December 7, 2011
Hermitage, Tennessee
- Roll Call
- Approved Minutes of Previous Meeting
- Elected Dan Black as President and Mike Henson as Vice-President of the Legislative Council
- 2011 Regional Meetings
There were seven proposals for changes in the TSSAA Bylaws on the agenda for consideration.
a. Voted to table the proposal regarding the addition to Article I, Section 5 (Sponsored Sports) of the TSSAA Bylaws until March.
This addition would recognize Girls’ Wrestling as a fully sanctioned state-sponsored sport and awarded with state championships with individual and team awards given at a recognized state tournament.
b. Voted to deny the proposed change to Article IV, Section 8 (Sports Calendar) of the TSSAA Bylaws:
The proposal was for the starting time for football practice to be Monday, five weeks prior to the first contest.
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- Voted to deny the proposed change in Article II, Section 13 of the TSSAA Bylaws
The proposal was to amend the Bylaws to read as follows:
If the student has an athletic record for the previous or current school year in any TSSAA sanctioned sport, the student will be ineligible to participate in the sport(s) in which an athletic record has been established, but will be eligible to participate in other TSSAA sanctioned sports in which no athletic record has been established. The twelve months ineligible provision from the last date of participation will still apply to the student-athlete in the sport(s) in which the student established an athletic record.
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- Denied proposed change in Article II, Sections 12 and 13
Proposal was to delete Article II, Section 12d, which reads as follows:
The student is moving from a boarding school where they are a boarder to the school serving the territory where his/her parents live, or vice versa, provided the student has attended the school he/she is leaving for a minimum of twelve months and provided the principal at the school he/she is leaving indicates in writing that the move is not for athletic or disciplinary reasons. The move must be at the beginning of the school year. (Note: The school must be outside the day school territory of the boarding school.);
Proposal was to amend Article II, Section 13 by adding the following:
If a student transfers with an athletic record to a boarding school or from a boarding school, without a bona fide change of residence by his/her parents, the student will be ineligible for twelve months form his/her last date of participation.
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- Denied proposals concerning students playing independent basketball with teams and then coaches of independent teams coaching at that school.
Proposals were as follows:
(1) Student will be ineligible for one calendar year regardless of bona fide change of residence, if they play independent basketball (AAU, etc) with a high school coach and then transfers to the school where that coach (faculty or non-faculty) is coaching.
(2) TSSAA basketball coaches (faculty and non-faculty) will not be allowed to coach their own players or players from other high schools in independent basketball (AAU, etc.) during the off-season. This applies to rising 9th through 12th graders.
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- Voted to table the proposed change to Article III, Section 11 and Section 13 until March. The proposal was for the Bylaws to read as follows:
Section 11. All rulings on eligibility must be in writing, and the accidental, intentional or other use of ineligible players by a member school shall require that team victories in which the ineligible player participated are forfeited to the opponents; and any one or more of these additional actions may be taken:
(1) That individual or team records and performances achieved during participation by such ineligibles be vacated or stricken;
(2) That team or individual awards earned by such ineligibles be returned to the TSSAA; and
(3) That a fine for the playing of an ineligible player be assessed against the school, if deemed necessary.
Section 13. If an ineligible contestant competes in a meet, match or tournament and any violation of TSSAA rules occurs, all points earned by that student or by a relay team of which he/she may have been a member, in that meet or tournament are to be declared forfeited; and in team sports (baseball, basketball, football, girls’ soccer, soccer, girls’ softball, and girls’ volleyball) the entire contest is forfeited.
When a team plays an ineligible athlete in TSSAA tournaments or playoffs, all wins are forfeited, the team is removed from the tournament or playoff, and no team replaces that team in the tournament series. The penalty for playing an ineligible contestant shall be $50.00 per contest at the varsity level and $25.00 per contest below the varsity level, with a maximum fine of $250.00, provided it is voluntarily reported by the school, which is in violation, to the Executive Director. If it is not voluntarily reported by the school to the Executive Director, the penalty shall be $100.00 per contest at the varsity level and $50.00 per contest below the varsity level. Other non-monetary penalties may be assessed by the Executive Director based on all the facts.
