Click here to start questions.
CONSTITUTION
of the
The
name of this organization shall be the South Carolina High School League.
The
purpose of the League, a voluntary organization, is to formulate and maintain
policies that will safeguard the educational values of interscholastic
competition, to cultivate high ideals of sportsmanship, to develop and direct a
program which will promote, protect and conserve the health and physical welfare
of all participants and to promote uniformity of standards in all
interscholastic competition.
A.
Public high schools accredited by the State Department of
Education whose principal or superintendent, with the approval of the governing
board, agrees to conform to the rules and regulations of the League shall be
eligible for membership.
B.
Private high schools accredited by the Southern
Association of Secondary Schools whose principal or superintendent, with the
approval of the governing board, agrees to conform to the rules and regulations
of the League shall be eligible for membership.
C.
Junior high schools and middle schools accredited by the
State Department of Education and 7th and/or 8th grades housed in the same
building with a senior high school shall be eligible for associate membership,
provided they fall under the governing board of a member school.
The principal, with the approval of the governing board, agrees to
conform to the rules and regulations of the League.
D.
Any high school not accredited by one of the
above-mentioned agencies, and presently a member of the League, may retain
membership as long as it is approved by the Executive Committee of the League.
E.
All sections of the Constitution not so noted will apply
to members and associate members.
Section 2.
How to Join
A.
Application for membership shall be made in writing to the
coordinator of the region in which the school wishes to compete and to the State
Conference. Before being admitted,
the application must be approved by two-thirds majority of the schools in the
region and by the State Conference Executive Committee. The
League’s Executive Committee must grant final approval.
B.
If a school is unable to comply with the above, the
League's Executive Committee may accept the school as a Member-At-Large.
NOTE: An at-large member may
participate against other member schools. They
may participate for a state championship if it does not require qualifying
through the region.
C.
Middle and Junior high schools, under the control of the
local governing board, may obtain membership by applying directly to the
Executive Committee.
D.
A school becomes a member when final approval for
membership is approved by the League Executive Committee and upon payment of its
dues according to Article X,
Section 1.
Section 3.
Membership Renewal
A.
A school's membership is renewed upon payment of its dues
according to Article X, Section
1.
B.
If a school fails to pay its dues by the date due, the
school will be fined $50.00.
C.
If the dues and fines are not paid within thirty days, the
school will have allowed its membership to lapse
and will have to apply for membership under Section 2-A above.
D.
The League year shall be from July 1 to June 30.
A.
The officers shall be a president, vice-president and the
commissioner.
B.
The governing body shall be the Executive Committee
composed of the president, the vice-president, the immediate past president, and
the following:
1.
Four administrators (superintendents, assistant
superintendents, secondary principals or assistant principals) representing each
class and elected by their class delegates to the Legislative Assembly.
2.
The State Superintendent of Education or their
representative.
3.
An elected representative of the South Carolina
Association of School Superintendents.
4.
An elected representative of the South Carolina
Association of Secondary School Principals.
5.
An elected representative of the South Carolina School
Boards Association.
6.
An elected representative of the South Carolina Athletic
Coaches Association.
7.
An elected representative of the associate members.
8.
An elected representative of the certified game officials
of the South Carolina High School League.
9.
An elected representative of the South Carolina Athletic
Administrators Association.
10.
Up to three members at large, representing any three of
the above categories, may be appointed by the Executive Committee to insure
gender and ethnic representatives.
NOTE: Places a member of the SC Athletic Trainers Association
on the Activities Committee of the League. This
delegate does not have voting privileges on Executive Committee decisions.
C.
The president and vice-president shall be elected at the
annual meeting of the Legislative Assembly.
(The practice of the League is to rotate the presidency and
vice-presidency among classifications.)
D.
It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the
Legislative Assembly and all meetings of the Executive Committee.
A.
Superintendents, principals and other school
administrators of member schools shall be eligible to hold office in the League.
The president and vice-president must be superintendents, principals or
other school administrators at the time of their election.
B.
With the exception of the State Superintendent of
Education, the officers and the members at large, the term of office for each
executive committee member shall be four years. The terms of office for the members at large shall be two years. Elections shall be staggered so one class representative and at least one
association representative will be elected each year.
C.
An executive committee member, other than the State
Superintendent of Education and the members at large, shall not serve successive
terms in any capacity. After a
person has been off the committee for four years, they will be eligible to
return. This restriction does not
apply to the vice-president.
Section 3. Vacancies
on Executive Committee
A.
Should a vacancy occur in the office of the President in
the interim between Legislative Assembly meetings, the Vice-President shall
succeed him. Should any other
vacancy occur, the President, with the consent of the majority of the Executive
Committee, should appoint a successor.
B.
If an Executive Committee representative changes his
status so that he is no longer directly connected with the group which he was
elected to represent, he must relinquish his place on the Executive Committee
and a new representative will be selected in accordance with the above
provision.
A.
The Executive Committee will have four scheduled meetings
each year. They will be held on or
around August 15, November 25, January 15 and February 25.
B.
Other meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called
at the discretion of the President or at the request of any five members of the
Executive Committee.
Section 5. Power
and Duties of the Executive Committee - Appeals
The Executive Committee shall
have general supervision of the affairs of the League, deciding all questions
and performing all duties not provided for in the Constitution.
A.
The Executive Committee will have the authority to
interpret sections of the Constitution using notes and examples where
appropriate.
B.
The Executive Committee shall be the final authority in
all appeal procedures involving member schools.
1.
The State Executive Committee shall hear appeals from
conference executive committee decisions and protests between schools in
different conferences.
2.
The Executive Committee shall hear appeals to decisions
made by the commissioner. Decisions
of the Executive Committee shall be final.
3.
Appeals may be heard at any properly convened meeting of
the Executive Committee. Appeals to
be heard at regularly scheduled meetings on or around August 15, November 25,
and February 25 must be filed in writing seven days prior to the meeting.
4.
Any school granted a special meeting of the Executive
Committee to hear an appeal to a ruling shall pay the expenses of the meeting if
the ruling is sustained.
5.
The Executive Committee can grant reconsideration to an
appeal of its decision only if new evidence is shown that could not reasonably
have been known at the time the Executive Committee rendered its decision.
6.
When an appeal or reconsideration of a decision is
granted, the superintendent and principal of all schools involved in the matters
leading to the hearing shall be notified in advance of the hearing.
NOTE: In order to
obtain a new hearing based upon newly discovered evidence, the party seeking the
new hearing must establish that the newly discovered evidence:
1.
will probably change the result if a new hearing is
granted,
2.
has been discovered since the initial hearing,
3.
could not have been discovered before the initial hearing,
4.
is material to the issue, and
5.
is not merely cumulative or impeaching.
A
new hearing on the merits of the hardship will be granted if the newly
discovered evidence could not
have been discovered by due diligence prior to the initial hearing. "Due
diligence" is not to what the party actually discovered, but what he or she could have discovered had he or
she exercised ordinary care.
Newly
created evidence does not constitute newly discovery evidence. Newly created evidence is
evidence that was known or should have been know prior to the hearing but did not exist at the time of the
initial hearing and was generated thereafter.
The Executive Committee
Requires That The Following Procedures Be Used When Making Appeals:
A.
Each appeal request must be made in writing by the
superintendent or principal of the school(s) involved.
It must include the reason(s) for requesting the appeal and must contain
all the known facts pertinent to the appeal.
The information accompanying the request must be complete to the point
that it will be possible to reach a valid decision without further
investigation.
B.
Copies of the appeal brief must be supplied in advance,
either mailed or hand delivered, to the Commissioner, the members of the
Executive Committee and to all other parties involved.
All parties are to be offered an opportunity to appear before the
Executive Committee. If time is
short and the parties to be notified have not received copies of the appeal
brief, sufficient copies of the brief must be available to all parties by the
scheduled beginning time for the hearing.
C.
The school presenting an appeal will be limited to a
ten-minute presentation. In the
event that another school is present to present a refutation, the period will be
extended to twenty minutes, provided that school has requested time on the
agenda. If either school desires
additional time, it must apply in advance, stating the reasons why the
additional time is needed. An
administrator or school official must represent all schools.
D.
At the conclusion of the presentation, members of the
Committee will permit a brief period of time for specific questions.
E.
Persons presenting appeals should be businesslike in their
presentations and should refrain from socializing with members of the Committee
within the hearing room.
F.
Decisions by the Committee will be voted on in open
session after the presentation of the case.
Section 6.
Duties of the Commissioner
A.
