New Mexico District Qualifier

for the 2026 National Tournament

Safety Procedures at Districts

Safety Procedures

In order to maximize safety and security and the tournament, the following procedures will be enforced.

1. All tournament attendees will check in at the designated station upon arrival.
   At Feb 14th Congress, this will be the foyer of the main entrance of the AA Library (south entrance.)
   At March 20-21 Speech & Debate, this will be the north entrance of the AA dining hall.
   
   

2. All attendees, including students, coaches, judges, and any other guest, will be given a badge & lanyard at check in.
   This badge must be visible at all times during the tournament. (During rounds, students may place these at their seats once being noted by the judge, and students do not need to wear them while speaking.)
   Any person unable to provide a badge will be asked to leave campus.
   These badges must be returned at the check-in station as attendees depart campus at the end of the tournament.
   
   

1. Coaches will submit a guest list ahead of check in by emailing Hannah, hflake@eastmountain.org .
   This list might include anyone not already listed as a tournament coach, judge, or competitor, such as non-judge chaperones, bus drivers, students watching but not competing, etc, in order to provide badges for approved guests.
   Coaches can add additional guests during the tournament, but these guests must be confirmed by a coach or they will be denied entry.
   *Awards: We know in the past that plenty of parents will show up for awards, and that they don’t always let coaches know before they arrive. However, we hope that parents will be understanding of our updated safety procedures in order to protect their children. Please ensure that even adults who are only attending awards at the tournament are aware that they need to be on the guest list, or they will be denied entry.
   
   

2. Coaches must have cell phone numbers for each student and parent chaperone.
   If school policy prevents coaches from having student cell phone numbers, coaches must confirm all students have access to and will check a group message app (like GroupMe) in order to ensure coach-to-student communication.
   
   

3. Coaches must have cell phone numbers for at least one parent/guardian of every student attending (both competitors and observers).