ROUTING COPY FOR SCHOOL STAFF
Activities director/coach - please review items affecting
your _________ _________ _________ _________ _________
program & express your opinion to your school
administrator. _________ _________ _________ _________ _________
The purpose of the MSHSAA Questionnaire is to obtain a
consensus from member schools which will aid the MSHSAA Board of Directors in
determining changes in desired interscholastic regulations and in planning the
type of program the majority desires. When reviewing these items one must consider
how any change will affect not only a particular classification and/or activity
but the total interscholastic
program.
Please review the items listed below and provide your
opinion to your school administrator.
2009
MSHSAA ANNUAL QUESTIONNAIRE
QUESTION 1:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
Interest in New MSHSAA Activities: The MSHSAA Office receives contacts from time
to time regarding the public’s interest in activities that are not currently
under the jurisdiction of MSHSAA. In
some cases, these activities are sponsored by schools and competition takes
place interscholastically on a “club” basis – in other cases, competition is
not currently interscholastic. The Board
would like to receive feedback from the membership regarding your current
interscholastic participation in any of the following activities, so that
feedback can be provided to the inquiring parties.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to these questions.
Does
your school currently participate interscholastically in any of the following
activities?
a.
Bowling YES _____
NO _____
b. Chess YES
_____ NO _____
c. Cycling/Biking YES _____ NO _____
d. Fishing YES
_____ NO _____
e. Ice Hockey YES
_____ NO _____
f. Rodeo YES
_____ NO _____
If
the listed activity were to become an INTERSCHOLASTIC activity under the
jurisdiction of MSHSAA (through a vote of the membership), WOULD YOUR SCHOOL
PLAN TO REGISTER AND PARTICIPATE interscholastically in this activity?
g.
Bowling YES _____
NO _____
h. Chess YES
_____ NO _____
i. Cycling/Biking YES _____ NO _____
j. Fishing YES
_____ NO _____
k. Ice Hockey YES
_____ NO _____
l. Rodeo YES
_____ NO _____
QUESTION 2:
Submitted by the Volleyball Advisory
Committee and the Board of Directors
Volleyball - Three-out-of-Five Game
Match Format: The Volleyball
Advisory Committee has recommended that the Board of Directors monitor, via the
Annual Questionnaire, the support for eliminating the state association
adoption of using the two-out-of-three game match format for high school
varsity volleyball dual competition and follow the National Federation rule of
utilizing a three-out-of-five game match format. Currently, schools are allowed to play either
the three-out-of-five format or the two-out-of-three format at the varsity
level during the regular season in dual competition only (not in triangulars,
quads or tournaments). The MSHSAA
districts and state series will utilize the two-out-of-three game match format
until the majority of volleyball schools indicate they are interested in moving
to the three-out-of-five game match format.
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
REGISTERED IN BOYS OR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL may respond to these questions.
a. Is your volleyball team (girls or boys)
planning to play any three-out-of-five game matches during the 2009-10 school
year?
b. Would you favor utilizing the national high
school volleyball match format of three-out-of-five games at the varsity level
statewide during the regular season and for the MSHSAA Girls Volleyball
District and State Series?
QUESTION 3:
Submitted by the Track and Field
Advisory Committee
Track and Field: Method for Conducting the 800 Meter Run at
the State Championships: The
MSHSAA Track and Field Committee has recommended that the 800 meter run at the
state championships be conducted as two preliminary heats on Friday, with a
final race of eight runners on Saturday.
At the present time, the 800 meter run is conducted as a final race
only, with all 16 entries on the track at the same time. While the current method provides
head-to-head competition between all of the participants, the races tend to be
congested, often resulting in times that are slower than expected for state
championship competition. The committee
was supportive of changing to the preliminary/final method in order to improve
the quality of the 800 meter run performances at the state championships,
regardless if an 800 meter runner is entered in any other event in the
meet.
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
REGISTERED IN BOYS OR GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD may respond to this
question.
Would
you favor conducting the 800 meter run at the state championships as two
preliminary heats on Friday with a final race of eight runners on Saturday
beginning with the 2010 season?
QUESTION 4:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
Baseball – Class 4 Baseball experiment
to provide for a pitching staff:
This topic was brought forward by the Baseball Advisory Committee and
the Baseball Coaches Association to expand the baseball district and state
tournament series in Class 4 only on a trial basis. This trial in Class 4 would divide the
current 120 schools into 32 districts (24 four-team districts and 8 three-team districts)
in double-elimination competition. The
32 district winners would then compete in eight four-team sectionals in
double-elimination competition. The 8
sectional winners would then compete in 4 two-team quarterfinal best
two-out-of-three series with the four quarterfinal winners advancing to a
single elimination final four.
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
REGISTERED IN BOYS BASEBALL may respond to these questions.
a. Would you favor such an adjustment in the
state baseball tournament format?
b. If such an adjustment is made on a trial
basis, based on membership support, which type of trial would you prefer?
1) A trial in Class 4 only to monitor costs,
travel, loss of school time, etc. prior to expanding to all classes.
2) The trial should include all classes.
Page 2
QUESTION 5:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
Golf - Reduction of the number of
qualifiers for the State Golf Tournament from 120 to 96: The Golf Advisory Committee has recommended
reducing the number of players qualifying for the Boys and Girls State
Tournaments due to the excessively long rounds.
A contributing factor to the slow play is the high number of golfers on
the course at one time. Long rounds of
golf are not conducive to championship caliber play. The recommendation is to reduce the number
from 120 to 96 participants at the state final site in both boys and girls
golf. There are several different
proposals regarding how to accomplish this task. MSHSAA would like input from member schools
about their views on this topic.