The Commissioner shall be employed by the Executive
Committee who shall determine the term of employment, duties, salary and
expenses.
B.
The Commissioner will have charge of all funds of the
League and he or his designee will make a detailed report at the Legislative
Assembly of all monies collected and paid out by the League. He shall pay out all monies under instructions from the Executive
Committee, and shall furnish bond in the sum of $100,000.00. The League will pay this premium.
C.
The Commissioner shall have control of all contests, but
the Executive Committee can, for cause, overrule his decisions.
D.
The Commissioner may set aside the Constitution concerning
eligibility if special conditions exist.
Section
7. Special Conditions Eligibility
A.
Ordinary
cases of ineligibility shall not be considered as coming under the "special
conditions" eligibility category. Ordinary cases of ineligibility are
defined as those scenarios set forth and provided for in the Constitution.
NOTE: The rules and
regulations of the South Carolina High School League will be set aside only in extraordinary cases of
ineligibility which involve the existence of special conditions, which may include medical conditions or financial
conditions. Extraordinary cases of
ineligibility involving the existence of extraordinary circumstances is
defined as follows:
Extraordinary
Circumstances:
A.
Circumstances which are unforeseeable, unavoidable and
uncorrectable and which are completely beyond the control of the school, the
coach, the student, the parents, the immediate household of the affected
party, such that none of
them could reasonably have been expected to comply with the rule; and
B.
Are not the result of actions, in whole or part, by the
school, the coach, the student,
the parents, the immediate household of the affected party; and
C.
Cause the imposition of severe and non-athletic burden
upon the student and his/her
family; and
D.
Are circumstances
that are totally different from those that exist for the majority or even .a
small minority of students (e.g., usual maturation problems or family situations
that do not cause severe and abnormal emotional problems, and academic or
athletic deficiencies in a school's curriculum or extracurricular activities do
not constitute a hardship).
Medical Hardship:
A.
A long-confining illness, injury or
death that results in:
·
A change of the residence or the school attendance of the
student's immediate
household.
·
The significant interruption of the student's normal
progression towards graduation.
B.
Conditions which
produce severe and unusual emotional conditions which, in turn created a
debilitating personal non-athletic hardship which would have prevented a
reasonable student under similar circumstances from satisfactorily
completing a school year or would have prevented a reasonable student under
similar circumstances from remaining at the sending school.
C.
Injuries sustained in playing .a sport do not constitute
grounds for a medical hardship
grant of an additional year.
Illness,
injury, severe or unusual emotional conditions or other circumstances of a
similar nature must be verified in writing by .a licensed medical doctor (M.D.)
Financial
Hardship:
To
be eligible under a financial hardship, the following criteria must be met
A.
There must be a change in the financial condition of the
student's immediate household
that did not exist at the start of the previous school year; and
B.
The changes in financial condition must be non-temporary,
substantial and significantly beyond the control of the student and the
student's immediate household.
C.
Documentation
verifying the financial circumstances must be submitted with the petition (e.g. current &
previous check stubs, documentation from previous & current employer,
documentation from the South '
For
any hardship sought the facts surrounding the alleged hardship must be clear,
undisputed, and supported by appropriate documentation. In any application for
.a hardship under this Rule, the burden is
upon the party seeking the hardship to show
entitlement to a hardship by clear and convincing evidence.
1.
Each
request must be made in writing by the superintendent or principal of the member
school and contain all the facts pertinent to the case and demonstrating why the
request is not an ordinary case of ineligibility. An application form supplied
by the League Office will be used.
NOTE: Before submitting
.a Hardship Request, the submitting school should consider and determine
whether the transfer to, or decision to remain .at, the submitting school was the
result of any of the aforementioned occurrences or factors beyond the control of the student. The Request
should indicate which of the special conditions criteria are believed to be
applicable.
2.
The request must include sufficient data to
make it possible to reach a decision without
further investigation. All documents necessary to reach a conclusion on the request
must be attached to the request. In the event it is determined that a document
necessary to reach a conclusion was inadvertently omitted, the Commissioner may
contact the superintendent or principal to inform them that a conclusion cannot
be made based upon the information submitted or that the conclusion
will be adverse to the school without the supporting documentation. The superintendent
or principal may then supplement the request provided the supplementation occurs
within five (5) working days or two (2) days prior to the Executive Committee
meeting (whichever comes first).
B.
Rulings made by the Commissioner may be appealed to the Executive
Committee.
C.
The Executive Committee's cause for granting "special
conditions" eligibility shall be recorded
in the minutes of the meeting.
D.
Ignorance
of the rule on the part of the school shall not be considered sufficient cause for
setting aside the effects of the rule and shall not constitute a case of
ordinary ineligibility.
E.
The decision of the Commissioner (whether appealed to the
Executive Committee or not) or the decision of the Executive Committee to set
aside the effects of a rule shall not be considered as setting a
precedent for other cases of somewhat similar nature.
F.
The League may not set aside
the age rule.
G.
All parts of the
Constitution that are in conflict with this article pertaining to the Executive
Committee shall be null and void.
Section 1. Delegates
A.
The legislative power of the League shall be vested in a
Legislative Assembly, composed of delegates representing the membership.
B.
Each classification will have a maximum of eight delegates
including one from each region.
C.
Each classification will be permitted one vote for each
1,000 (or major part of 1,000) students represented by the class.
D.
Associate members will be permitted two delegates, each of
whom will have one vote.
E.
At the time of his election, a delegate to the Legislative
Assembly must be a superintendent, a principal, or a school administrator
officially designated as such by the governing board.
If the administrator is neither principal nor superintendent, he must
have at least six years experience certified by the State Department of
Education.
F.
By November 15,
delegates and alternates to the Legislative Assembly for the ensuing year shall
have been elected by all conferences and submitted to the Commissioner.
Failure to submit the delegate(s) by this date may cause the loss of the
delegate(s) for that year.
Section 2. Annual
Meeting
A.
The annual meeting of the Legislative Assembly shall be
held on or before the second Wednesday in April.
B.
The purpose of this meeting shall be to consider
legislative proposals and resolutions.
1.
Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be submitted
to the Commissioner by the principal or superintendent of a member school prior
to January 1.
2.
The Commissioner shall submit the proposed amendments to
the State Executive Committee for recommendation or non-recommendation prior to
January 15.
3.
Proposed amendments shall be publicized in the January
Bulletin of the League.
C.
The President and the Commissioner or his designee shall
be speaker and secretary respectively of the Legislative Assembly.
The secretary shall record the minutes of all Legislative Assembly
meetings and mail copies to each school.
D.
The Legislative Assembly, by majority vote, may edit any
amendment or resolution submitted for legislative action.
1.
A two-thirds majority shall be required for adoption of a
proposed amendment and a majority shall be required for the adoption of a
resolution.
2.
The President, in case of a tie vote, shall cast the
deciding ballot.
E.
A delegate must be present at the Legislative Assembly in
order to vote.
F.
Any delegate speaking must first give his name and the
school area represented.
G.
The League, as determined by the Executive Committee, will
pay expenses of the delegates.
H.
Any superintendent or principal who has submitted a
proposed amendment may speak to the amendment if he has made the request in
writing at least one week prior to the annual meeting of the Legislative
Assembly. The above presentation to
the Legislative Assembly is limited to five minutes by one person for each
proposed amendment.
I.
Robert’s Rules of
Order will govern the procedures of the Legislative Assembly, and the Executive
Committee will employ a parliamentarian.
J.
The Executive Committee will have the responsibility of
clarifying amendments by using interpretations and notes.
Section 1.
Classification and Membership
A.
The
membership will be divided into a minimum of three classifications determined by
enrollments in grades 9-12. The
enrollments used in the reclassification process shall be the 135 ADM for each
school in the year 2008-2009.
NOTE: The number of
classifications will be determined by the Executive Committee.
B.
Representatives of the schools in each class will meet and
determine the divisions that are necessary.
By vote of the Legislative Assembly, this may be delegated to a single
committee representing all classifications or to a separate committee for each
classification.
Section 2. State
Conference and Region Constitutions
A.
The Executive Committee of all conferences will consist of
the region coordinators and designated officers.
B.
At least 50% of the members of each executive committee
must be principals or superintendents.
C.
State Conference and region constitutions must be in
compliance with the League's Constitution and must be filed in the League
Office.
D.
Conference and region organization must be perfected and
reported to the Commissioner by May 1 of each year.
E.
Constitutions of new regions become effective the date
that the constitution is ratified if there is not an effective date written into
the document itself.
