Athletic Coaching

Walton County School District is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).  Persons who are not full time employees of the School Board and hold an athletic coaching certificate, issued by the state of Florida, may be recommended by the Superintendent and appointed by the School Board, on a contract basis, to perform designated secondary school athletic coaching responsibilities.  All WCSD coaches are required to have a valid educator certification or athletic coaching certificate.

The Florida Department of Education issues two types of Athletic Coaching Certificates; an initial 3-Year Temporary Non-Renewable Certificate and a 5-Year Renewable Certificate.

Requirements for a 3-Year Temporary Athletic Coaching Certificate

  1. Submit application and payment ($75.00) for Athletic Coaching online with the Department of Education at https://flcertify.fldoe.org/datamart.

  2. Submit fingerprint results to the FLDOE that are no older than one year. 

Requirements for a 5-Year Renewable Athletic Coaching Certificate

  1. Nine semester hours in athletic coaching to include the areas specified below. (For course access information go to Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (paec.org) or https://coacheducation.humankinetics.com/collections/632.

    . 

    • Three (3) semester hours in care and prevention of athletic injures and the dangers of drug use including performance enhancing drugs,

    • Three (3) semester hours in coaching theory,

    • Three (3) semester hours in theory and practice of coaching a specific sport, and

  2. A valid cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificate issued by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.  A CPR certificate or card issued by an entity approved by the Florida Department of Health is also acceptable. Effective 7/1/2024, the CPR course must include AED training.

  3. An application for a 5-year certificate made online at https://flcertify.fldoe.org/datamart which includes the fee of $75.00 and verification of the completion of the above-mentioned courses (official transcripts, certificate copies, etc.).

The 5-year Athletic Coaching certificate must be renewed every five years by submitting an application and fee.  However, if the course requirements have changed since the last certificate was issued, the applicant must complete the new requirements to be eligible for renewal of the 5-Year Certificate.

Athletic Coaching Agreement