FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2009
Board tables recommendations to amend Policy 6
ORLANDO - The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted today to table a recommendation to rescind or modify Policy 6, "Sports Season Guidelines", as well as another recommendation to allow varsity team sports to play two additional games, as long as they are participating in an FHSAA-sanctioned tournament.
Title IX was a part of the consideration of the original amendment to Policy 6 in April; however, new information was provided to the Board 24 hours prior to the June meeting questioning the reduction of sports with regard to gender equity.
"Our goal is to avoid litigation, but the Board took action to table the items and find a resolution to this situation," said FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing.
The Board elected Gulf County Superintendent Tim Wilder as President-Elect. Wilder replaces Florida Department of Education representative Pam Stewart, who will be moving to an administrative position in St. Johns County. John Newman will replace Stewart as the DOE representative to the Board.
In other action, the Board of Directors:
• Approved the revision of Policies 22-45 of the FHSAA Handbook.
• Ratified the reappointments of Carlos Artime, Johnny Thornton, Randy Acevedo, and Eric Hinson as members of the FHSAA Board of Directors.
• Approved the tentative budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
• Denied a request from the St. Johns County School District to waive the provisions of Bylaw 11.4.13 due to the reallocation of students and faculty to Ponte Vedra and Creekside High Schools, noting that those students may appeal to Section Appeals.
• Approved a recommendation from the Officials Advisory Committee to place, at the official’s association’s choice, a registered timer on a football playoff crew exclusively as a timer only, with no cost to the FHSAA or participating school for the alternate field official.
• Approved a recommendation from the Officials Advisory Committee to allow participants in the Student Official Program who are at least 16 years old to work middle school (6th-8th grades) and junior high contests (7th-9th grades).
• Approved a recommendation from the Wrestling Advisory Committee to require the home school to provide a bottle of disinfecting product for wrestlers and referees to spray the bottom of their shoes before taking the mat.
• Approved a recommendation from the Track & Field Advisory Committee that, when fully automated timing (FAT) is used in regional meets, the top three performances from each heat and the next two fastest times advance to the finals from the preliminaries.
• Approved a recommendation from the Athletic Directors Advisory Committee to require a minimum of two officials (referee and umpire) be required for all interscholastic basketball games, and that three officials be mandatory for a maximum of three boys’ and three girls’ varsity home basketball games at each school during the regular season, to be effective during the 2009-10 school year. Schools may exceed a maximum of three contests upon request if approved by the host school principal or his/her designee.
• Denied a recommendation from the Officials Advisory Committee to charge a timeout to the offending team if a second unsportsmanlike foul is committed.
• Denied a recommendation from the Officials Advisory Committee to prohibit timeouts taken by the leading team during the last two minutes in a mercy rule situation.
• Denied a recommendation from the Officials Advisory Committee to recommend a one-day clinic, other than FHSAA Clinics, for training purposes for one or more multiple associations.
• Denied a recommendation from the Soccer Advisory Committee to.revise the current bracket format to allow the district champion and district runner-up to meet in the region final game.
• Denied a recommendation from the Soccer Advisory Committee to make the rehydration timeouts in each half optional.
• Denied a recommendation from the Soccer Advisory Committee to discontinue use of the Double Dual System of officiating.
• Denied a recommendation from the Wrestling Advisory Committee to encourage state tournament organizers to use 12 mats instead of 10 so the tournament can be held in two days rather than three.
• Discussed a possible amendment to Policy 22, Summer Athletic Participation, for the use of helmet or pads during seven-on-seven scrimmages sponsored by or under the supervision of the school during the summer.
• Discussed relaxing the -3 rule to a -5 to -7 drop for bats in middle school baseball as a rule change, or developing a pilot project to research whether there are injuries due to the change in drop at the middle school level.
• Heard a report on district virtual schools.
• Heard a report on the C2C Online Database Management System, which will be used in a pilot program for volunteer member schools during the 2009-10 school year.
• Heard a report on the 2009 FHSAA governance election results.
• Heard a recommendation from the Wrestling Advisory Committee to establish a dual team tournament and an ad hoc committee to determine the logistical details, and schedule championships the week prior to the current district tournament.
• Heard a recommendation from the Wrestling Advisory Committee to encourage FHSAA staff to not extend the current contract beyond the 2011 season without making the FHSAA Wrestling Finals available for proposals to host.
• Heard a report from the Cheerleading Advisory Panel, recommending the 2010 FHSAA Cheerleading Finals be moved to February 8-9 to avoid conflict with FCAT testing dates; discussing possible future hosts for the Finals; implementing a region or section qualifier for teams advancing to the Finals, beginning in 2011; and creating divisions based on school enrollment, beginning in 2011.
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida. It has a membership of more than 750 middle and senior high schools, and sponsors postseason competitions to determine the official state high school champions in 30 different sports. The 16-member FHSAA Board of Directors is the executive authority of the Association.
Contact for media:
Cristina Alvarez
Director of Media Relations & Marketing, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 190
calvarez@fhsaa.org
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