NOTE: No conference may take any action during a
reclassification period that will affect a new member without that member having
the opportunity to fully participate in that decision.
Section 3. Transfers and
Combinations of Schools
A.
A school may transfer from one region to another in the
same classification with the approval of a majority of the member schools in
both regions.
B.
A school transferring from one region to another will be
entitled to its share of any funds in the region, but may expect to pay a fee
equal to a member's share in the treasury of the new region.
C.
A school may also transfer from one classification to
another, but will need a majority vote of the Executive Committees of the
respective State Conferences in addition to the approval of the individual
regions involved.
D.
Two or more high schools under the same superintendent and
governing board may combine for any activity sponsored by the League, provided
the combination is approved by a majority vote of all schools in the region in
which they desire to compete and by the Executive Committee of the appropriate
State Conference as well as the Commissioner of the League.
1.
To obtain permission to combine, the principals of all
schools concerned must apply in writing to the region, to the president of the
conference in which they wish to compete, and to the Commissioner at least 30
days in advance of the planned combination, clearly stating the reason for the
combination.
2.
This must be done for each year that the schools plan to
combine.
3.
Combinations where the combined enrollment exceeds the
upper limits of a classification will be approved by the Commissioner for
regular season play only unless approved otherwise by the State Conference.
4.
For activities decided by open competition, only the
approval of the Conference Executive Committee is needed.
If a region champion is determined, the affected region must approve the
combination.
Section 4. Region
Championships
A.
When a majority of the schools in a region request a
championship in any activity, the region executive committee must provide a
method of elimination.
B.
No school will be forced to compete in any activity of the
League, but a school fielding a team shall play the teams required by the
region.
C.
If a region representative(s) is not declared by the
region executive committee, the Conference Executive Committee may declare a
region representative(s).
D.
When a committee arranging for elimination contests names
the teams to take part, the teams so named are released from any conflicting
games on their schedules.
NOTE: A contest having a bearing on a play-off position may
not be forfeited if it is possible to play the contest.
Section 5. State
Championships
A.
The Commissioner shall arrange schedules for region
representative(s) to play for State championships.
B.
The League shall sponsor and control all championships.
A championship shall be held in any activity in which more than half the
members taking part vote in favor of it.
NOTE: The League will sponsor a championship in each
classification that has a minimum of 12 of its schools participating.
If this requirement is not met, but a minimum fourteen schools in two
adjoining classifications participate in a sport with a majority of the number
coming from the higher classification, the League will sponsor a state
championship for the combined classification.
NOTE: Sixteen members must sponsor teams in a sport before an
open State Championship may be declared.
ARTICLE
VII - STUDENT ELIGIBILITY RULES
A.
A student who becomes 19 years of age prior to
B.
Refer to A-30 for Junior High and Middle School
limitations.
C.
The League's age rule
may not be set-aside under the special conditions section of the Constitution.
A.
Schools shall have on file a copy of an official birth
document for all student athletes. Any
questions on authenticity will be submitted to the League Office.
B.
Official birth documents must meet the following criteria:
1.
It must be an original certified document.
2.
It must be obtained from the state, county, or city
government in which the student was born.
3.
It must include the given and surnames.
4.
It must be legible and unaltered.
C.
Children born abroad may supply one of the following
documents:
1.
If born abroad of American citizens:
a.
Foreign Service Forms 240 or 545
b.
Department of State Form 1350
c.
Citizenship papers
d.
Passport
2.
If born abroad of alien parents who are now
a.
Immigration and Naturalization Service Form G-350
b.
Original Naturalization Papers
3.
If born abroad and still a citizen of a foreign country:
b.
Alien Card
c.
Passports issued in foreign countries
1.
Hospital Certificates
2.
Birth Notices
3.
Copies certified by Notaries
E.
Students participating in programs of member schools will
submit official birth certificates to their principal for approval.
Copies must be kept on file in the school.
A.
A student, while
participating, must be a full-time student as determined by guidelines set forth
by the State Department of Education. A
student who is repeating a course for which he has previously received credit
cannot count this course as one required for eligibility.
This is considered as monitoring a course.
B.
To participate in
interscholastic athletic activities, students in grades 9-12 must achieve an
overall passing average in addition to the following:
1.To be eligible in the first semester a
student must pass a minimum of five Carnegie units applicable toward a high
school diploma during the previous year. At
least two units must have been passed during the second semester or summer
school.
To be eligible during the
second semester the student must meet one of the following conditions:
a.
If the student met first semester eligibility
requirements then he or she must pass the equivalent of four, ½ units during
the first semester.
b.
If the student did not meet first semester
eligibility requirements then he or she must pass the equivalent of five, ½
units during the first semester.
|
In most cases on a
traditional or AB block schedule, the following example would apply: ·
If eligible first semester, must pass four
subjects
·
If not eligible first semester, must pass
five subjects
In
a 4 X 4 block schedule where units or ½ units are granted
at the end of the first semester the following will apply:
·
If eligible first semester, must earn 2
units If
not eligible first semester, must earn 2 ½ units |
2.
Students must satisfy eligibility requirements in the
semester preceding participation.
a.
Credits earned in a summer school approved by the State
Department of Education may apply for first semester eligibility. A maximum of two units per year may be used.
b.
Students eligible for a first semester sport will be
permitted to complete that sport even if it extends into the second semester.
Under the current League program, this will apply to participants in
basketball and wrestling in the high school and middle school programs.
3.
Handicapped students:
a.
Students diagnosed as handicapped and being served in a
non-diploma program shall be considered eligible for participation in
interscholastic activities if he/she is successfully meeting the requirements of
his/her Individual Education Plan.
b.
Students diagnosed as handicapped and being served in a
program leading to a state high school diploma must meet all eligibility
requirements previously stated for participation in interscholastic activities.
4.
A course that is dropped after the 20th day of a semester
with a failing average will be considered as a failed course when determining
academic eligibility for the following semester.
5.
Credit courses used for eligibility purposes must be
courses that are applicable as credit toward a state high school diploma. A
student may also use college credit courses provided the student has met or is
meeting all requirements for graduation.
6.
Academic deficiencies
may not be made up through enrollment in adult education programs.
7
A
maximum of two credit recovery units may be used toward eligibility, to include
the two units presently allowed in summer school.
The course would have to be accepted by the State Department of Education
for graduation and accredited by a certified teacher in that field.
To be eligible for recovery credits, the student must have received a
minimum grade of 60.
NOTE: Credit
recovery must be completed by the following dates:
Courses taken for first semester eligibility
- August 18, 2008
Courses taken for second semester
eligibility - March 9, 2009
C.
A student must not have received a high school diploma or
its equivalent.
D.
Academic requirements for students enrolled in the seventh
and eighth grades, including first semester 9th graders are:
1.
Students passing the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades by
academic promotion (not by social promotion or placement) are considered as
having met the requirements for academic eligibility for first semester.
2.
Students in grades seven and eight must be meeting the
school district promotion policy at the end of the first semester in order to be
eligible second semester. (Second
semester ninth grade students must meet League academic regulations.)
3.
A seventh or eighth grade repeater shall not be eligible
during a school year if academic requirements for promotion were met during the
previous year.
NOTE: A student failing the seventh or eighth grade is
eligible during second semester if he has satisfactorily passed first semester
work.
E.
Schools will follow the procedures outlined in the School
Administrators Guide, published by the State Department of Education, in
accepting or rejecting credits received by a student while the student is
enrolled in private schools, including home schools and/or out of state schools.
A.
FIRST SEMESTER:
1.
The first semester begins when classes convene on the
first day of the semester and ends when classes are dismissed on the last day of
the semester.
2.
A semester is half a school year.
B.
SECOND SEMESTER:
The second semester begins
when classes convene on the first day of second semester.
Second semester ends when classes are dismissed on the last day of the
semester.
NOTE:
Second semester eligibility begins when first semester ends and the student is
added to the certificate of eligibility form signed by the principal.
A.
A student must be enrolled in the school at which he
participates. If
a school district assigns students to a school in the same district and that
school has no athletic program, the district can request that these students be
considered as enrolled in the district’s school in whose attendance area they
live. This request must be made in
writing by the school district and must apply to all students assigned to that
school. This would be for athletic
purposes only. Enrollment is defined as actual matriculation (complete registration) and
physical attendance in classes for one day or participation in a contest prior
to either semester. Enrollment must
be continuous while participating.
B.
If an interscholastic contest occurs before the formal
opening of school, a student is eligible to represent the school if he attended
the school during the previous semester, or is living in the attendance area of
the school because of a change of residence on the part of the parent or legal
guardian and has formally registered in the new school.