If
the golf schools favor such as reduction, the qualifying procedures will need
to be altered in order to qualify 96 to state rather than the current 120
golfers. There are a variety of ways to
cause this reduction. The Golf Advisory
Committee recommends the following solution:
At the District Level each school may enter a maximum of four players in
team competition and all four scores would count for the team total. State Qualifiers would be the first place
team and the top eight individuals who are not on the qualifying team.
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
REGISTERED IN BOYS OR GIRLS GOLF may respond to these questions.
a. Would you favor the described reduction in
State Golf Qualifiers:
b. Would you favor the entry method of “play
four and count four” and take the top 8 individuals from each District to the
State Tournaments?
c. Would you favor the entry method of “play
five and count four” and take the top 7 individuals from each District to the
State Tournaments?
QUESTION 6:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
MSHSAA Constitution, Article III
(Membership) - Affiliate Registered Schools: Definition of a School: This item comes from the MSHSAA Board of
Directors in order to clarify the definition of a school for the purposes of
the Affiliate Registered School (ARS) Category.
Currently, the ARS category does not allow for home school associations,
home schools, or other non-traditional schools such as on-line schools, virtual
schools, etc. to register with MSHSAA for competition with full member
schools. MSHSAA has received a request
by an association of home schools to become an affiliate school. Home school associations generally have a
standard curriculum and maintain records on student progress, however, students
do not attend school at a school building and the association may not track
attendance in the same manner as MSHSAA member schools. The current requirements for the ARS category
as listed in the MSHSAA Constitution are listed below.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to this question.
Should
the definition of a school be expanded to allow an association of home schools
to become an affiliate registered member?
QUESTION 7:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
MSHSAA Constitution, Article III
(Membership) - Affiliate
Registered School:
Category for Junior Highs: This
topic has been discussed in the past at area meetings. The Board of Directors would like input from
member schools on interest to expand the Affiliate Registered School (ARS)
category to the junior high level.
Currently, the ARS category is only an option for high schools, and for
a two-year trial period. The membership
will vote on the 2010 Annual Ballot whether or not to keep this temporary high
school category. Adding the category
into the Constitution for the junior high school level would require a 2/3
majority vote of the membership on the Annual Ballot. Listed below is the wording for the high
school category, as the junior high proposal would likely be similar in
structure.
MSHSAA
CONSTITUTION ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP (Current High School Provisions for
consideration of Junior High School addition)
Section
6: Affiliate Registered School
A
school, which is not a member of the MSHSAA (…), may register as an Affiliate
Registered School (ARS). Affiliate
Registered Schools are not eligible for participation in the MSHSAA district
and state series. Once registered, such schools are eligible to compete with
member schools, at the discretion of each MSHSAA member school, during the
regular season under the following conditions:
a.
When participating with an MSHSAA
member school, the essential requirements of age apply as provided in By-Law
232.
b.
When participating with an MSHSAA
member school, only bona fide students, as defined in By-Laws 210, 211-b and
213, may participate.
c.
When participating with an MSHSAA
member school, all game officials must be registered by MSHSAA and hired in
accordance with By-Laws 160-163.
d.
When participating with an MSHSAA
member school, National Federation of State High School Association game rules
shall be utilized or game rule codes specified by MSHSAA for member school
competition (i.e. USTA for tennis, USGA for golf, etc.)
ALL MEMBER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
may respond to these questions.
a. Would you support amending the MSHSAA
Constitution to allow for Affiliate Registered Schools at the junior high
school level?
b. Would you support a 2009 Ballot item being
presented as a one-year trial, to allow the membership to finalize both the
high school category and the junior high school category on the 2010 Annual
Ballot?
QUESTION 8:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 107 (Junior High School
Cooperative Sponsorships) - Junior High Co-ops with Multiple Schools: The Middle Level Advisory Committee has
recommended that By-Law 107, Junior High Cooperative Sponsorships, be amended
to allow more than two junior high schools to cooperatively sponsor activity
programs. Currently, the maximum number
of schools that may come together to cooperatively sponsor a sport or activity
is two. This proposal is based on
requests received from areas that have multiple K-8 districts bordering a high
school district, and from school districts which already cooperatively sponsor
a program, but have a parochial elementary that sends students to the member
high school that they would like to include as well.
ALL MEMBER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
may respond to this question.
Should
a Junior High School be allowed to cooperatively sponsor sports and activities
with two or more neighboring junior high schools, as long as the
cooperative sponsorship meets the requirements set forth in By-Law 107?
QUESTION 9:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 212 (Citizenship) – Possible
revisions to By-Law 212 (Citizenship Requirements): This is a by-law that was edited last year to
simplify and clarify the citizenship requirements. Some member schools have suggested that the
word “accident” be eliminated from the law enforcement section of the by-law,
due to “fender-bender” type situations jeopardizing a student’s
eligibility. The MSHSAA staff has
interpreted the word “minor” this year to include tickets and traffic offenses
that do not rise to the level of a “Careless and Imprudent” (C&I) driving
offense, and do not include these four categories. The Board would like feedback from the
membership regarding the changes shown in the by-law wording below. The proposed change would remove the words
“minor” and “accident” and would add the words “to others” in regard to injury
situations. Moving traffic offenses
including or above the level of a C&I have been interpreted to affect a
student’s eligibility for activities.
“212.0 CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS
212.0-a Law Enforcement: (…) Minor m Moving traffic offenses
shall not affect eligibility, unless they involve drugs, alcohol, accidents
or injuries to others.
Page 3
(Question 9 Continued)
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to these questions.
Would
you favor the removal of the words “minor” and “accident” from the wording
describing “moving traffic offenses” that are held to the provisions of the
Citizenship Standard?
Would
you favor the addition of the words “to others” in regard to traffic offenses
that cause injuries, thereby excluding from by-law coverage those traffic
offenses that do not include drugs or alcohol, and where only the student in
question is injured?
