FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2007


Representative Assembly adopts membership reform, 5 other bylaw proposals

GAINESVILLE – The 10th Representative Assembly of the Florida High School Athletic Association today adopted six of seven proposals to amend FHSAA Bylaws, including a comprehensive revision to the article governing membership that will make joining and remaining a member of the Association somewhat tougher.

Proposal 1, which was adopted by a vote of 47-1 and takes effect immediately, requires the academic programs of member schools to be accredited by one of 14 different approved accrediting agencies. Current members that are not accredited by one of the approved agencies have three years to earn their accreditation. Likewise, members that lose their accreditation at any time during their membership have three years to reacquire it. Home education cooperatives, which are not schools and cannot be accredited, are exempt from the accreditation requirement.

The revised article also:

• Requires members to attend a compliance seminar conducted by the FHSAA staff once every three years.

• Requires members to conduct a self-study of their athletic programs once every five years.

• Requires newly joining schools to satisfy the requirements of a two-year provisional membership period before becoming eligible for full membership and the privileges that go with it. During this two-year provisional period, schools are not permitted to run for office, vote in elections or participate in state championship series competition. New schools that are formed by the consolidation or division of existing full member schools are exempt from this requirement.

• Allows the Commissioner and the Board of Directors to suspend or restrict a school's membership as an option to expelling the school from membership.

• Replaces the existing affiliate membership category with approved nonmember school status and requires that such approved nonmember schools to abide by all FHSAA eligibility rules when competing against member schools.

• Charges the Board of Directors with approving the membership of each newly joining school and the renewal of membership for each continuing member school every year.

"This comprehensive revision to the membership bylaws was proposed for one reason and one reason only – to protect the member schools of this Association and their student-athletes from those organizations and individuals who would attempt to exploit the privileges that go with membership in the FHSAA," Commissioner John A. Stewart said. "These reforms will better ensure that each member school is, in fact, a school with an athletic program rather than an athletic program disguising itself as a school."

Of the two-year provisional period, Stewart said: "Each year there are schools that join the FHSAA with no idea about what the Association is or stands for, or what the rules require; and, likewise, the Association knows absolutely nothing about them. Yet these schools immediately are provided the privilege to run for office, vote in elections and participate in the state playoffs. This two-year provisional period, for lack of a better term, is an engagement. It's an opportunity for us to get to know each other, understand each other and make an educated decision as to whether we really want to pursue a long-term relationship. It's in the best interest of the Association and, in the long term, its in the best interest of the school as well."

On six other proposals, the Representative Assembly took the following action:

• Adopted by a vote of 48-0 a provision that allows the Board of Directors, at the request of the Commissioner, to review the decision of a sectional appeals committee if the Commissioner believes it to be in conflict with other decisions rendered in similar cases, conflicts with FHSAA rules or greatly affects the proper administration of FHSAA programs. If the decision is reversed, no penalty is assessed against the school that benefited from the original decision while it was in effect. The provision takes effect immediately.

• Adopted by a vote of 48-0 a provision that allows the Commissioner to grant provisional eligibility to a student-athlete who suddenly becomes ineligible due to extraordinary circumstances that are beyond the control of the student, the parents and the school, if the time until the the next meeting of the sectional appeals committee will cause the student to miss all or most of the sports season in which the student participates. If the student's hardship appeal is not granted by the sectional appeals committee at the next meeting, the student will lose provisional eligibility but not penalty will be assessed against the school that allowed the student to participate while the provisional eligibility was in effect. The provision takes effect immediately.

• Defeated by a vote of 2-46 a provision that would have expanded the defination of a bona fide student of a school to include a student who has applied and been accepted to attend the school in the following school year.

• Adopted by a vote of 47-1 a provision that allows a student to participate in summer athletic activities sponsored by or affiliated with a school other than the one the student previously attended if the student has been assigned to or accepted by the school for the upcoming school year and no longer attends the previous school. Through such summer participation, however, the student establishes residence in that school for the upcoming school year and is not be eligible so far as residence is concerned in any other school in that school year. The provision takes effect immediately.

• Adopted by a vote of 42-6 a provision that repeals the comprehensive revision to the Association's residence and transfer rules that was adopted by the Ninth FHSAA Representative Assembly in January 2006. By repealing that revision, the Assembly reaffirmed the rules that existed prior to its adoption. The provision takes effect immediately.

• Adopted by a vote of 48-0 a provision adding licensed physician assistants to the list of medical practitioners who may administer an annual physical evaluation. The provision takes effect immediately.

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 750 middle and senior public and private high schools. The Representative Assembly is the body empowered to adopted revisions to the Association's bylaws. A two-thirds majority vote in the affirmative is required for the adoption of any proposed revision. More information is available at www.fhsaa.org.

Contacts:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org