1.
The student must be eligible in all respects.
2.
In case of a new student, he must be properly registered
in his new school and he must have been eligible by South Carolina High School
League standards to represent the school from which he transfers.
C.
If a student fails to enroll and attend classes for one
day by the eighth calendar day of the first semester, he will not be allowed to
take part in any contest of the League until he has been a bona fide regular
attendant for thirty calendar days. This
enrollment must be in the school in which he is in attendance or in the school
from which he was forced to transfer.
D.
A pupil enrolled in the eighth grade for the first time
and taking subjects offered in the ninth grade for credit toward a high school
diploma will not be considered as having enrolled in the ninth grade.
A.
A student must not participate under an assumed name.
B.
A student will become ineligible for interscholastic
competition at the end of the fourth school year from the time that he first
enrolled in the ninth grade. (Once a student enters the ninth grade, he/she has
eight consecutive semesters of eligibility.)
C.
A student must be enrolled in the seventh grade or above.
NOTE:
Students who have exceeded the eight semesters of eligibility or are in the
sixth grade or below may not practice nor participate with the schools’ teams
to include spring practice.
D.
With the exception of football, wrestling, and soccer,
eligible seventh and eighth grade students may participate on varsity teams.
E.
Participation on junior varsity and "B" teams
will be left to the discretion of the local school authorities.
It is recommended that teams below the varsity level be restricted to
students in the tenth grade and below.
F.
A student whose name appears on a school's football
certificate of eligibility shall not practice with nor participate on another
football team for which he has been certified.
This restriction includes tryouts. Violation
of this regulation will render the student ineligible in football for the
remainder of the present school year.
NOTE: Any student in the uniform of and permitted in the bench
area of one of the competing teams is considered as having participated.
G.
College tryouts during a sport season are prohibited in
that sport.
H.
Students will not be permitted to participate on teams
with the opposite sex, except that a girl may participate on a boys' team if no
girls’ team in that sport is offered.
I.
A student may
participate in only one football game in any one day.
Students participating in soccer and basketball will be restricted to one
game per day except they may play in two games in one day in an invitational
tournament. There must be a minimum
of one hour's rest between games.
J.
No school shall permit a team to take part in a contest
after its regular season or its elimination from the state play-offs.
An individual may not transfer to another school team still involved in
the regular season or play-offs if his/her team has been eliminated from the
play-offs or completed his/her regular season.
The Executive Committee may extend the regular season for non-contact
activities if in its opinion such extensions are in the best interest of the
students involved.
NOTE: Sub-varsity teams must complete their schedule prior to
the day of the first round of play-offs in that sport; exception: Class AAAA
football.
K.
No school shall permit out of season practice in any
activity that is not open to all students and mandatory for none.
A.
A student must reside in the State of South Carolina and
is expected to attend the high school which serves the attendance area in which
his parent or parents, or legally appointed guardian reside.
(Refer to page 15, Section 10 on Guardianship)
B.
A student shall always be eligible under the residency
rule at the last school where eligibility was established.
C.
An attendance area must be considered as an area set up by
the proper school authorities from which students in such area attend the high
school designated for that area.
A student establishes his eligibility when he is academically promoted
to and first attends school in the seventh grade.
He is eligible at this school and the school that it feeds until he
attends another school. A student
may establish his eligibility again when he is academically promoted to and
first attends school in the ninth grade provided he completes the eighth grade
in the same school district.
Note: Should
the feeder school (middle or junior high school under the governing board of a
member school) supply students to more than one high school, each student’s
eligibility on a high school team will be determined by the attendance area of
the high school in which he lives. The
residence must be in the school district of the middle school that the student
is attending.
A transfer student will be
ineligible for a period of one calendar year at the new school unless he
transfers under one of the circumstances set forth in subsections (A) through
(J) below and only if he meets the following two criteria irrespective of
whether he moves under one of the circumstances set forth in subsections (A)
through (J):
1.
The student must be eligible to represent the
school from which he transferred (see note)
NOTE: A transfer student must have been eligible to represent his former school
academically as well as eligible under any district, school or athletic policy
that was in place when the student transferred.
2.
The student must not have participated on an
outside team in which a coach or volunteer coach from the school the student is
transferring to coached or had input into the selection of the outside team. The
student would be ineligible in that sport only for one calendar year.
A. The
student and his parents must have a bona fide change of residence from the
attendance area of the former school into the attendance area of the new school.
A “bona fide change of residence” is defined as follows:
1.
The move must be with the intent of being
permanent.
2.
Under no circumstances can a family have two
residences for eligibility purposes.
3.
The head(s) of the family must make the
change.
4.
The entire household and furniture must be
moved into the new residence, which was
an unoccupied house or apartment.
5.
The original residence must be clearly closed
as the residence of the family and must not be used by the family.
NOTE: (Applies to the
above mentioned A1 thru A5) When parents are not separated by court
action and when they are residing in different places, the residence is
generally considered the residence formerly used by both parents. It is
difficult to determine intent when residences are of short duration. Therefore,
should the family move out of the attendance area before one calendar year has
passed, the student will be declared ineligible on the date of the move. When
there is doubt, the principal should present all facts to the League Office. The
League Office will decide on each case individually, considering the facts of
each case.
6.
If a student established residence with a
person other than a parent prior to enrollment in the seventh grade and this
residence is not broken, it will be considered the same as residing with a
parent. The student, after entering the seventh grade, will have a one time move
to a biological parent(s) and be given immediate eligibility.
7.
The transfer of school following a “bona
fide change of residence” must take place prior to the beginning of the
following school year. If a student transfers at any other time, he will be
ineligible for one calendar year.
NOTE:
If because of changes in attendance area lines by the governing board a
student's residence is placed in another attendance area, this will be
considered the same as a bona fide change of address.
8.
Emancipated students that transfer will be
ineligible for one calendar year.
B.
A
student legally transfers to another school in the same district at the
beginning of his/her 9th grade year provided the student and his/her
family live in the school district.
C.
A
student transfers from a nonmember school to a member school.
1.
The
student's parents must live in the attendance area of the member school.
2.
The
student cannot have participated in the sport in which he wishes to be certified
during the current school year at the school from which he is transferring. If a
student transfers from out-of-state to in-state with a bona fide change of
residence, this rule is not in effect.
3.
The
student must have been enrolled in the nonmember school for at least 45 school
days prior to transferring.
D. A
student who enters a high school IB or Magnet School program offered by the
school district in which the student lives will have a one time move to that
program and a one time move back to his/her home school without loss of
eligibility. Students entering the magnet program must do so as 9th graders
only. The move to or from these programs must be made the first day of school. A
move at any other time will require a one calendar year waiting period for the
student to be eligible.
E.
A
student, whose parents separate by court action or divorce and establish
residency in different areas, has the option of establishing eligibility with
either parent.
1.
The separation must be by court action,
signed by a judge or stamped by clerk of court.
2.
A transfer of schools must take place prior
to the beginning of the following school year.
3.
If an in-state student later transfers to the
other parent, he will have a one year's waiting period unless the change of
residence is necessary because of the death of the other parent.
4.
If the separation by court action and/or
divorce occurred prior to the student entering the 7th grade and has been for a
period longer than one calendar year, the student may move to the other parent
one time and be given immediate eligibility.
F.
A
student is placed by the courts in an orphanage or foster home.
1.
Written notice of the assignment must be
filed in the League Office.
2.
Transfer must be to the school in whose
attendance area the orphanage or foster home is located.
G.
A
student has parents who are citizens of the
H.
If
both parents are deceased, the student will become eligible on the day the legal
guardianship papers are recorded in the office of the clerk of court.
I.
If a handicapped student is assigned to
another school to take a special program associated with the handicapping
condition that is not offered in his home school, he will have immediate
eligibility at the new school.
J.
When
the option of attending a diploma granting vocational school exists and the
transfer is made at the end of the eighth grade, the student is eligible at the
diploma granting vocational school immediately. Students entering a vocational
school at any other time will be required to wait a calendar year before being
eligible.
A legally appointed guardian will have the same status as
a parent under the following circumstances:
A.
Both parents are deceased.
B.
Both parents reside outside the contiguous
C.
A student becomes a ward of the court and the Department
of Social Services assumes legal guardianship.
1.
In this case, the parents or former guardians retain no
legal rights to or control over the student.
2.
Foster parents will be recognized immediately.
D.
A student becomes the ward of an orphanage.
A.
Foreign exchange students may be granted eligibility for a
maximum of one calendar year from the date of enrollment provided they:
1.