QUESTION 10:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 213 (Academic Requirements) -
Academic Credit: What defines credit for academic eligibility? This item comes from the Board of Directors
to gather input from member schools to determine what types of credit should be
counted toward academic eligibility.
Currently, there is language that disallows correspondence courses to
count toward academic eligibility.
Further, as new opportunities for credit and credit recovery arise, the
Board would like the membership’s feedback regarding these options and how they
should be considered in regard to academic eligibility for activities.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to these questions.
a. Should internet classes through virtual
schools offered by and at the member school and which are completed no later
than the close of the semester be allowed to count towards academic
eligibility?
b. Would you favor allowing credits that are
pre-arranged and pre-approved to be accepted by a member school and which will
be placed on a student’s transcript toward graduation and are completed no
later than the close of the semester to count toward academic eligibility for
activities?
c. Should additional study be done to
determine what types of courses/classes/credits should be acceptable for
counting toward academic eligibility, in order to be consistent throughout the
state?
QUESTION 11:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 213 (Academic Requirements) -
Extra Credits Being Carried During a Normal Semester: Due to the expansion of credit recovery
opportunities for students, as well as virtual classes, correspondence courses,
etc. students have the opportunity to carry more credits than the normal or
maximum load for the student body. The
“maximum allowable classes in which a student can be enrolled” wording in
By-Law 213, Academic Requirements, was originally designed and has been
interpreted to be a standard number of classes based on the normal school day
and the academic system that the individual member school has selected (7-hour
day, block schedule, etc.) For academic
eligibility, a student must have earned credit in 80% of the “maximum allowable
classes” during the semester prior and must be currently enrolled and attending
80% of the maximum during the current semester of participation. However, with more credit opportunities for
students beyond the normal school day, this “maximum” may not really be the
maximum. The Board would like feedback
from the membership regarding the best way to calculate the 80% for students
taking “extra” classes/credits.
Currently, “extra” classes can be used toward academic eligibility if
too many classes during the regular school day are failed. However, this is not equitable when compared
to students only taking classes during the regular school day. For fairness and equity among all students,
either all classes being attempted (regular + extra) should be taken into
consideration when calculating the 80% or the “extra” classes should be
excluded from consideration and the 80% should be based on the regular school
day only. Consider the following
example:
EXAMPLE: Student A is taking 7 hours of credit-bearing
classes during the regular school day, plus two credit recovery courses in the
evening, each worth a half unit of credit.
At the end of the semester, Student A fails two of the courses being
taken during the day, but passes the two credit-recovery courses.
Current Policy: (See Question 14 on page 34 of the
Handbook) The two credit recovery
courses can be used to supplement the two failed courses, and the student would
have appeared to have passed 7 out of 7 classes for academic eligibility. However, when you consider what the student
actually attempted – 9 credit bearing classes, the student did not pass 80% (7
of 9 = 78%)
Option 1: Take all credit-bearing classes into
consideration when calculating the 80%.
In the example, 9 classes were attempted, 7 passed; the student did not
meet the 80% requirement. (This option
would require the Athletic Director to be aware of all extra classes that
student participants are taking to insure a proper calculation of the 80%, but
would be an accurate reflection of classes attempted and passed.)
Option 2: Only take the normal courses taken during the
school day into consideration when calculating the 80%. In the example, 7 regular classes were attempted
and 5 were passed; the student did not meet the 80% requirement. (This option would keep the 80% calculation
consistent for the entire student body, but may not as accurately reflect the
classes attempted and passed as would Option 1.)
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to these questions.
If
a student is taking additional classes beyond a normal load at school
(correspondence course(s), virtual course(s), credit recovery course(s), etc.)
as described above, how should the calculation of whether or not the student
has passed 80% be made?
a. All classes being attempted should be taken
into consideration, and the student should be required to pass 80% of the TOTAL
credits attempted.
b. The student should be required to pass 80%
of the classes being taken during the normal school day and the “extra” classes
should be excluded from all consideration (i.e. credits achieved in the “extra
classes” should not be considered either for or against academic eligibility.)
QUESTION 12:
Submitted by the Constitution Study
Committee
By-Law 213 (Academic Requirements) -
Dual Enrollment With Credit Being Placed on High School Transcript: Increase
the Limit: By-Law 213, Academic
Requirements, currently indicates that a student who is dual enrolled in high
school classes and in college classes being taken off campus with credit being
placed on the high school transcript, may only count up to one full credit
earned from the college classes toward academic eligibility and must be
enrolled in and regularly attending the remainder of classes at the high
school. The Constitution Study Committee
is recommending that the current limit of one full credit be increased to two
credits. This recommendation is due in
part to the increase in the academic standard from 70% passing to 80% passing,
but is also due to the increase opportunities for students to participate in
dual enrollment classes. The committee
sees these opportunities as beneficial to students and wants students to be
able to take advantage of these opportunities without activity participation
being detrimentally effected.
213.0 ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
213.0-a-5: Dual-Enrollment in College Classes:
(a)
For High School Credit: A student who is dual enrolled in college classes being
taken off campus with credit being placed on the high school transcript and
high school classes may only count up to one two full credits
earned from the college classes toward academic eligibility and must be
enrolled in and regularly attending the remainder of classes at the high
school.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to this question.
Would
you favor increasing the amount of credit (from one unit to two units) that can
be counted toward academic eligibility from dual enrollment in college classes
being taken off campus with credit being placed on the high school transcript?
Page 4
QUESTION 13:
Submitted by the Middle Level
Advisory Committee
By-Law 213 (Academic Requirements) -
Junior High School Academic Standard:
The Middle Level Advisory Committee has recommended and the Board of
Directors has approved that a proposal be placed on the Annual Questionnaire
concerning By-Law 213-c-1, Academic Requirements for Grades 7 and 8. Currently, a student may fail two scheduled
subjects and be eligible to represent his/her school in interscholastic
activities. The committee is proposing
an increase in this academic requirement, due to the recent change by the
membership in the high school academic requirement. The committee feels that the junior high
school students will be better prepared for the high school academic
requirement if they are allowed to fail no more than one scheduled
subject per grading period.