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- Denied proposed amendment to TSSAA Bylaws Regarding Sports Calendar for the Sport of Wrestling. Proposed change reads as follows:
(1) To modify the sports calendar associated with wrestling to reflect the same language associated with baseball, girls’ softball, track and field, tennis, and soccer to read:
October 1 – October 31…Coaches may be involved in a coaching capacity with students in their school on non-school teams.
(2) To modify the sports calendar associated with wrestling to reflect the same language associated with baseball, girls’ softball, track and field, tennis, and soccer to read:
End of season until completion of school--Coaches may be involved in a coaching capacity with students in their school on non-school teams.
In addition, we propose that this amendment be limited to competitions sanctioned by USA Wrestling, National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) and AAU events.
5. New Business
a. Approved proposed change to Article I, Section 9(H) (Coaches) of the TSSAA Bylaws.
Article I, Section 9H (Coaches) be amended by adding the following language:
All coaches are subject to the TSSAA rules and regulations and must conduct themselves in a manner becoming of a coach and representative of the school. All coaches are responsible to the principal of his/her school. Coaches must realize that they have more responsibilities than the general public to understand the purpose of high school athletics and the principles behind the TSSAA rules, and they must maintain that level of understanding and purpose when dealing with the general public and students. Coaches must be paid entirely from funds approved by either the board of education, governing board of the school, Director of Schools, or the principal of the school.
b. Approved the proposed change to Article II, Section 7 (Repeating Rule) of the TSSAA Bylaws to read as follows:
A student who repeats the seventh or eighth grade and participates in
school athletic while repeating shall be ineligible to participate in athletics
in the ninth grade.
c. Approved the proposed change to Article I, Section 1 of the TSSAA Bylaws to read as follows:
Membership in the Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association shall be open to any school that terminates with the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade, both for boys and girls interscholastic athletic competition. Any school that terminates in the 6th grade may be a member of the TMSAA for the purposes of forming a cooperative program for their 6th grade students only. Schools with any combination of grades 6-12 will hold only one membership in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, but may compete in the Middle School Athletic Association, Junior High Division, and Senior High Division.
Any member school that withdraws from TMSAA membership must be an affiliate member for one year upon application to renew membership. Affiliate membership is defined as having rights of other member schools but not being allowed to participate in TMSAA tournament series.
d. Denied proposed changes to Article I, Section 9B and Article I, Section 9D of the TSSAA Bylaws
(1) Article I, Section 9B currently reads as follows:
Head coaches in football, basketball, baseball, girls’ softball,
and track and field must be full-time employees or a retired
educator (see #1 and #2 above) or meet the requirements
of subsection E.
Denied proposed change to Article I, Section 9B:
Head coaches in football, basketball, baseball, and girls’
softball must be filled by full-time employees or a retired
educator or meet the requirements of subsection E.
(2) Denied proposed change to Article I, Section 9D
Article I, Section 9D currently reads as follows:
Assistant coaches may be full-time employees, retired
educators, classified employees, or non-faculty coaches.
If a school is using a non-faculty coach as an assistant,
they are limited to three assistant coaches in football,
and two assistant coaches in basketball, baseball, softball,
and track. Two non-faculty coaches, one of whom may be
a head coach, may be used in golf, cross country,
volleyball, soccer, wrestling, bowling, and tennis.
Denied to amend Article I, Section 9D to read as follows:
Assistant coaches may be full-time employees,
retired educators, classified employees, or
non-faculty coaches. Non-faculty coaches may
be head coaches in the following sports: golf,
cross country, volleyball, soccer, wrestling,
bowling, tennis, and track.
- Discussion of Virtual Schools