HHSD Special Olympics

Procedures for 2022/2023

• Each teacher participating, must complete a letter of intent.  The link will be provided to district special ed supervisors, directors, and participating coaches from 2021-2022.  Once the form is completed, we will check athlete application for participation/ medicals.  The letter of intent due date is Friday, November 11, 2022. Once we receive a letter of intent, you will be contacted in the event that there is missing or expired information.  Please do not share the spreadsheet with parents or students.
• Remember, Application for Participation/ Medical Forms are good for three years. Any medicals dated before May 23, 2020, are expired and not acceptable for this event. Please utilize the medical checklist prior to sending to us any medical forms.  We cannot accept incomplete or expired forms. Please note, for those student athletes who participated in last year's track and field events we already have a copy of their medical forms and will be verifying with you which forms are still needed for your athletes who are expected to attend.  If a student came as a spectator and/or attempted to submit medical forms the day of the event, we will not have those forms on file. All Applications for Participation/Medical Forms are due by Feburary 1, 2023. 
• If you have new teachers or classrooms in your district, please share this site with them. While we welcome new participants, it greatly complicates things when they are added after the due date for the letter of intent.
• We appreciate the feedback we received from last year's event and are committed to making our event even better!
• Unless otherwise noted, all paperwork for Special Olympics can be emailed to specialolympics@hatboro-horsham.org.
• Feel free to send completed paperwork prior to the due date.
• While we want all of you to feel welcome at HHSD, please realize we cannot provide all materials the athletes will need.  Please bring the following materials if any of your students require them: 
• Gloves
• Hand sanitizer
• Disinfectant
• Sunblock
• Changing mat/paper
• Straws
• Special eating utensils
• Home district coaches/teachers should be the direct contact for parents regarding questions for Special Olympics
• Please keep copies of everything you send.
• On this website, you will find all necessary dates, documents and forms with the exception of the initial letter of intent and event registration forms.

Event Registration Forms

Please note that event registration forms are separate from the Application for Participation/ Medical Forms. We will provide districts with a link to Event Registration forms to sign your student athletes up for specific events.   Each athlete will need to have a completed registration form submitted by Friday, December 16, 2022.  All sections of the form must be completed. Athletes may compete in up to three events.  Only students with a physical handicap may participate in PH races, Tennis ball throw, hit and release and wheelchair races. Please refer to the “PH Event Rules” and “Event Rules” for more details. If you have a new student join your program after December 16, 2021 who you believe may want to participate in Special Olympics, please contact us immediately. We will do our best to accommodate requests but may be unable to do so the closer we get to the event. 

Practice Attendance Sheets

All athletes must participate in 8 practices per season with their teacher/coach.  Each class must have a practice attendance sheet on file with the county.  Please keep copies for your records and mail this form to:

SOMC

980 Harvest Drive

Suite 203

Blue Bell, PA 19422

DO NOT SEND YOUR PRACTICE SHEETS TO HATBORO-HORSHAM

Registration Sheet Corrections

We will email your supervising coach/teacher the registration spreadsheet for your athletes as soon as we have processed all of the forms.  Please review it closely for accuracy.  Kindly look over each student for each event.  If there are errors, questions, or concerns, make sure you let us know by the due date.  We will be using the spreadsheet to develop heats and determine how many partners will be needed accuracy will be key.

Buddies/Partners

When requested, Hatboro-Horsham will provide a trained volunteer buddy for athletes. Buddies are anticipated to be high school students. Should an athlete require extensive behavioral and/or medical support, the home school must provide an adult staff member. 

Accommodations at HHSD

Each district will have a designated spot in the bleachers.  We hope to provide cooling stations and shade for the event. In addition, schools may bring pop-up tents.  Please follow district directions as to placement of such equipment.

Restrooms are available at our stadium.

Information regarding lunch for athletes, staff, and buddies will be provided closer to the event. As there no longer are free lunches for all students within the Commonwealth, lunches offered by the district are expected to have a fee connected to them.