213 ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS:
213-c: Grades 7 and 8
213-c-1 Grading Period: A "grading period" is a period no
less than six weeks and no greater than nine weeks where progress is determined
and is reported to students/parents. A
student must have been promoted to a higher grade or a higher level in special
education at the close of the previous year.
However, any such student who failed more than two one
scheduled subjects, or failed to make standard progress in special
education, shall be ineligible the following grading period regardless of
promotion to the higher grade."
213-d Summer School – Grades 7 and 8 – A local
school district may reinstate the first grading period eligibility of a student
being promoted to the eighth grade who has failed more than two one
classes but no more than four three classes if the student
passes the appropriate number of core classes through secondary
school-sponsored summer school, as described below, and provided the following
requirements are met:
213-d-4 A student who has failed three two
scheduled subjects must pass at least one core class through secondary
school-sponsored summer school; a student who has failed four three
scheduled subjects must pass at least two core classes through secondary
school-sponsored summer school.
ALL MEMBER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
may respond to this question.
Would
you favor amending MSHSAA By-Law 213-c-1, 213-d, and 213-d-4 (as shown above),
to increase the academic requirements for students in grades 7 and 8, beginning
with the 2009-10 school year?
QUESTION 14:
Submitted by
the Middle Level Advisory Committee
By-Law 235 (Non-School Competition) -
Coaching During the School Year:
The Middle Level Advisory Committee has recommended that MSHSAA amend
By-Law 235 to establish criteria that would allow a school coach to coach
non-school teams based upon the level he/she is assigned to coach. Currently
the interpretation is based upon the school's membership status with
MSHSAA. Therefore, if a school has a
7-12 combined membership status a middle school or high school coach cannot
coach a nonschool team comprised of any student currently enrolled in that
school, or including a sixth grader that will attend that school the next
year.
235.2-c SCHOOL COACHES: If held during the school year but outside
the designated school season for the sport, a school coach of any sport may not
provide instruction/coaching in any sport to any student who is
enrolled in a membership level(s) for which the coach is assigned to coach
during the current school year or who will be enrolled in a membership level(s)
for which the coach is or will be assigned to coach during the next school
year. Membership levels: 7th
and 8th grades are considered as being within the Junior High
Membership Level; ninth through 12th grades are defined as being
within the Senior High Membership Level.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to this question.
Would
you favor amending MSHSAA By-Law 235.2-c (as shown above) to establish criteria
that would allow a school coach to coach non-school teams based upon the
membership level he/she is assigned to coach beginning with the 2009-10 school
year?
QUESTION 15:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Laws 235, 241 and
Board Policies - Contact with School Coaches/Directors: During the School Year
and During the Summer. This is a topic that has been
discussed for two years, through the Area Meetings, the Questionnaire, and via
special surveys. Sport opportunities,
beyond interscholastic competition, have continued to expand, and school
coaches now have greater access to their athletes during the summer due to
amendments to the non-school competition by-laws over the last ten years. Off-season has become very active for
non-school competition (leagues, shoot-outs, tournaments, etc.), as well as
camps and clinics, open facilities, weight training and conditioning programs,
especially for team sports. Non-athletic
activities have seen a rise in summer participation as well. Differences in the regulations governing each
of these separate areas cause confusion and frustration for administrators in
regard to oversight of their athletes/students and coaches/directors. Reports of violations by coaches are
regularly reviewed by the Board of Directors, due to lack of education by
schools and lack of knowledge by the coaches and athletes.
The
Board of Directors is considering a merger of the by-laws (By-Law 235, 241,
etc.) and policies that govern these various areas in order to simplify the
oversight of what can and cannot take place during 1) the school year, and 2)
the summer period. Rather than the
current structure, which defines each of these activities separately and
details specific restrictions and requirements for each, the Board is drafting language
that would create open periods, dead periods, contact periods and non-contact
periods.
The
following definitions are provided to assist you:
Summertime Dead Period (All Activities): A period of defined length in which no
contact takes place between school coaches/directors and students enrolled in
the member school, or who will be enrolled in the member school during the next
school year. Further, during the dead
period school facilities are not utilized by enrolled students in connection
with any sport or activity governed by MSHSAA.
The dead period is a “no school activities time”; no open gyms,
competitions, practices, conditioning programs, weight training; no activity
related functions or fundraisers, camps or clinics at school facilities or
sponsored elsewhere by the school; no coaches/directors or students may have
planned contact other than casual, normal community, non-activity contact. The school dead period must be the same for
all sports and activities. While there
may be sports activities during this time, they must not involve the school
coach, the school or school facilities for nine full consecutive calendar days,
beginning with a Saturday and ending with a Sunday. The dead period would be set somewhere
between the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and July 31.
Contact Period/Contact Days (Athletics
Only): The current allowances for sports contact during the school year
would not change significantly. The
school year is broken into two categories: during the school sport season and
outside of the school sport season. Summertime: During the period between the Saturday of
Memorial Day weekend and July 31 (approximately 67 days), coaches would have a
set number of “contact days” in which they could work with students enrolled in
the member school, or who will be enrolled in the member school during the next
school year. A day of contact is defined
as any date on which any coaching or instruction in the skills and techniques
of any sport takes place, regardless of whether activity-specific equipment is
used. Summertime activities shall
continue to be voluntary and not required directly or indirectly for team
membership. The Board is currently
considering an allowance of 25 days of contact during the summer period.
