The following are
questions and answers pertaining to the MSHSAA Constitution and By-Laws and/or
MSHSAA Board of Directors policy.
These are provided as an aid in interpreting the rules and regulations
which MSHSAA member schools have adopted.
If you have a specific area and/or question which you would like
explained, contact Dr. Kerwin Urhahn,
MSHSAA executive director. Your
attention is called to the fact questions and answers regarding interpretations
of the MSHSAA Constitution and By-Laws appear on pages 64-86 of the MSHSAA
Official Handbook.
Question 1: May our high
school basketball team scrimmage against an area junior college team or against
a local city league team comprised of high school age players? Answer: No in
both cases. A school team may compete only against teams representing an MSHSAA
member high school or teams from schools that are members of a like state
association. The only exception to this would be an alumni game when conducted
in accord with provisions of By-Law 302. This restriction applies to so-called
scrimmages as well as to games. (By-Law 101).
Question 2: We have a person
who lives in our community who has been involved in cheerleading for many years
but has never attended a college/university. Can this person serve as our head
cheerleading coach? Answer: Yes. The standards for athletic coaches
do not apply to cheerleading and dance team coaches. Any individual, however, hired to be a
school cheerleading coach who does not possess a valid professional teaching
certificate must satisfactorily complete an MSHSAA approved coaches
education program and sports first aid.
This is a prerequisite for approval to serve as a school cheerleading
coach at any level at any MSHSAA member school in a subsequent school year.
(By-Law 120)
Question 3: Do students participating in interscholastic
competitive/evaluative music and speech activities have to meet the MSHSAA
minimum essential student eligibility requirements? Answer: Yes. Some have assumed that since these
activities are generally a direct outgrowth of curricular programs the academic
eligibility standards would not apply. As long as a student is limited to
participating in a class setting during the regularly scheduled school day,
that assumption is correct. However, music and speech activities that are
conducted outside the regularly scheduled school day are considered to be
extra-curricular in nature. Any extra-curricular competitive/evaluative music
or speech event that involves students from two or more schools is considered
to be an interscholastic event. Students participating in
competitive/evaluative music or speech events must meet the MSHSAA minimum
essential student eligibility requirements. This would not apply to events that
are not competitive or evaluative, such as a parade that is not judged. (By-Laws 210-219)
Question 4: We have a
student who has been charged with a crime and a court date has been set a month
away. School officials have
received first hand information that the student may have committed the crime,
and the student admitted his involvement to the school principal and AD. However, the student is going to plead
“not guilty” at the present time. Should we suspend the student or allow
the student to play? Answer: The existence of first hand information
or an admission of involvement to a school official places you in a position of
knowingly playing a student who does not meet the creditable citizen
requirement at the present time.
The student should not be considered eligible until all matters have
been concluded within the legal system as well as the school. (By-Law 212)
Question 5: Our school uses NovaNET for credit recovery, remedial and enhancement. Credit earned will be placed on the
student’s transcript and count toward graduation. I would like to know if courses through NovaNET could also count toward a students
eligibility? Answer: A course through NovaNET
could count toward a student’s academic eligibility under these
conditions:
1.
The student is doing the work through the school.
2. The
work is all being done at a designated school site.
3.
Credit must be place on the student’s transcript no later than the close
of the semester in which the work was started. (By-Law
213)
Question 6: We have a
student who is academically ineligible the first semester. Our first semester
ends on January 19 and the second semester begins on
January 22. We have a basketball game scheduled for Saturday, January 20. When
may she begin competing in interscholastic basketball contests? Answer: In accord with MSHSAA By-Law 213-e, if
this student meets the academic requirement at the close of the first semester,
she becomes eligible the fifth day classes are attended the second semester. In
this specific case, she would become eligible to participate in interscholastic
contests on Friday, January 26.
Conversely, a
student who is eligible the first semester but who fails to pass courses
offering 2.50 units of credit or 70% of the maximum allowable credit whichever
is greater that semester may compete until the fifth day of classes of the
second semester. Using the semester dates above, a student in this situation
would become ineligible as of Friday, January 26. (Grades posted later would not mitigate
the use of an ineligible player after January 26.)
Exception:
If an interscholastic contests is
played before the formal opening of school and a student has become
academically eligible for the fall semester and is eligible in all other
respects he/she may be eligible to participate under this provision provided
the student is properly enrolled in the member school. (By-Law 213-e & f)
Question 7: Our school just
won the Class 2 State Softball Championship. Our Booster Club would like to donate
money to our school to enable the school to purchase a state championship
commemorative ring. Is this
permissible under the Amateur and Awards Requirement? Answer: Yes.
The Amateur and Awards Requirement does permit
the school to purchase an item of commemorative jewelry for each team member to
recognize a specific team accomplishment.
It should be noted that only the school may purchase the item. Therefore, the Booster Club must donate
the funds directly to the school for appropriate use as determined by the
principal. (By-Law 231)
Question 8: May a student participate in a non-school sponsored free
throw contest during a season he or she is representing his or her school in
the sport of basketball or in pass, punt and kick contests during a season he
is representing his school in the sport of football? Answer: Yes. The MSHSAA Board of Directors
interprets By-Law 235 as not restricting participation in non-school sponsored
contests involving individual skills of a team sport such as free throw
contests or pass, punt, and kick contests. This interpretation is based on the
fact these activities involve only individual skills of a team sport and, as
such, would not in themselves constitute a sport per se by normal definition.
(By-Law 235)