Athletics

Information for PHMS Athletics

Athletic Director-Andrea Weaver weavera@pcsb.org

PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ATTEND PRACTICES OR TRYOUTS

updated 6/4/26   Stay tuned for dates, times and updated paperwork forms for fall tryouts

Sports and Approximate Season Start Times

All sports, except cheerleading, have one boys and one girls' team with players selected from the three grade levels during tryouts.

• Volleyball And Cross Country: August-October
• Cheerleading: August --December
• Basketball: November-January
• Track: January-March
• Flag Football: March-April
• NEW! Soccer TBA

Palm Harbor Middle School is in a competitive league, and playing time for all sports is not guaranteed.  It is left to the coach's discretion, based on practice and game performance, as to how much playing time is garnered by your child.

Eligibility Requirements for Tryouts

All students are required to fulfill the following requirements prior to tryouts.  Any student who does not meet all of the requirements, will not be eligible to try out.

**  The GPA requirement does not apply to incoming sixth-grade students during the first grading period.

• Current athletic participation form signed by the legal guardian
• Current student athlete expectation form signed by student and legal guardian
• 2.0 minimum GPA 
• Current $4.00 school insurance-student insurance must print receipt/ card
• Valid FHSAA sports physical and stamped/signed approval form dated after May 2026 (these are good for 365 days from the date of the doctor's signature)

Hard copies of all the paperwork listed above must be printed and taken to the 8th-grade office no later than 2 days before the date of tryouts for that sport. Paperwork that is already on file in the offices will not be accepted as proof due to Pinellas County regulations and liability.  The paperwork that is submitted will be kept on file for the year and is accepted for all middle school sports.  You do not need new copies for every tryout that is held during the 26-27  school year, but each student must submit a complete hard copy of each document outlined on the Athletic Participation Checklist.

Digital files of each of the required forms can be found on our PHMS webpage under athletics.

Transportation and requirements for driving students

The county does not provide buses for away games, and all schools rely on parent volunteers for transporting players to away game sites.  Upon completion of an away game, players are not provided a ride back to Palm Harbor Middle School, and it is the parents' responsibility to pick up their child from the away site promptly upon completion of the event. PCSB policy only requires coaches to remain at practice or the game site for no more than 30 minutes following completion of the event.

Because we depend on volunteers to drive, we are required to comply with county policies applicable to being with students when not in the presence of a school board employee.  All drivers must be Level II cleared by the county, and fingerprints and a background check are required.  For information regarding Level II screening, please visit www.pcsb.org.  Also, the proper amount of insurance coverage on your vehicle and passengers is required.  The volunteer and driving forms are in the front office, and there is a link here.  The form must be printed and brought back to the 8th-grade office no less than 1 week before travel.  Background checks and fingerprinting are completed by a third party and take approximately three weeks to complete.  Financial responsibility for background checks is the responsibility of each volunteer.  If you plan to drive for volleyball, which begins at the beginning of the year, please consider completing your Level II screening before the start of the school year.  When driving only your child, the forms are not necessary.