The
following questions will assist in determining what changes, if any, the
membership favors.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to these questions.
a. Would you favor a merger of By-Laws 235 and
241 and policies governing Non-School Competition, Camps and Clinics, Open
Facilities, and Out-of-Season Conditioning Programs in an attempt to simplify
governance and oversight by creating “open periods/dead periods” and “contact
and non-contact periods” outside of the school sport seasons?
Page 5
(Question 15 Continued)
b. Would you favor the concept of a Summertime Dead Period as described in the background
material above?
c. If a Summertime Dead Period is implemented
based on support by the membership, which of the following would you prefer?
1) A standard statewide dead period that takes
place during a pre-set period of nine consecutive days, or
2) A dead period of nine consecutive days to
be set individually by each member school, to be reported to MSHSAA and posted
on the MSHSAA website.
d. Would you favor the concept of an allowable number of Summer Contact Days, as described
in the background material above, as a replacement for the current by-laws
which restrict activities differently based on their “type” (i.e. camps,
competition, open facility, etc.)?
e. In regard to the specific number of
allowable Contact Days during the summer, as described in the background
material above, which statement below best describes your school’s
position?
1) 25 days would be an appropriate number of
Summer Contact Days
2) Coaches should have more than 25
Summer Contact Days
3) Coaches
should have fewer than 25 Summer Contact Days
QUESTION 16:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 236 (Foreign Student Eligibility)
- Foreign Students Living with a Sport Coach: By-Law 236, Foreign Student Eligibility,
restricts International Students and students on a Foreign Exchange Program from
residing with a school coach. If such a
student resides with a school coach, the student is ineligible for
activities. The MSHSAA Appeals Committee
and the Board of Directors have heard appeals for eligibility from students who
were residing with a school coach. The
Board is interested in the stance of the membership on this issue.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to these questions.
a. Would you favor limiting the ineligibility status currently prescribed by
this section of the by-law to only those sports in which that coach coaches,
rather than ineligibility for all sports?
b. Would you favor removing the section of the Foreign Student by-law that
indicates a student becomes ineligible for athletics if he/she is residing with
a school coach?
QUESTION 17:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 236 (Foreign Student Eligibility)
- International Students and Sports Eligibility: The number of international students
attending Missouri high schools has risen steadily and that number is expected
to continue to rise. An international
student is defined in the MSHSAA by-laws as a student that is not an American
citizen, and is not on a Foreign Exchange Program. Under By-Law 236, such students currently may
only participate at the sub-varsity level in athletics for their school
career. Unlike other eligibility
restrictions, this restriction to the sub-varsity level does NOT expire after
being enrolled for 365 days; these students are never able to participate at
the varsity level. These students are
usually “otherwise qualified” – meaning that they meet the essential
eligibility standards listed in By-Laws 210 through 219 (bona fide student,
academic standard, semesters, etc.) The
Board of Directors is encouraging the membership to consider merging By-Law
236, Foreign Student Eligibility, and By-Law 238, Residency and Transfer
Requirements, in order to treat all students similarly, and base eligibility on
defined and tested eligibility standards that speak directly to the development
of students and the principles of interscholastic activities. Under the proposed merger of these two
by-laws, a tenth exception to the transfer restrictions listed in By-Law
238.3-a would be added for students on a foreign exchange program, which would
allow for one year of interscholastic eligibility. Other students, such as international
students, would utilize one of the existing nine exceptions upon transfer into
a Missouri
member school.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to this question.
Would
you favor merging By-Law 236, Foreign Student Eligibility, and By-Law 238,
Residency and Transfer Requirements, in order to treat all students similarly
in regard to transfer eligibility?
QUESTION 18:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 238 (Residence and Transfer
Requirements) - Charter School Attendance Boundaries: All member schools, both public and
non-public, have attendance boundaries that determine eligibility under the
Residency Requirements set forth in By-Law 238.
Charter schools, by state law, have attendance boundaries as well, but
these are currently not addressed in the by-law wording. The Board is proposing that wording be added
to this section to speak to the Charter Schools.
238.0 RESIDENCE AND TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS
238.1-b. District - All member schools, both public
and nonpublic, shall establish defined geographical attendance districts for
athletic eligibility purposes. The
boundary for a nonpublic school attendance district shall be established by the
school’s governing board and shall include an area not to exceed a twenty-five
mile radius measured from the school principal’s office. A current map showing the nonpublic school’s
attendance district boundary shall be on file in the MSHSAA Office. Any subsequent change in the nonpublic
school’s attendance boundary must be reported to the MSHSAA Office no later
than February 1 preceding the school year the change is to become effective
since any change will be used in determining the eligibility of transfer
students. The boundary for a Charter School attendance district is set by
state law, but may be reduced at the school’s discretion. If thus reduced, a current map showing the Charter School’s attendance boundary shall be on
file in the MSHSAA office and changes must be reported no later than February 1
preceding the school year the change is to become effective.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS may respond
to this question.
Would
you support amending the wording of the Residency Standards in By-Law 238 to
include Charter Schools as outlined above?
QUESTION 19:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 293 (Limits on Participation) -
Academic Competition: Restriction of Non-School Competition During the Season. This item was presented by the Academic
Competition Advisory Committee. The
committee is proposing the same non-school competition restrictions that apply
in sports (as per By-Law 235, with exceptions in swimming, golf, and
tennis). Such restrictions would
disallow students on academic competition rosters from competing in non-school
competition during the season limits.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS WHICH ARE REGISTERED
IN ACADEMIC COMPETITION may respond to this question.
Should
non-school competition (participating in open events or against collegiate
competitors) in Academic Competition (Quiz Bowl) be restricted during the
interscholastic season?
