FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2006
FHSAA to revise international student policy, conduct 3-point shooting contest
GAINESVILLE – The FHSAA policy regarding international students and how it impacts immigrant students will undergo review and revision following discussions by the Association's Board of Directors, which met June 1 and 2 at Atlantic Beach.
The board also approved the establishment of a statewide three-point shooting skills competition in girls and boys basketball. Contingent upon procuring a corporate sponsor, participation will begin during district tournaments, continue in the regional tournament championship games and conclude at the FHSAA Finals in Lakeland.
The immigrant issue was thrust into the spotlight in May when it was discovered that three overage students had participated in interscholastic athletics at Immokalee High School in Collier County. All three students were immigrants who had provided false birth certificates to gain eligibility. The school did not file with the FHSAA Office the required form for international students on any of the three students because they were not classified as "international students" by Collier County School Board policy. Since then it has come to the attention that a number of other school districts are not filing the forms because of similar interpretations.
"Technically speaking, these immigrant students are international students according to our policy," Commissioner John A. Stewart said. "But therein lies the problem. Many immigrant students live here with their families, have lived here for years and have been in our public school systems during that time. In that regard they are not 'international' and our policy needs to be revised to redefine what an international student is.
"But regardless of how you define them, we – and by 'we' I mean the member schools – have to do everything possible to determine the correct age of these students. Our age rule, which says that a student is eligible until he or she reaches the age of 19 years 9 months, exists to ensure the physical well-being of all other student-athletes. We have to be certain that teen-agers are playing against other teen-agers and not against adult men and women. To that end, we also will be incorporating into the policy new guidelines for schools to follow in determining the age of these immigrant students."
Stewart added: "It is important that everyone understand that the FHSAA doesn't want to declare immigrant students ineligible, but we do want to make sure that ineligible immigrant students are declared ineligible."
Stewart expects a draft revision to the policy to be readied by July 1. It will be presented to the Board of Directors for adoption in September.
The three-point shooting competition will be the FHSAA's first venture into skills competitions, and will be patterned largely after the Illinois High School Association's highly successful three-point showdown.
"It will give girls and boys basketball players who are outstanding shooters and opportunity to showcase their skills," Stewart said. "It will increase participation opportunities for these student-athletes as well as promote the sport of basketball, both of which conform to goals that were adopted as part of the Association's strategic plan."
In other action, the Board of Directors:
• Elected Jeff Malloy, athletic director at Oak Hall School (Gainesville), as president of the Board of Directors for the 2006-07 school year. Richard Finlayson, principal of Aucilla Christian Academy (Monticello), was elected president-elect.
• Approved the Association's preliminary operating budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
• Approved an increase in state series admission prices in the sports of bowling, cross country and swimming & diving. Ticket prices to district bowling tournaments and district cross country and swimming & diving meets will increase from $4 to $5. Ticket prices to regional cross country and swimming & diving meets will increase from $5 to $6.
• Approved a recommendation of the Basketball Advisory Committee to eliminate “overall winning percentage” from the criteria used to break ties in seeding district tournaments in all team sports except football.
• Approved a recommendation of the Wrestling Advisory Committee to permit a wrestler, through his/her school, to petition to raise his/her minimum wrestling weight class by completing the appropriate form and submitting it to the FHSAA Office.
• Approved a recommendation of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to adopt guidelines that recommend a preseason practice schedule for fall sports with acclimatization and recovery periods to enhance the well-being of participating student-athletes.
• Approved a recommendation of the Athletic Directors Advisory Committee and an ad-hoc bowling coaches committee to adopt a revised format for competition in the FHSAA State Bowling Series that will combine tenpin scoring and Baker system in team competition, and head-to-head tenpin scoring in individual competition.
• Approved a staff recommendation to clarify that member schools cannot create and distribute merchandise or apparel at the site of FHSAA State Series contests without the approval of the FHSAA Office.
• Approved a staff recommendation to limit the number of names that may be submitted on an official state series entry list in each sport to the number of student-athletes who may actually dress in uniform for the competition.
• Approved a staff recommendation to conduct a two-year comprehensive review of and revision to FHSAA legislation. An eight-member task force comprised of FHSAA staff, board members, Representative Assembly delegates and an FIAAA-appointed athletic director will conduct the review and make recommendations for revisions to the Board of Directors and Representative Assembly.
• Approved a staff recommendation to amend the "Policy on Boarding Schools," to allow boarding students in schools that operate boarding programs that cannot meet the FHSAA's minimum enrollment provisions to compete in interscholastic competition provided the school's boarding programs meets additional requirements.
• Elected John Boston, athletic director at West Orange High School (Winter Garden), to the available public school seat on the Section 2 Appeals Committee.
• Tabled a discussion on amending “General Policies on Interscholastic Athletics,” to require the presence of automated external defibrillators at the site of every interscholastic athletic contest in which member schools participate until the Florida Department of Education provides the Association with an opinion as to the intent of legislation requiring the presence of such devices on public school grounds.
• Approved an exception to policies governing state series participation to allow Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland), a newly joining member school, to participate in state series competition in its first year of membership since it is absorbing much of the student body and staff of Evangel Christian School, which recently was closed.
• Denied the appeals of Community Christian School (Stuart), Boca Prep International School, Bay Point School (Miami) and Gulliver Preparatory School (Miami), all of which were seeking to have overturned decisions of the Commissioner regarding violations in their athletic programs and the penalties that were assessed.
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of more than 700 middle, junior and senior high schools.
The FHSAA Board of Directors is the executive authority of the Association, establishing guidelines, regulations, policies and procedures within the framework of the Association’s bylaws. The Board of Directors also has the sole authority over all terms and conditions of participation and competition in the FHSAA state championship series. The Board of Directors meets five times annually. Its next meeting is Sept. 24-25, 2006 at the Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building in Gainesville.
Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org
