Criminal Charges and School Codes of Conduct

It's August and many student athletes around the country are gearing up for fall sports.  Ma'Lik Richmond is one of them.  Ma'Lik Richmond was adjudicated delinquent in March of 2013 of raping a 16 year old girl in Steubenville, Ohio.  Maybe you've heard about it on television, radio, or the internet; basically there was outrage everywhere.  He played in a scrimmage Tuesday.  Is this right?  Is this fair?  That a Tier II sex offender, who must register every 6 months for the next 20 years is permitted to participate on a school district-sanctioned sports team?  

At what point does a student's right to an education include extracurricular activities?  When I attended Mifflinburg High School in the early 2000's, if a student violated the Code of Conduct, or refused to sign it, they relinquished their right to participate in extracurricular activities.  And, to be fair, Ma'Lik Richmond was barred from these activities for the balance of last school year, after returning to classes January. 

Steubenville's student code of conduct prohibits many crimes, including the" unauthorized touching of another student," which may result in a suspension of 5-10 days or possible expulsion.  Herein lies the problem with student codes of conduct.  They only apply to actions that occur on school grounds or within extracurricular activities.  If we are using school attendance to prepare people for work, shouldn't we consider that workplaces can fire employees for their conduct outside of work?  We each represent our family, our schools, our employers wherever we go, and shouldn't that make us hold ourselves to a higher standard? Shouldn't student athletes, band/choir members, actors and actresses be held to a higher standard as well since they are representing their schools when they travel?

I don't have the answers, but it troubles me that the school has basically restored Ma'Lik Richmond's life to the same status it was prior to assaulting someone (besides the media attention, which cannot be controlled).  What about the victim/survivor?  Is her life the same?  I doubt it.

As an added note: if the NFL doesn't hold players accountable for committing violence against women, why should I expect high school sports to do so?

Here is another, more nuanced look at this issue by Jessica W. Luther.