Page 6
QUESTION 20:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Law 312 (District and
State Tournaments) – Basketball: Expansion to Six Classes
The MSHSAA Board of Directors is gathering input from member schools to
determine if basketball should expand to six classes. By-Law 312 stipulates that schools shall be
divided into a maximum of five classes for competition in district and state
athletic tournaments or meets in all sports. With the exception of Football and Wrestling
the number of classes in each sport is based on the number of schools entering
the state series in that sport as follows:
One Class—128 or fewer schools
Two Classes—129-192 schools
Three Classes—193-256 schools
Four Classes—257-514 schools
Five Classes—514 or more schools
The
procedure for grouping schools into classes for each sport is established by
the Board of Directors. Currently there
are 561 schools registered for boys basketball and 541 schools registered for
girls basketball and the “Standard Enrollment Breaks” are used to determine
classification. Under the standard
enrollment break system, all member schools are divided into five groups of
predetermined size, based on enrollment.
No recommendation has been made by the Board of Directors, the Athletic
Directors Advisory Committee, or the Basketball Advisory Committee as to how
classification breaks would be determined if basketball is expanded to six
classes, nor as to how the state tournament would be structured in order to
accommodate six classes.
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
REGISTERED IN BOYS OR GIRLS BASKETBALL may respond to this question.
Would
you favor an amendment to By-Law 312 in order to allow for an expansion from
five classes to six classes in boys and girls basketball?
QUESTION 21:
Submitted by the Cross Country,
Volleyball, and Soccer Advisory Committees
By-Laws 322 and 327 (Sport Seasons) -
Fall Sports Season: First Allowable Contest Date: The Cross Country, Volleyball, and Soccer
Advisory Committees have recommended that By-Laws 322.0 (Fall Sports Season)
and 327.0-a-1 (Boys Swimming Sports Season) be amended to change the first
possible contest date for cross country, field hockey, boys soccer, boys
swimming, and girls volleyball from the Monday of Week Number Nine of the
Standardized Calendar to the Friday of Week Number Eight (allowing contests to
be held three days earlier). The
Swimming Advisory Committee has not had a chance to review this item, since the
committee does not meet until March, following the Questionnaire deadline. With the proposed change, all fall sports
would have the same first possible contest date as football, except for fall
baseball, fall softball, girls tennis, and girls golf, which have a first
possible contest date of the Monday of Week Number Eight of the Standardized
Calendar. The above-listed advisory
committees were supportive of changing the first possible contest date for
cross country, field hockey, boys soccer, boys swimming, and girls volleyball
because such change would permit an additional weekend to schedule competitions
and would reduce the number of “first allowable contest dates” for the fall
from three to two, for ease of scheduling and monitoring for athletic/activities
directors.
“322.0 FALL SPORTS SEASON: The beginning practice date shall be no
earlier than the Monday of Week Number Six of the Standardized Calendar; the
first contest for all sports, except fall baseball, fall softball, girls
tennis, girls golf, and football, shall be no earlier than the Monday of Week
Number Nine; the first contest date for fall baseball, fall
softball, girls tennis and girls golf shall be no earlier than the Monday of
Week Number Eight; and the first football contest date for football*,
cross country, field hockey, boys soccer, and girls volleyball shall be no
earlier than the Friday of Week Number Eight; and the last practice or contest
shall be no later than the Sunday of Week Number Twenty-Two.” (*=football is currently under a four-year
trial period)
“327.0
SPECIAL SPORTS SEASONS
327.0-a
BOYS SWIMMING SPORTS SEASON
327.0-a-1: The beginning practice date shall be no
earlier than the Monday of Week Number Six of the Standardized Calendar; the
first interscholastic contest shall be held no earlier than the Monday
Friday of Week Number Nine Eight; and the last practice or contest shall
be held no later than the Saturday of Week Number Nineteen.”
Projected
dates for 2009-2010
First
Possible Practice August
10
First
Possible Contest for Fall Baseball, Fall Softball, Girls Tennis, and Girls Golf August
24
First
Possible Contest for Football, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Boys Soccer, Girls
Volleyball & Boys Swimming August
31 28
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
THAT ARE REGISTERED IN CROSS COUNTRY, FIELD HOCKEY, BOYS SOCCER, BOYS SWIMMING,
OR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL may respond to this question.
Would
you favor amending By-Laws 322.0 (Fall Sports Season) and 327.0-a-1 (Boys
Swimming Sports Season) to change the first possible contest date for cross
country, field hockey, boys soccer, boys swimming, and girls volleyball to the
Friday of Week Number Eight of the Standardized Calendar?
QUESTION 22:
Submitted by the Soccer Advisory
Committee
By-Law 325 (Spring Sport Season) – Spring:
First Allowable Contest Date:
The Soccer Advisory Committee has recommended that By-Laws 325.0 (Spring
Sports Season) be amended to change the first possible contest date for spring
sports, from the Monday of Week Number Thirty-Eight of the Standardized
Calendar to the Friday of Week Number Thirty-Seven (allowing contests to be
held three days earlier). The Soccer
Advisory Committee was in favor of this change because it would permit an
additional weekend to schedule competitions in the spring which is shorter than
the fall.
“325.0 SPRING SPORTS SEASON: The beginning practice date shall be no
earlier than the Monday of Week Number Thirty-Five of the Standardized
Calendar; the first interscholastic contest shall be no earlier than the Monday
of Week Number thirty eight; Friday of Week Number Thirty-Seven; and
the last contest shall be played no later than the last day of school except
for MSHSAA tournament series contests.
Projected
dates for 2009-2010
First
Possible Practice February
28
First
Possible Contest March 23
20
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS THAT ARE
REGISTERED IN BASEBALL, BOYS TENNIS, GIRLS SOCCER, BOYS GOLF, GIRLS LACROSSE,
SOFTBALL, TRACK AND BOYS VOLLEYBALL may respond to this question.
