Official Minutes of the
Florida High School Athletic Association
and Florida High School Athletic Association's Land Corporation
Board of Directors
Sunday & Monday, Jan. 27-28, 2008
Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building
Gainesville, Florida
Sunday, January 27, 2008 Appellate Hearings
Board Members Present:
Charles Bethel, Representative-At-Large, Miami
Bob Cotter, Athletic Director, Clearwater Central Catholic High School
Roger Dearing, Superintendent, Manatee County Public Schools, Bradenton
Richard Finlayson, Principal, Aucilla Christian School, Monticello (President)
Tom Greer, School Board Member, Osceola County School Board, St. Cloud
Eric Hinson, School Board Member, Gadsden County School Board, Quincy
Dave Horner, Athletic Director, Forest High School, Ocala
Jeff Malloy, Athletic Director, Oak Hall School, Gainesville
Chris McKeon, Principal, Columbus High School, Miami
Ernie Modugno, Athletic Director, Naples High School
Marcos Moran, Representative-At-Large, Miami
Dalton Sheffield, Representative-At-Large, Crestview
Daniel Sims, Superintendent, Jackson County Public Schools, Marianna (President-Elect)
Pamela Stewart, Deputy Chancellor for K-12 Educator Quality, Florida DOE, Tallahassee
Keith Summers, Principal, Blountstown Middle School
Greg Zornes, Assistant Principal, Largo High School
Also in Attendance:
John A. Stewart, FHSAA Executive Director
Cristina M. Alvarez, FHSAA Director of Membership Services, recording secretary
Dorothy W. Brunson, FHSAA Director of Eligibility
Samuel A. “Sonny” Hester, FHSAA Senior Associate Executive Director
Jamie C. Rohrer, FHSAA Director of Athletics
M. Denarvise Thornton, FHSAA Associate Executive Director
Shanell Young, FHSAA Director of Athletics
Leonard E. Ireland Jr., FHSAA General Counsel
1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 1:03 p.m. by the chair, President Finlayson, who also led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag. Members were present as noted above.
2. Welcome and announcements. Finlayson welcomed Board members to the meeting.
3. Overview of the Appellate Process. Finlayson and general counsel Ireland gave Board members an overview of the appellate process and how the hearings will proceed.
4. Appeals. The Board of Directors heard nine appeals with the following results:
A. Flanagan High School appealed the decision of the Executive Director to fine the school $6800, place its football program on administrative probation for the remainder of the 2007-08 school year and concludes at the end of the 2008-09 school year, and place its football program on restrictive probation, preventing the team from participating in the spring classic/jamboree in the 2007-08 school year, and participating in a fall classic/jamboree prior to the 2008 football season in the 2008-09 school year. MOTION by Dearing, SECOND by Greer to deny the appeal of the fine, but allow the Executive Director to decide on the probation. CARRIED.
B. Northwest Christian Academy appealed the decision of the Executive Director to fine the school $1000, place its football program on administrative probation for the remainder of the 2007-08 school year and concludes at the end of the 2008-09 school year, and place its football team on restrictive probation, preventing the team from participating in a spring classic/jamboree in the 1007-08 school year. MOTION by Greer, SECOND by Dearing to deny the appeal and uphold the decision of the Executive Director. CARRIED.
C. Jefferson High School appealed the decision of the Executive Director to fine the school $1500, place its football program on administrative probation for the remainder of the 2007-08 school year and concludes at the end of the 2008-09 school year, and place its football team on restrictive probation, allowing the junior varsity team to play a maximum of five (5) contests during the 2008-09 football season and the 2008-09 school year. MOTION by Greer, SECOND by Sheffield to deny the appeal and uphold the decision of the Executive Director. CARRIED.
D. Palmer Trinity High School appealed the decision of the Section 4 Appeals Committee to deny the hardship eligibility request for the benefit of student Ramme Haag. MOTION by Greer, SECOND by Dearing to uphold the decision of the Section 4 Appeals Committee. CARRIED.
E. Calvary Christian High School appealed the decision of the Section 3 Appeals Committee to deny the hardship eligibility request for the benefit of student Valintin Rogatkin. MOTION by Greer, SECOND by Sims to uphold the decision of the Section 3 Appeals Committee. CARRIED.
F. Trinity Christian High School appealed the decision of the Section 4 Appeals Committee to deny the hardship eligibility request for the benefit of student Crystal Connors. MOTION by Bethel, SECOND by Moran to reverse the decision of the Section 4 Appeals Committee. CARRIED.
G. Trinity Christian High School appealed the decision of the Section 4 Appeals Committee to deny the hardship eligibility request for the benefit of student Tacarra Morrison. MOTION by Bethel, SECOND by Moran to reverse the decision of the Section 4 Appeals Committee. CARRIED.