Reside in the attendance area of the school in which they
are enrolled. Any subsequent
transfers must be according to League transfer rules in order to maintain
eligibility.
2.
Are part of an approved foreign exchange student program
that is listed by CSIET upon enrolling in a member school.
3.
Have been assigned to
schools by a method, which ensures that no student, school or other interested
party has influenced the assignment for athletic purposes.
4.
Have not graduated or were not eligible for graduation
from high school.
5.
Meet all other eligibility standards while a student at a
member school.
6.
Are submitted on a SCHSL FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT
ELIGIBILITY REQUEST FORM that has been approved by a member of the League Staff.
B.
A
1.
If the student did not receive credits for graduation
while participating in the exchange program, he will use the semester
immediately preceding enrollment in the program to meet the academic standard.
2.
The year spent in the exchange program will count as one
of the four allowable years of eligibility.
A.
A
student dismissed from or facing disciplinary action can return to his/her
original school and use credits earned in another school sponsored program in
his/her school district in order to meet the academic requirements for athletic
eligibility. This student will lose
eligibility for a minimum of 45 school days, inclusive of the days spent at the
other school-sponsored program.
NOTE:
Summer school days may not count towards the 45 days.
B.
A student under suspension from school may not participate
in an activity of the League.
C.
A student suspended from one school cannot transfer to
another school in order to avoid discipline.
D.
A student, who transfers from one school to another while
under expulsion or facing expulsion, shall be ineligible to participate in any
South Carolina High School League activity for one calendar year.
INTERPRETATION: Expulsion is defined as the dismissal of a student from
school by the board of trustees.
E.
A student shall not be ineligible for longer than one
calendar year for a single disciplinary violation provided the student meets all
other eligibility requirements.
A.
A student must maintain an amateur status.
B.
A student may not have competed for money or valuable
consideration other than prizes with symbolic value.
No participants may accept material awards in excess of actual expenses,
including hotel bills and transportation. The
word symbolic is used to mean that the award must have some relationship to the
sport being played. The following
are permitted when given by the school: regular letter awards of the school;
miniature gold and silver footballs, basketballs, track shoes or other similar
emblematic awards; sweaters or jackets; ribbons, banners, medals, trophies,
plaques, cups, etc., and banquets. The
following are not permitted: wearing apparel; service (such as board, laundry,
dry cleaning, etc.); membership in other than school letter organizations;
fountain pens or similar articles that have distinct economic value and may be
sold freely and easily on the regular market.
NOTE: If watches and rings are given, they must be symbolic in
value and shall not exceed $100.00.
NOTE: Student athletes who accept a nominal standard fee or
salary for instructing, supervising or officiating in an organized youth sports
program will not be in violation of this rule.
Awards or gifts given to golfers or tennis players such as
balls, shoes, rackets, or clubs are a violation of this rule.
Coaches are responsible for making this known to their players.
A.
The recruiting or proselyting of student athletes shall be
considered a violation of the spirit and philosophy of the rules and regulations
governing high school athletics.
B.
A student may not be subjected to undue influence or any
special inducement by any person, or group, in any attempt to entice him to
transfer for athletic purposes. Some
examples of undue influence are:
1.
Asked by a member of the school faculty or member of a
"booster organization" of a school to transfer from one school to
another.
2.
Financial aid for transportation, room, board or clothing.
3.
Promise of a job for the student and/or parent or
guardian.
4.
Special privileges given to parents such as employment,
free or reduced rent, etc.
5.
Promise of help in securing a college scholarship.
6.
Other privileges or consideration made to induce or
influence the student to transfer from one school to another because of his
athletic ability.
7.
Given any consideration
not afforded other students.
C.
Any student transferring as a result of recruiting or
undue influence may be declared ineligible for a period of one calendar year
from the date of the determination of the violation.
Any school adjudged guilty of being part of such undue influence shall be
subjected to disciplinary action by the League.
A.
AN INELIGIBLE PLAYER MUST NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY
INTERSCHOLASTIC COMPETITION.
This applies to any level of competition including
varsity, junior varsity, junior high, middle school, "B" and any other
teams representing a school. The use
of an ineligible player will subject a school to suspension, probation and/or
fine. Any student in the uniform of
one of the competing schools and permitted in the bench area is considered as
having participated in the game or scrimmage.
NOTE:
Any student that participates before fulfilling the requirements of a
mandated athletic suspension will be declared an ineligible participant.
B.
The following penalties will apply when an ineligible
student participates:
1.
The player will be dropped from the team immediately.
2.
All contests in which the ineligible player dressed will
be forfeited.
3.
All honors or individual points earned will be forfeited.
4.
The school will be reprimanded and fined $300.00.
C.
If a student is
ineligible according to SCHSL rules but is permitted to participate in
interscholastic competition contrary to such SCHSL rules but in accordance with
the terms of a court restraining order or injunction against his/her school
and/or SCHSL, and that injunction is subsequently voluntarily vacated, stayed,
reversed or finally determined by the courts that injunctive relief is not or
was not justified or expires without further judicial determinations, those
actions stipulated Article VII, Section 15.B shall be taken.
D.
If the school knowingly played the ineligible student, the Commissioner
may fine and/or discipline the school, program or team, to include fine, and/or
warn, probation, or suspension. In
lieu of the suspension, the Executive Committee may fine the school $2500.00 for
each ineligible player and place the program or team involved on probation for a
period of time not to exceed one calendar year.
A.
All students in each sport must be submitted on a
certificate of eligibility before being allowed to participate.
1.
Eligibility is the responsibility of the principal and the
principal must sign all eligibility forms.
2.
If there is any doubt about the eligibility of a student,
the case should be presented in written detail to the Commissioner.
3.
If an ineligible student is submitted on a certificate of
eligibility and the student does not participate, the school will be fined
$50.00.
4.
Initial eligibility forms containing at least the number
of students composing a legal team must be submitted to the League Office at
least seven days before the first regular season contest.
(A $25.00 late fee will be assessed to any school not meeting this
deadline.)
NOTE: If a school is participating in a preseason tournament
more than seven days prior to its first regular season game, the certificate of
eligibility must be submitted before participation in this tournament.
5.
The minimum number of
students necessary to compose a team are: Football - 11,
Volleyball - 6, Cross
Country - 5, Tennis - 3, Basketball - 5, Soccer - 11,
Wrestling - 7, Golf - 4, Track and Field - 6, Baseball 9, Softball - 9,
Competitive Cheer - 8, and Swimming - 6.
6.
Eligibility forms will be kept on file in the League
Office for five years.
B.
Each school will be furnished three posters summarizing
the League's eligibility rules. These
posters are to be placed in (1) the boys' dressing room, (2) the girls' dressing
room, and (3) a prominent thoroughfare in the school.
C.
Each school shall keep on file, a duplicate copy of all
submitted eligibility forms, a parent's permission record properly filled out
and a physical form properly completed by a licensed doctor of medicine or a
nurse practitioner in a written collaboration with a licensed medical doctor or
a certified physicians assistant in a written collaboration with a licensed
medical doctor.
1.
These forms must be on file for all participating students
regardless of level of competition.
2.
Forms can be found on the League website.
3.
A physical examination is valid from April 1 of the
current school year through the following school year.
D.
Special Form A must be sent to the League Office on each transfer
student who has not been enrolled in his school or feeder school for at least
one calendar year. The League Office
must approve all transfer forms before the student is submitted on a Certificate
of Eligibility.
E.
A Foreign Exchange Student Eligibility Request Form must
be approved by a member of the League Staff prior to submission on a certificate
of eligibility. Do
not submit Special Form A for foreign exchange students.
F.
The records of each school shall be open to inspection or
investigation by the Commissioner or his representative.
Any school failing to open these records for investigation shall be
subject to a fine not to exceed $100.00 and/or dismissed from the League for a
period not to exceed one calendar year.
Schools who violate any
of the preceding sections of this article shall be subject to a fine of not less
than $25.00 and not more than $2,500.00 and/or suspension for not more than one
calendar year.
Each school will furnish
the Commissioner a copy of all varsity sport schedules. Dates for submitting schedules are listed on page B-3. Schools that are late in submitting these schedules will be assessed a
$25.00 late fee.
A.
No school shall enter any contest with a
1.
Schools may play non-member private schools, parochial
schools and preparatory schools. This rule specifically forbids schools from
playing
2.
Schools may play teams such as college freshman, alumni or
textile teams provided these games are included on the regular schedule of the
school and inclusion does not cause the school to exceed the limits in number of
regular season games allowed.