Would
you favor amending By-Laws 325.0 (Spring Sports Season) and to change the first
possible contest date for Baseball, Boys Golf, Girls Lacrosse, Softball, Girls
Soccer, Boys Tennis, Track, and Boys Volleyball to the Friday of number
thirty-seven of the Standardized Calendar?
QUESTION 23:
Submitted by the Tennis Advisory
Committee
By-Law 326 (Contest Limitations) –
Tennis: Shortening of Season in Order to Expand the Team Tennis Play-Offs: The Tennis Advisory Committee has recommend
that the State Tennis Tournament be modified beginning with the 2010-11 school
year for a two-year trial period. The
modification would reduce the contest limits for tennis by two matches, in
order to allow for a complete team tennis district and state series, in addition
to the individual tennis district and state series. The modification would expand the number of
districts from 8 to 16 per class, thereby reducing the number of teams in each
district. Each district would establish
a team district play-off bracket and conduct an individual tennis district
tournament. Team Tennis: Team districts would be conducted during
Standardized Calendar Week Number Fourteen for girls tennis and Week Number
Forty-Five for boys tennis. A team
tennis play-off system would take approximately one week to complete, and would
allow competitors to compete at the home court of the highest seeded team. The team district would be completed prior to
the Individual Tennis District Tournament.
The winner of each Team District Tournament would qualify to a four-team
Sectional Tournament, where the winner would qualify for
Page 7
(Question 23 Continued)
the
State Tournament. Individual Tennis: Individual Tennis Districts would be held
following team districts, and would no longer have a bearing on Team Tennis
qualification. The top two singles
players and doubles teams from each district would qualify to an Individual
Tennis Sectional, from which the two singles and doubles winners would qualify
to the Individual Tennis State Tournament.
In order to allow for such an expansion, the Tennis Advisory Committee
has recommended that the number of duals allowed during the season be reduced
by two as shown below.
326.0
ASSIGNMENT OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS TO SEASONS AND TEAM CONTEST
LIMITATIONS
326.0-a Fall:
8.
Girls Tennis ................16 14 matches & 3 tournaments or
14 12 matches & 4 tournaments
326.0-c Spring:
6.
Boys Tennis ............... 16 14 matches & 3 tournaments or 14
12 matches & 4 tournaments
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
REGISTERED FOR BOYS OR GIRLS TENNIS may respond to this question.
Would
you support a reduction in the match limits for boys and girls tennis in order
to allow for an expansion of the Team Tennis state play-off system, as
described above?
QUESTION 24:
Submitted by
the Middle Level Advisory Committee
By-Law 331 (Junior High School Sport
Season) - First Allowable Practice Date for Junior High: The Middle Level Advisory Committee has
recommended and the Board of Directors has approved that a proposal be placed
on the Annual Questionnaire concerning By-Law 331, Definition of Sport Season,
which would establish a first allowable practice date for seventh and eighth
grade teams that is based on the MSHSAA Standardized Calendar. The proposed date for practice to begin for
the junior high level is Monday of calendar Week Number Seven, which is one
week later than the first allowable practice date for the high school
level. Currently the sports season for
the seventh and eighth grade teams may be schedule at any time during the
period beginning with the second Monday preceding Labor Day or the first day of
classes, whichever is earlier. It should
be noted that this is not a required start day but a possible start date. Each school may start practice at a later
time but may not begin prior to the first allowable practice date outlined in
By-Law 331.
331.0 DEFINITION OF SPORT SEASON: Junior high school sports seasons shall be
twelve consecutive calendar weeks in length beginning with the first organized
practice with any part of a sports squad and ending with the last
interscholastic contest in the sport concerned.
(…) The sports season for the
seventh and eighth grade teams may be schedule at any time during the period
beginning with the second Monday preceding Labor Day or the first day of
classes, whichever is earlier shall begin no earlier that the Monday of
Standardized Calendar Week Number Seven, and ending with the last day of
school in the spring.
ALL MEMBER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
REGISTERED FOR AT LEAST ONE SPORT may respond to this question.
Would
you favor amending MSHSAA By-Law 331 (as shown above) to establish a first
allowable practice date for seventh and eighth grade teams which is based on
the Standardized Calendar, and which would be one week later than the first
allowable practice date for the high school level?
QUESTION 25:
Submitted by
the Middle Level Advisory Committee
By-Law 331 (Junior High School Sport
Season) - Junior High: Softball and Baseball: The Middle Level Advisory Committee has
recommended amending MSHSAA By-Law 331, Definition of Sport Season, to allow
junior high schools to offer two twelve-week seasons in the sports of softball
and baseball. This would reflect what is
currently available at the high school level, and would allow a school that
does not offer a fall sport (e.g. football) to participate in two seasons of
softball and/or baseball. The proposal
would disallow schools placing the two twelve-week seasons concurrently.
ALL MEMBER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS
may respond to this question.
331.0 DEFINITION OF SPORT SEASON: Junior high school sports seasons shall be
twelve consecutive calendar weeks in length beginning with the first organized
practice with any part of a sports squad and ending with the last
interscholastic contest in the sport concerned.
For the sports of softball and baseball only, a school may
participate in two separate seasons, each twelve weeks in length. The two seasons may not be held
consecutively. (…)
Would
you favor amending MSHSAA By-Law 331 (as shown above) to allow junior high
schools to participate in two twelve week seasons of softball and baseball?
QUESTION 26:
Submitted by the Board of Directors
By-Laws 540, 640 (Season Limits in
Speech and Academic Competition) - Definition of Summer: Some of the MSHSAA by-laws refer to “summer”
or “summertime” when outlining restrictions that may begin or end based on
school being “out of session for the summer.”
