“Extracurricular activities are a privilege, not a right,” said Mathews High School’s assistant athletic director Al DeWitt as he went on to explain to the Mathews County School Board a proposed new code of conduct for students taking part in VHSL sports and other activities.

Later during Tuesday night’s meeting, which was held in the MHS media center, the school board approved the code of conduct by a 2-1 margin, with two members—Linda Hodges and Bambi Thompson—not in attendance.

The new code seeks to provide uniform punishments for inappropriate behavior by student/athletes and others taking part in VHSL activities throughout the teams and seasons. It also seeks to address societal and technological changes, such as bullying and misuse of social media accounts, which have now become a part of what DeWitt called “a changing world.”

The code of conduct was developed by a committee of school administrators and others after consulting wi...