3.
A game between the team of a school and a team composed of
faculty members of the same school is not considered an interscholastic contest
and would not come under this ruling. Such
game is legal provided it is played within one month after the conclusion of the
sport season.
B.
Any school who has reason to believe that another school
may be playing an ineligible student must notify that school and the League
Office immediately. Any school
knowingly playing against an ineligible player shall suffer the same penalty
that is imposed on the school playing the ineligible.
C.
No school shall allow its team to engage in a contest with
any school suspended for an infraction of the eligibility rules of the League.
D.
No school shall allow its team to engage in any
invitational or play-off event with a school placed on probation by this or any
other State Athletic Association.
E.
No school shall allow its team to engage in any contest
with a school involved in, or subject of, any litigation that prohibits the
League, its Executive Committee or its Commissioner from enforcing the
Constitution or Rules and Regulations.
A.
No school shall employ anyone as head coach in any sport
who is not at least a half-time employee in the school district, and who does
not receive his entire pay for coaching from the governing board of the school
district in which he/she is employed.
1.
Any coach who has retired from the South Carolina
Retirement System is exempt from this section provided he/she coached the sport
for at least ten years.
2.
Assistant coaches who do not meet the foregoing
qualifications must receive their entire pay for coaching from the governing
board.
3.
All responsibilities and control of the team must be in
the hands of the head coach or acting head coach and may not be delegated to an
assistant. Assistant coaches should
have the same qualifications as the head coach but it is not mandatory.
4.
Exceptions to the head coach policy may be made provided
the coach satisfactorily completes the coaches education program.
All requests for exceptions to the head coach policy must be submitted in
writing for approval by the League Office and:
a.
A letter giving the following assurances must be submitted
to the League Office for approval prior to this person assuming his or her
duties.
b.
The principal of the school certifies that there is no one
in the school that can fill the coaching positions.
c.
The principal assumes full responsibility for the person
appointed to fill this position.
d.
Any pay received for filling this position comes from the
governing board.
.
NOTE: Volunteer coaches must do nothing more than help coach.
If a volunteer coach becomes involved in any confrontation, the school
must assume full responsibility and have them removed from their coaching duties
for the remainder of the year in all sports.
B.
A school will not permit its athletic coach to accept a
gift if the gift is given as a part of a statewide promotion without the
approval of the Executive Committee or if the gift is given by external sources
as a means of advertisement.
NOTE: The Executive Committee strongly recommends that school
boards discourage large or expensive gifts to athletic coaches.
It is not the intent of this recommendation to discourage token gifts to
coaches by athletic teams.
A.
A school will not permit the use of photographic equipment
or the use of pictures made with such equipment in scouting the athletic events
of opponents except under the following circumstances:
1.
If the event is a regular season event and written
permission is granted by all participating teams.
2.
If the event is a play-off event and written permission is
obtained from all competing teams and the Commissioner.
B.
This section does not prohibit exchange of film or tape by
coaches.
A.
Inter-team scrimmages in all varsity sports shall be
limited to four pre-season scrimmages.
NOTE: Pre-season is interpreted as being prior to the first
regular season contest.
1.
An inter-team scrimmage is a scrimmage between two or more
teams not composed of students of the same school.
2.
Only eligible students may scrimmage.
3.
A school may hold an inter-team scrimmage on the eighth
day of legal practice.
4.
Schools will be permitted two junior varsity scrimmages.
B.
In all inter-team scrimmages, the following regulations
are to be observed.
1.
Total time for two teams is four consecutive hours, with
maximum scrimmage time of three hours. Total
time for three or more teams is five consecutive hours, with maximum scrimmage
time of four hours.
2.
No admission fee shall be charged or monetary collection
taken. Exception: Schools may charge
for one inter-team scrimmage.
3.
No official will be paid a fee for services.
Expenses may be paid.
4.
Coaches of either team may stop play at any time for
instructional purposes.
5.
Officials will be used if available.
If not, assistant coaches will be assigned to these duties to help
prevent injuries to players.
C.
Schools are permitted one intra-team scrimmage for which
admission can be charged without it being considered one of the four allowable
scrimmages.
No participation will be allowed in an out of state game
that is construed as a post season or bowl game.
A school will not permit its coaches, its facilities or
its students to be a part of any all-star game in which high school students
participate other than the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl Football
Game or the annual all-star games sponsored by the South Carolina Athletic
Coaches Association and the South Carolina Coaches Association of Women's
Sports.
NOTE: The
League does not claim jurisdiction over students following graduation.
However, because of the NCAA All-Star requirements and in order to
protect the collegiate eligibility of our graduates, football, basketball,
volleyball, softball, baseball, wrestling, golf, tennis and soccer all-star
games held by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association are approved.
A.
Failure to fulfill a contract properly signed by the
superintendent, principal or athletic director may subject the school to
disciplinary action. A contract
shall be the agreement of the parties concerned, reduced to writing and signed
by each school.
1.
Schools will not make contracts for more than two years.
Any contract made for more than two years will not be valid.
2.
Official contract forms may be obtained from the League
Office or from the web page.
B.
So that opponents will know the grade level of the various
teams sponsored by a member school, the member school will issue contracts and
designate the top grade level permitted on the non-varsity teams for football,
wrestling, and soccer. (Example:
Junior Varsity--tenth grade and under.)
C.
The Commissioner will not enforce oral contracts or oral
agreements to changes in written contracts.
NOTE: The Executive Committee considers it a breach of
contract and unsportsmanlike conduct when a school official removes a team from
the playing area before a game is completed.
Section 9. School's Responsibility For Safety and Conduct
A.
A school shall be responsible for the conduct of its
coaches and players and shall provide ample police protection for all games.
1.
If few spectators and no spectator problems are expected,
uniformed policemen may not be required for sports other than varsity football
and varsity basketball.
2.
It is urged that a fence or wall enclose the football
field to aid the officials in the administration of the game.
NOTE: The
Executive Committee strongly recommends that schools reserve and designate
certain sections as visitors' seats. These
should be good seats on the opposite side of the playing area from the home
fans. Home fans should be restricted
from roaming or standing in front of the visitors stands and vice versa.
3.
It is the responsibility of the host school to furnish
clean and sanitary dressing room accommodations for the visiting school.
A school failing to furnish adequate dressing facilities will be reported
to the League Office.
B.
Only authorized persons are permitted in the team's bench
area and the school is held responsible for the actions of all the persons
permitted in this area whether it be coach, physician, cheerleader, student or
spectator.
C.
In case of unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the
coaches, school officials, players, students or spectators of a school, the
school will be subject to discipline by the Commissioner consisting of a warning
or reprimand, probation not to exceed a year and/or a fine not to exceed
$300.00.
D.
In cases of more serious unsportsmanlike actions, the
Executive Committee may discipline the school by a fine not to exceed $2,500.00
and/or suspension from the League not to exceed one year.
Schools who violate any
of the preceding sections of this article may be subject to a fine of not less
than $25.00 and not more than $2,500.00 and/or suspension for not more than one
calendar year.
The League's Statement of Policy concerning unsportsmanlike conduct is on
page A-25.
Section 1. Protests
For the purpose of this section, a protest is an objection
to the outcome of a contest or to the eligibility of a student.
Protests involving sport rules will be heard only in those sports that
allow protests by state adopted rules. NOTE:
This currently applies to baseball and softball only.
Section 2. Procedures
for Filing Protests
A.
Protests based on eligibility and protests between schools
of different regions will be ruled on by the Commissioner.
B.
Protests (except those on eligibility) within a region
will be ruled on by the region executive committee.
C.
Appeals to rulings by the region executive committee and
rulings by the Commissioner shall be heard by the Executive Committee and shall
be made in accordance with Article IV, Section 5.A protest against a school will
not be considered by any committee of the League until the head of the accused
school (or representative) has been furnished copies of all communications
having a bearing on the case.
D.
The Commissioner shall not consider any protest against a
school without a written request from the principal or superintendent of the
school making the protest.
1.
The protest must identify the player(s) or situation(s) in
question.
2.
The protest must stipulate at least one reasonable alleged
violation.
F.
The district superintendent and principal of the school
filing a request for an investigation or an appeal shall receive a written copy
of any decision rendered by the Commissioner or the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Replacing
Teams in Play-offs
A.
If a team is eliminated before a play-off game, the region
from which the eliminated team comes shall have the right to select another
region representative.
B.
If a team is eliminated after the first play-off game, the
ineligible team will be eliminated as soon as the violation is detected and the
schedule of elimination will continue.