H. The Executive Director requested that the Board of Directors review the decision of the Section 2 Appeals Committee to grant the hardship eligibility request for the benefit of Shores Christian Academy student Michael Coleman. MOTION by Summers, SECOND by Malloy to reverse the decision of the Section 2 Appeals Committee that granted the student eligibility. CARRIED.
I. West Oaks Academy appealed the decision of the Executive Director to fine the school $26,550, place its athletic program on restrictive probation beginning immediately, ending at the conclusion of the 2010-2011 school year. MOTION by Summers, SECOND by Cotter to deny the appeal. CARRIED. A second MOTION by Summers, SECOND by Cotter to have West Oaks appear at the April Board of Directors meeting to defend its membership. CARRIED.
5. Adjournment. There being no further appeals to be considered by the Board the meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.
Monday, January 28, 2008 Business Meeting
Board Members Present:
Charles Bethel, Representative-At-Large, Miami
Bob Cotter, Athletic Director, Clearwater Central Catholic High School
Roger Dearing, Superintendent, Manatee County Public Schools, Bradenton
Richard Finlayson, Principal, Aucilla Christian School, Monticello (President)
Tom Greer, School Board Member, Osceola County School Board, St. Cloud
Dave Horner, Athletic Director, Forest High School, Ocala
Jeff Malloy, Athletic Director, Oak Hall School, Gainesville
Chris McKeon, Principal, Columbus High School, Miami
Ernie Modugno, Athletic Director, Naples High School
Dalton Sheffield, Representative-At-Large, Crestview
Daniel Sims, Superintendent, Jackson County Public Schools, Marianna (President-Elect)
Pamela Stewart, Deputy Chancellor for K-12 Educator Quality, Florida DOE, Tallahassee
Keith Summers, Principal, Blountstown Middle School
Greg Zornes, Assistant Principal, Largo High School
Board Members Absent:
Eric Hinson, School Board Member, Gadsden County School Board, Quincy
Marcos Moran, Representative-At-Large, Miami
Also in Attendance:
John A. Stewart, FHSAA Executive Director
Cristina M. Alvarez, FHSAA Director of Membership Services, recording secretary
Dorothy W. Bruson, FHSAA Director of Eligibility
Roberta L. Elkins, FHSAA Chief Financial Officer
Tamara J. Forrester, FHSAA Director of Athletics
Robert K. Hernberger Jr., FHSAA Director of Media Relations
Michael J. Herchel, FHSAA Network Administrator
Samuel A. “Sonny” Hester, FHSAA Senior Associate Executive Director
Paul K. McLaughlin, FHSAA Assistant Executive Director
Gary V. Pigott, FHSAA Senior Director of Athletics
Laurel M. Ring, FHSAA Director of Special Programs
Jamie C. Rohrer, FHSAA Director of Athletics
Sedeirdra L. Smith, FHSAA Assistant Director of Eligibility
M. Denarvise Thornton, FHSAA Associate Executive Director
Jack E. Watford, FHSAA Associate Executive Director
Shanell L. Young, FHSAA Director of Athletics
Leonard E. Ireland Jr., FHSAA General Counsel
1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 9:05 a.m. by the chair, President Finlayson, who also led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag. All members were present as noted above.
2. Welcome and Announcements. President Finlayson welcomed Board members and noted the absence of Board members Hinson and Moran.
3. Adoption of Agenda. MOTION by Dearing, SECOND by Horner to adopt the agenda for the meeting as printed. CARRIED.
4. Approval of Previous Minutes. MOTION by Greer, SECOND by Dearing to approve the minutes of the November 18-19, 2007 meeting with the change in Board member Summers statement about public and private schools. It should read, “Summers shared thoughts relative to issues concerning rural public and private schools.” CARRIED.
5. Report of the President. President Finlayson began his report by thanking his fellow board members on the appeals heard the previous day, reminding them how sometimes doing the right thing is hard, but to take each appeal on a case-by-case basis. He closed his report by offering his gratitude for the previous night’s dinner and hospitality.
6. Report of the Executive Director. Executive Director Stewart began his report by thanking the board for their dedication to the FHSAA. He commended the staff on an excellent fall state series, and informed the board that moving the football finals to Orlando was a positive step financially. Stewart informed the board of a contract extension for the football finals in Orlando, as well as extending the contracts for the FHSAA finals events at the Lakeland Center. Stewart informed the board of a sportsmanship program, wanting to make it a one-hour mandatory class for coaches as part of the coaches education program.
