the first day of
fall practice. a) Can the coaches work on the football field and prepare it for the season? b) Can students assist in
getting the fields ready?
A11: Answer a) Yes, the coaches may prepare the field and facilities during this period. Answer b) No, the students may
not assist in the preparations.
Q12: Our high school music teacher works at a local university summer music camp for one week as a director to one of
the honor groups. Some of his students may attend this camp. If our school establishes the ‘dead period’ during
this week, may our students still attend the camp?
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A12: Hopefully, through good communication between the coaches, directors and administration, events like this can be
taken into consideration in scheduling the summertime dead period for the school activities. However, if the week of
this music camp is the only week that is deemed possible for the dead period for activities, either the music director
may attend the camp or your students may attend, but not both at the same time.
Q13: May a school coach hold a youth camp during the summertime dead period for a high school?
A13: Yes, however, the youth camp would have to be held at a non-school facility and no students who are enrolled or will
be enrolled at that school could participate or assist with the camp. Further, no school game equipment or schoolowned
personal player equipment or could be used.