C.
If the team with the ineligible player won the last
elimination game prior to the time declared ineligible, the game shall not count
and the team with the eligible players shall continue in the elimination.
Section 1. Dues
A.
Annual membership dues shall be based on each school’s
classification according to the following schedule:
A................................. $200.00
AAA.............................. $400.00
AA............................... $300.00
AAAA............................ $600.00
B.
Each associate member will pay dues of $100.00.
C.
All annual dues will be payable on July 1.
1.
Membership will terminate if not paid by December 1.
2.
Schools playing football must pay dues by September 15 to
be eligible to play the current season.
D.
Any school becoming a member of the League will pay an
initiation fee equal to a present member's proportionate share of the League's
surplus at the end of the preceding year. This
fee will be paid in addition to the school's annual dues.
E.
If the League's cash surplus exceeds the League's budget
for the following year, the excess will be distributed to the schools in the
form of credit on their dues for the following year.
Section 2. Gate Receipts
A.
The League will receive 20% of the gross gate receipts of
specified post-season events. Region
Tournaments and play-in games are considered post-season play.
B.
The League will receive 20% of the gross gate receipts for
jamborees after fifteen hundred dollars for expenses have been excluded.
The League's share from any jamboree shall not exceed five thousand
dollars.
C.
The League will not receive any share of invitational
tournaments.
D.
A financial statement for all interscholastic events not
on the regular season schedule as well as the League's 20%, when applicable,
must be sent to the League Office within fifteen days.
NOTE: In any play-off contest in which disbursements exceed
receipts, the League Office will refund to the play-off director the amount of
the loss not exceeding the total amount of the 20%.
A.
The League Office will issue identification cards (passes)
to schools according to the following plan:
1.
All coaches verified by their principal as full time
coaches. Up to two cheerleader
sponsors may be included with this list of coaches for schools who do not
participate in competitive cheer. Schools
may include certified athletic trainers and one athletic secretary to receive
passes.
2.
Associate member schools that have an interscholastic
program in football and/or basketball may receive a maximum of six passes for
administrators, coaches and certified athletic trainers.
B.
Each superintendent, assistant and/or area superintendent,
principal and assistant principal (designated as such on the State Accreditation
Report of a member school) will be issued a pass.
C.
Members and former members of the Executive Committee and
the League Staff will also receive passes.
D.
Athletic directors, athletic coaches, principals, and
superintendents with a minimum of ten years experience in any category, and
retired from the State Retirement system, may receive a pass by applying in
writing to the League Office.
E.
Four passes shall be issued to four-year in-state colleges
and/or universities with football programs.
F.
All other four-year in-state colleges shall be issued two
passes.
G.
The spouse of a deceased athletic coach who coached for at
least ten years shall be issued a pass upon written request to the Commissioner.
H.
In addition, district directors of officials' associations
will receive passes to be used for scouting their particular sports.
I.
Replacement passes will
cost $20.00.
NOTE:
Only League passes will be honored for play-off contests.
NOTE:
There will be no deviations other than those adopted by the Executive Committee
or the Legislative Assembly.
A.
The student’s principal or the Commissioner must approve
all awards.
B.
Outside agencies that desire to present awards or
recognize students should first secure concurrence of the school principal.
C.
Permission for statewide recognition should be received
from the Commissioner.
D.
A plan for awards to State Champions and runners-up, both
individual and team, will be devised by the Executive Committee and will be
given to the League Office as instructions.
1.
All trophies awarded in any tournament in competition
towards a state championship shall bear the seal of the League.
2.
No awards other than those presented by the High School
League will be permitted for any competition beyond region play.
3.
Region trophies may not exceed 21" in height.
A.
The League has the authority to organize and institute
officials' associations for the sports in which its members participate.
B.
These organizations will furnish schools with certified
officials for their games.
C.
All officials in any varsity football, basketball,
baseball, softball, wrestling, volleyball, competitive cheer and soccer contests
must be certified by the office of the Commissioner.
Section 2. Fees
A.
Officials’ fees shall be set at the February meeting of
the Executive Committee.
B.
Fees to be charged each official for membership shall be
designated by the Executive Committee.
NOTE:
Officials' associations must submit their proposals to the Commissioner by
December 1.
OTHER REGULATIONS
Each year the League will recognize student athletes who
excel academically. The following
criteria will be used for selection:
1.
Selections must be seniors who have lettered in two sports
for at least one season or in one sport for at least two seasons.
Outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship must have been exhibited.
2.
Selections must have achieved at least a 3.5 GPR.
3.
All selections must be submitted to the League Office by
March 15. Grades will be cumulative
through the end of first semester.
NOTE: It
is recommended that the student letter as a senior to receive this award.
The school at their end of the year ceremonies should
present awards furnished by the League. A
news release to the media will be made.
Support Cheerleaders
It is necessary to regulate certain activities of
cheerleading squads when they are performing at League events. This is to better insure the safety of the athletes and the officials as
well as the cheerleaders themselves. It
is the responsibility of the school administration to enforce these regulations.
1.
FOOTBALL
If cheerleaders are allowed along the sidelines, a
parallel line five yards from the sidelines must restrict their movement toward
the field. Jewelry will not be worn
at any time.
2.
BASKETBALL
Cheerleaders
must be in the bleachers except during full time-outs, end of quarters and half
time. Mascots are considered
cheerleaders. Megaphones for vocal
cheering will be used only by cheerleaders. Jewelry will not be worn at any
time.
3.
ALL SPORTS
When
building pyramids, no cheerleader may stand or sit on another cheerleader who
does not have at least one foot or knee on the floor. Jewelry will not be worn
at any time. No basket tosses are allowed. It is recommended that cheerleaders
and cheerleader coaches/advisors follow the Spirit Rules book published by the
National Federation of State High School Associations.
These guides may be obtained from the League Office.
The State Athletic Administrators Association has joined
with the League's Executive Committee in continuing to emphasize the urgent need
for impeccable sportsmanship by our players, coaches, and fans.
Good sportsmanship and good conduct go hand in hand with high school
athletics. Athletic administrators,
coaches, players, and officials have the greatest responsibility to see that
conduct and sportsmanship are at the highest level possible.
Athletic Directors are responsible for administration and supervision of
local athletic programs, including the conduct of fans at athletic events.
The Board of Education should develop a sportsmanship policy and
philosophy and direct the administrators to carry it out.
Guidelines and policies need to be implemented, and those attending games
should be informed through news media, cheerleaders, and others, that poor
conduct and poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated.
Coaches must exemplify through their own actions and behavior an
acceptable example of good sportsmanship and conduct.
Coaches have access to their players on a daily basis and they need to
take time to stress the importance of good conduct and sportsmanship by players
in interscholastic contests. Allowing
players to commit an unsportsmanlike act without a reprimand is really telling
the player he has done nothing wrong.
Players must be held accountable for their actions and be taught
what is acceptable and what is not. Actions
by individuals to call attention to themselves are a distraction to any game and
are counter productive to the high school philosophy of promoting a total team
concept.
Fireworks – All fireworks and explosive devices are
prohibited at League events. A
$300 fine will be imposed per occurrence for violations of this rule.
Baiting and taunting must be eliminated totally from all
athletic activities. It should be
the goal of everyone to have the outcome of each contest determined by athletic
skills and hard work and to never let baiting and taunting or other negative
actions be a factor. Examples of
baiting and taunting are: finger pointing, shooting motions to imply
superiority, gestures with obscene connotations, excessive talking to distract
or intimidate. This will also
include signs or flags used to incite spectators and interfere with the orderly
flow of the game.
The South Carolina High School League expects that all
persons representing a member school shall treat their opponents with respect
and courtesy and anything less is unacceptable.
Personal conduct of athletes, coaches, and other school personnel in
which interscholastic athletics are not involved is a matter to be resolved by
the member school. This position
also gives the host school the authority to determine who may perform as a
supplement at an athletic event.
Officials at an interscholastic athletic event are participants in
the educational development of high school students.
As such, they must exercise a high level of professionalism,
self-discipline, independence and responsibility.
Unsportsmanlike acts that take place at the site of an interscholastic contest
are League matters. The League shall
discipline violators of the following items.
1.
An athlete who is ejected for using abusive
language, flagrantly or maliciously contacting another person, making obscene
gestures to opponents or spectators, shall be ineligible for a minimum of the
next contest to the maximum of one year depending on the seriousness of the
violation.