A concern has been raised regarding students being treated differently,
and not having the same opportunities, due to when their school starts and ends
classes. There are a variety of
activities and event offerings, some interscholastic and some non-school, that
take place over Memorial Day weekend. A
student, for example, that is still in school after Memorial Day, may not be
able to participate in activities that other students are currently able to
partake in because their schools are out of session at that point. In the original wording “summertime” was used
to eliminate the possibility of students missing class time. Events held over Memorial Day weekend may not
cause a loss of class time, due to the extended weekend. The Board is asking you to consider the
following proposal.
500.0 SPEECH REGULATIONS
540.0 SEASON LIMITS - No senior high school
interscholastic debate, dramatics, or speech events shall be held before the
second Friday in October nor later than April 1; however, teams or
individuals representing a school may participate in an interstate,
interscholastic event which may begin no earlier than the Friday of Memorial
Day weekend, only if the school has advanced from a qualifying event that takes
place during the aforementioned season.
District festivals shall be held no later than the last weekend in
March; and the state tournament shall be held no later than the Friday and
Saturday of Week Number Forty-Two of the Standardized Calendar
600.0 ACADEMIC COMPETITION REGULATIONS
640.0 SEASON LIMITS - No senior high school or
junior high school shall participate in an interscholastic academic competition
before the second Friday in October nor later than the date of the MSHSAA
District Competition, exclusive of the MSHSAA state competition, except to
participate in an summertime interstate, interscholastic academic
competition event which may begin no earlier than the Friday of Memorial Day
weekend, only if the school has advanced from a qualifying event that takes
place during the aforementioned season.
ALL MEMBER SCHOOLS REGISTERED IN SPEECH
OR ACADEMIC COMPETITION may respond to this question.
Would
you support the wording change listed above in order to allow all Missouri
students equal access to allowable interscholastic events held on Memorial Day
Weekend (or later in the summer) if they have met the requirements of the
applicable by-laws?
Page 8
QUESTION 27:
Submitted by the Speech, Debate, and
Drama Advisory Committee
By-Laws 540 (Season
Limits in Speech) – Flexibility in Scheduling Contests in Speech, Debate, and
Drama: The Speech, Debate, and Drama Advisory
Committee has recommended that By-Law 540.0 (Season Limits) be amended to
permit schools to participate in one interscholastic speech, debate, and/or
drama event, in addition to the MSHSAA state tournament, between April 1 and
the beginning of summer. The
recommendation stipulates that such an event must count as one of the student’s
eleven (11) allowable regular season speech, debate, and drama events for that
school year as per By-Law 262.0 (Limits on Participation) and must meet the
travel regulations per By-Law 530-d.
Currently senior high students cannot participate in interscholastic
speech, debate, and drama events after April 1, except for the MSHSAA state
tournament. As a result, Missouri students are
not eligible to participate in prestigious tournaments like the NCFL Grand
National Tournament and the Tournament of Champions, which are held during the
school year but after April 1. Such
tournaments provide students exposure to national level competition and to the
collegiate programs where scholarship considerations may be a possibility. The committee was supportive of amending
By-Law 540.0 so that students could have the option to utilize one of their
eleven regular season tournaments to participate in a tournament scheduled
between April 1 and summer, should a desirable opportunity exist.
"540.0
SEASON LIMITS: No senior high school
interscholastic speech, debate, or dramatics events shall be held before the
second Friday in October, nor later than April 1, except schools may
participate in one interscholastic speech, debate, and/or drama event in
addition to the MSHSAA state tournament, between April 1 and the beginning of
summer. Such event must count as one of
the student’s allowable regular season speech, debate, and drama events for
that school year as per By-Law 262.0 (Limits on Participation) and must meet
the travel regulations per By-Law 530-d.
District festivals shall be held no later than the last weekend in
March; and the state tournament shall be held no later than the Friday and
Saturday of Week Number Forty-Two of the Standardized Calendar.”
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS THAT ARE
REGISTERED IN SPEECH, DEBATE, AND DRAMA may respond to this question.
Would
you favor amending MSHSAA By-Law 540.0 (Season Limits) to permit schools to
participate in one interscholastic speech, debate, and/or drama event in
addition to the MSHSAA state tournament between April 1 and the beginning of
summer, as shown above?
QUESTION 28:
Submitted by the Academic Competition
Advisory Committee
By-Laws 640 (Season
Limits in Academic Competition) - Flexibility in Scheduling Contests in
Academic Competition: The Academic Competition
Advisory Committee has recommended that By-Law 640.0 (Season Limits) be amended
to permit schools to participate in one interscholastic event in addition to
the MSHSAA State Series, between the MSHSAA District tournament and the
beginning of summer, under the condition that the event must count as one of
the school’s fourteen (14) allowable regular season events for that school year
as
per By-Law 293.0 (Limits on Participation) and must meet the travel regulations
per By-Law 630-d. Currently, academic
competition teams may not participate in any events after districts and before
summertime, other than the MSHSAA sectional or state tournament.
“640.0
SEASON LIMITS: No senior high school or
junior high school shall participate in an interscholastic academic competition
before the second Friday in October nor later than the date of the MSHSAA
District Competition, exclusive of the MSHSAA state competition, other than
the following allowances:
a.
except to A school may
participate in a summertime interstate, interscholastic academic
competition event only if the school has advanced from a qualifying event that
takes place during the aforementioned season.
b.
A school may participate in one
interscholastic event following districts and prior to the beginning of
summer. Such an event shall count as one
of the school’s allowable regular season events as per By-Law 293.0 (Limits on
Participation) and must meet the travel regulations per By-Law 630-d.”
ALL MEMBER SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS THAT ARE
REGISTERED IN ACADEMIC COMPETITION may respond to this question.
Would
you favor amending MSHSAA By-Law 640.0 (Season Limits) to permit schools to
participate in one interscholastic academic competition event in addition to
the MSHSAA state tournament between the District Tournament and the beginning
of summer, as shown above?