7 Report of the Executive Director Selection Committee. Finlayson recognized committee member Greer, who presented the following report:
A. Board member Greer presented the committee’s decision as to who the finalists will be for the position of Executive Director: Don Bridges, Jim Browder, Sonny Hester, and Sam Ward. MOTION by Greer, SECOND by Sheffield to approve the selection of finalists for position of Executive Director. CARRIED.
B. Board member Greer and Dearing presented the committee’s decision to give Counsel Ireland the authority to request the social security numbers and proof of the date of birth for all finalists. MOTION by Greer, SECOND by McKeon to approved the committee’s decision to allow Counsel Ireland the authority to collect social security numbers and proof of the date of birth for the finalists.
C. Board member Greer and Dearing presented the committee’s decision as to when and how the interviews of the finalists will be handled. On April 7, Counsel Ireland will conduct the interviews with the four finalists. After, the board members will rank each candidate one through four. The person with the highest points will be eliminated. The ballots will be counted again, minus the eliminated person. The person with the highest points will be eliminated, and so forth. The decision was made to allow the FHSAA staff to speak with the board members confidentially about their opinion for the executive director position. The board decided that Counsel Ireland and President Finlayson will create the contract for the new executive director. MOTION by Dearing, SECOND by Sims to approve the aforementioned process and decisions.
8. Report of the Finance Committee. Finlayson recognized committee member Sheffield who presented the following report:
A. Chief Financial Officer Elkins presented the FHSAA financial statements for the period ending December 31, 2007. MOTION by Sheffield, SECOND by Zornes to approve the FHSAA financial statements as presented. CARRIED.
President Finlayson noted that the Board is sitting as the FHSAA Land Corporation Board of Directors for item B.
B. Elkins presented the Land Corporation financial statements for the period ending December 31, 2007. MOTION by Sheffield, SECOND by Cotter to approve the Land Corporation financial statements as presented. CARRIED.
President Finlayson noted that the Board is sitting as the FHSAA Board of Directors.
C. Elkins presented three proposals to amend FHSAA employee policies with regard to paid time off. MOTION by Sheffield, SECOND by Greer to make provisions relative to maternity leave consistent with provisions already in place for leave related to injury or illness, to clarify that a leave form must be submitted after the fact if an employee is out unexpectedly for any reason rather than just because of sickness, to clarify that leave must be requested at least two weeks in advance if possible, to delete references to termination from provisions relating to giving notices of resignation, and to create a new provision stating that once a notice of resignation of given accrued leave may be taken only with the approval of the Executive Director. The board took no action on a proposal related to extended absences.
9. Report of the Governance Committee.
Finlayson recognized committee chair Sims who presented the following report:
A. MOTION by Sims, SECOND by Summers to approve the appointment of Sam Momary, principal of Hagerty High School (Oviedo), to fill the vacant public school representative seat on the Section 2 Appeals Committee. CARRIED.
B. MOTION by Sims, SECOND by Sheffield to approve the meeting dates for the 2008-09 Board of Directors, Sectional Appeals Committees, and the Representative Assembly. The dates correspond to this year’s dates with the exception of the 11th Representative Assembly. The Assembly must meet one week earlier to avoid a conflict with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is one week later. The board voted to table the Board of Director dates, but pass the Sectional Appeals Committee and Representative Assembly dates. CARRIED.
C. MOTION by Sims, SECOND by Greer to approve the random selection of schools to undergo a compliance review during the winter and spring sports season. A computer program randomly selected the 12 public schools and nine private schools for review. The selected schools were not named publicly in order to protect the integrity of the review process. CARRIED.
D. Senior Associate Executive Director Hester presented a report on compliance reviews conducted during the fall sports season.
E. Associate Executive Director Watford presented the proposals to amend FHSAA Bylaws, which were adopted by the Representative Assembly at its January 14-15, 2008 meeting.
10. Report of the Operations Committee.
Finlayson recognized committee chair Malloy who presented the following report:
A. Recommendations of the Cross Country Advisory Committee.
1. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation to require coaches meeting at regional meets be held 60 minutes, rather than 30 minutes prior to the start of the meet. CARRIED.
B. Recommendations of the Football Advisory Committee.
1. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation to propose a rule change to the NFHS that would prohibit “horse collar” tackles. CARRIED.
2. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to deny a recommendation to propose a rule change to the NFHS that would allow one controlled scrimmage against an in-state opponent during the second week of fall practice that is not more than three hours long and with officials present. CARRIED.
3. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation to propose a rule change to the NFHS that would add an automatic first down to the existing 15-yard penalty for a personal foul facemask violation. CARRIED.
4. MOTION by Malloy SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation to propose a rule change to the NFHS that would make a muffled punt that rolls into the end zone a touchback so that it is consistent with a muffled free kick (kickoff). CARRIED.
5. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to refer the request that the financial compensation paid by the Association to schools participating in the FHSAA Finals be reviewed on a regular basis to the finance committee. CARRIED.
C. Recommendations of the Golf Advisory Committee:
1. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Greer to approve a recommendation to require that each regional tournament have an FSGA/USGA official on site if one is available. CARRIED.
2. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation to advance from each regional tournament to the FHSAA Finals the first- and second-place teams and the two lowest scoring individuals who are not members of the advancing teams if they are within four strokes of the USGA course rating. The Athletic Directors Advisory Committee amended the recommendation to provide that the two lowest scoring individuals who are not members of the advancing teams must be within five strokes of the lowest scoring individual, rather than within four strokes of the USGA course rating, to advance. CARRIED.
3. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation to that high school golfers will be allowed to use pull-carts if they so desire. CARRIED.
D. Recommendations of the Swimming & Diving Advisory Committee.
1. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation amending existing provisions governing competitors with disabilities by authorizing the referee to make every reasonable effort to accommodate such competitors and to apply the rules and guidelines as provided by NFHS Rule 8-4. CARRIED.
2. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a recommendation to require the relay card procedure that is utilized at the FHSAA Finals be used at all district and regional meets. CARRIED.
E. Recommendation of the Girls Volleyball Advisory Committee.
1. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve a proposed rule change to the NFHS that would allow the head coach to stand in the libero replacement zone at any time to coach his/her players and to request that the NFHS permit the FHSAA to experiment with the proposed rule change. CARRIED.
2. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to deny a recommendation to increase the pre-match warm-up period from 15 to 18 minutes as follows: four minutes shared, six minutes visiting team, six minutes home team, two minutes serving shared. CARRIED.
F. Recommendations of the Officials Advisory Committee.
1. The Officials Advisory Committee has no recommendations pending before the Board of Directors at this time.
G. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Horner to approve an action on proposed amendment to “Policy on Unsportsmanslike Conduct” clarifying that unsportsmanlike acts may be penalized even if such acts do not result in ejection from a contest, imposing more severe penalties for second or subsequent acts of a gross unsportsmanlike nature, and providing a procedure for appeal of such penalties. CARRIED.
H. Associate Executive Director Thornton presented for discussion a proposed amendment to the “Policy on Unsportsmanlike Conduct” requiring all coaches who are ejected from contests to complete the NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching online course within 15 days of the ejection. The committee endorses with the change: “by the end of the suspension” instead of “within 15 days of the ejection”.
I. Thornton presented for discussion a proposed amendment to “Non-Faculty Coach Guidelines” requiring all non-faculty coaches to complete the NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching online course.
J. Thornton presented for discussion the possible need to modify the dates for regional tournament quarterfinal rounds in the state girls and boys soccer series due to the limited number of qualified contest officials.
K. Board member Horner presented for discussion a request by the FACA president Wilson Edwards relative to the televising of college football games on Friday nights. MOTION by Malloy, SECOND by Greer to allow Executive Director Stewart to write a letter to the conferences. CARRIED.
L. Executive Director Stewart proposed a discussion on possible FHSAA modification to the NFHS football rules, increasing the penalty for flips of “superman” dives into the end zone to include an automatic ejection of the offending player.
11. General counsel Ireland reported on lawsuits in which the Association is involved.
12. Comments and requests from members of the Board of Directors.
Several Board members offered their gratitude for the previous night’s dinner and hospitality, and shared their appreciation of staff’s efforts after having attended FHSAA fall championship events. Malloy thanked Executive Director Stewart for allowing him to travel to the NFHS meeting, explaining how he’s a big advocate of the softball pitching mound rule. Zornes was concerned about the changing of state series dates, especially the week of districts in Tennis. Finlayson suggested the date changes should not occur until the following school year. Modugno expressed how happy he was to see Mrs. Brunson back at work after her leave of absence. Cotter expressed his concern about the FHSAA soccer season being held during the club soccer season. Finlayson elaborated on how the next board meeting is an important one due to the interview process and voting on the new Executive Director. He explained that the interviews will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 6.
16. Schedule of upcoming meetings of the Board of Directors.
Stewart reminded Board members that the next meeting of the Board of Directors will take place at 9 a.m. Monday, April 7, 2008 at the Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building in Gainesville. Interviews for the position of Executive Director will be held on Sunday, April 6, beginning at 9 a.m. at the same location, with Appeals following. He also reminded Board members that the meeting schedule for the remainder of the 2007-08 school year is as follows: June 12-13, 2008 at the Sea Turtle Inn in Jacksonville Beach.
17. Adjournment.
With no further business to come before the Board of Directors, the meeting was adjourned at 12:06 p.m.