Any
attempt to verbally abuse, make obscene gesture to, threaten or strike an
official or member of the opposing coaching staff, shall be considered a serious
violation making the athlete ineligible for a minimum of the next two contests
to the maximum of one year. Any
action that warrants a maximum penalty will also require that the school be
placed on immediate probation in that sport.
The League Office will review any other action(s) that result in an
ejection with the possibility of additional penalties.
NOTE: Any ejection that warrants games(s) suspension will
require the removal of the athlete’s eligibility until the suspension has been
served at the level of the ejection.
2.
Any athlete who leaves the bench area to become involved
in a fracas will be disqualified from that game and will be subject to a minimum
of a next game suspension depending on his or her involvement.
A school whose athletes violate this bench policy will be subject to
League discipline.
3.
An athlete who is ejected for the second time in the same
sport will have his or her athletic eligibility removed for a minimum of two
weeks. An athlete who has been
ejected from three contests during a school year (all sports) shall become
ineligible for the remainder of the school year.
Game officials must report all player ejections so that the League Office
can officially notify the school of each violation. When an athlete is ejected
for the second time in the same sport, the school is required to immediately
begin the above prescribed penalty.
4.
A coach will be in violation of the standards for good
sportsmanship established by the League for:
a.
making degrading/critical remarks about officials during
or after a contest either on the field of play, from the bench or through any
public news media;
b.
arguing with
officials or going through motions indicating dislike/disdain for a decision;
c.
detaining the official following the contest to request a
ruling or explanation of actions taken by the official; or
d.
being ejected from any contest.
5.
A coach's action that leads to an ejection will be
considered as serious unsportsmanlike conduct.
The minimum penalty will be a next game suspension (Must be served at the
level of ejection before resuming coaching duties at games) or a $100.00 fine.
The penalty will be doubled for a second offense.
(Two games and $200.00) NOTE:
If a coach is ejected from the final game of the season, the minimum
penalty will be a $100.00 fine assessed to the school.
6.
A school must control its spectators.
In cases where spectators physically assault an official, coach, or
athlete, the school shall be given one of two options: (1) To take legal action
against the offender(s) that is acceptable to the League or (2) be disciplined
by the League.
7.
A school shall not allow vulgar chants by its supporters.
8.
Violation of any of the above policies will warrant League
discipline for the school or individual. Degrees
Of League Discipline Are:
WARNING: An official notice that an inexcusable, unethical, or
unsportsmanlike action is a matter of record and must not happen again.
PROBATION: A team may compete in regularly scheduled contests but
may not play in a jamboree, an invitational event or for a region or state
championship.
FINE: May be levied in addition to other disciplines and may
range from $25.00 to $2,500.00 for each violation.
SUSPENSION: A suspended school may not compete against another member
school or a school in another state whose association is a member of the
National Federation of State High School Associations.
9.
POLICE PROTECTION: The host team must furnish adequate police protection at
all varsity football and basketball games. Police
protection may also be required at other contests if so deemed by the home
school administration. Police
protection must be given to all varsity football and basketball officials.
Failure to protect the officials will bring immediate probation, pending
an investigation. Failure to have
required uniformed protection will result in a $25.00 fine against the host
school.
10.
HANDLING A FRACAS: Should a fracas begin, only the head coaches will go on
the playing field or court to stop the fracas.
All assistant coaches are to keep the substitutes off the playing area.
The officials are instructed to stop a fracas from starting but not to be
involved once it gets underway. All
cameramen must be instructed to keep the camera running and film all of the
fracas. This is vital to our
investigation of the responsible parties.
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL POLICY
While at the site of a League sponsored activity, neither
a participant, game official nor a coach shall use, be in possession of or be
under the influence of alcohol or any other mood altering drug.
This restriction will also apply to any form of tobacco (including
smokeless varieties).
The philosophy of the League should be obvious as it
attempts to address some items in our society which have been proven to be
harmful to the physical as well as emotional well being of our student athletes.
In this regard, the League also recognizes the responsibility of coaches
and other school personnel in dealing with the problem.
POLICIES
GOVERNING CONTESTS WITH NON-PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS
Non-public high schools are either members or non-members
insofar as the League's rules and regulations are concerned. The non-public schools that are members of the League must abide by all
rules and regulations of the League. The
non-member schools must follow only minimum requirements in order to compete
with member schools.
LEAGUE MEMBERSHIP - A non-public high school may become a
member of the League if such school is accredited by the Southern Association of
Secondary Schools and Colleges and the principal of the school agrees to conform
to all rules and regulations of the League.
Before being considered as a member of the League, the
non-public school must clearly define its attendance area as one of the
following: (1) the attendance area of the public school in whose attendance area
the school is located, (2) the school district in which the school is located,
and (3) the county in which the school is located.
All applications for League membership by non-public
schools must be submitted to the conference in which the school wishes to
compete and if approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the conference,
to the Executive Committee of the League for final approval.
The Executive Committee must approve any change in the attendance area
after a non-public school’s acceptance into the League.
The Executive Committee may seek advice from the conference in which the
school is a member.
Participation
on an outside team during a sport season is permitted in all sports except
football. College or professional
try-outs during the season in all sports are prohibited.
Violation of this policy renders a student ineligible to return to
his/her school team.
1.
If a coach from a school (including volunteer coaches) is
associated with an outside team, no more than 75% of the allowable starters for
that sport may be on the roster of the outside team.
Examples of squad limits are: Swimming (3), Football (8), Volleyball (4),
Tennis (2), Competitive Cheer (15), Golf (3), Basketball (3), Wrestling (11),
Soccer (8), Baseball (7), Softball (7) and Track (3).
This restriction applies to all students who were included on the
school's certificate of eligibility and dressed for a varsity game during the
previous season. Students with no
remaining eligibility will not count. There
is no limit on the number of students from the same school if there is no coach
involved from that school. Also,
there is no restriction on baseball or softball during the months of May, June,
and July as it pertains to the 75% rule.
2.
Member schools will be permitted 10 days of competition in
summer leagues, team camps, or other outside organizations during the time
period of June 1 through
NOTE: Any school violating either of the above may be fined up to $500.00
and placed on probation in the sport involved.
1.
From June 1 through
2.
Attendance at camps from August 1 to the closing of school
are governed by the following restrictions:
a.
The student or the parents must pay all fees and expenses.
b.
Students may be transported by their coach to camps or
clinics at any time.
c.
A coach may serve as an instructor at the camp, but may
not teach skills to students from their own school.
d.
Attendances at camps during a sports season that are
controlled entirely by a school and restricted to its students are exempt from
these regulations.
e.
A violation of any part of this section (a-d) will result
in a $500.00 fine and probation on the school.
1.
The principal of a member school must approve a clinic.
2.
A coach may serve as an instructor at the clinic, but may
not teach skills to students from their own school.
3.
A clinician's fee and expenses should be reasonable.
Principals should pay close attention to this item before giving
approval.
4.
Room and board must not be a part of the clinic.
5.
The clinic must not exceed three days.
6.
Team competition is prohibited and all physical activity
must be restricted to fundamentals.
7.
The coach may transport his players to the clinic.
8.
A violation of any part of this section (1-7) will result
in a $500.00 fine and probation on the school.
These regulations apply to all 7th, 8th and 9th grade
students participating in Junior High or Middle School programs as well as
students participating on exclusively 7th and 8th grade teams under the High
School Program. All ninth grade
students participating in a high school program will not be restricted by these
regulations or the regulations restricting junior high school teams in the
National Federation rules books.
A.
General philosophy and aims to be considered in the
interscholastic activities program for seventh, eighth and ninth grade students:
1.
Since there is a great range in individual differences
among boys and girls of this age (age; body build; interest; ability;
experience; health, and the stages of physiological, emotional and social
maturity), the program planned should be based on the principle of "The
greatest good to the greatest number of participants involved."
2.
The interscholastic athletic program for boys and girls in
the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades should supplement, rather than serve as a
substitute for, an adequate program of required physical education, intramural
and physical recreation for all students.
3.
The program must be suited to the needs of boys and girls
of this age. It must contribute to
desirable growth and development of these participants physically, socially and
otherwise. The program must be
justified on a basis of contribution to the desirable development of the
participants. The welfare of the
youth concerned is of greatest importance. All
other needs and problems should be secondary.
4.
This interschool competitive program should be operated
from as broad a base as possible to offer experience to many boys and girls.
5.
The program should place considerable emphasis on:
a.
Companionship among the participants on a squad and among
squads of different schools.
b.
Sportsmanship.
c.
Physical skills, techniques and training.
d.
Character
6.
The Executive Committee favors an interscholastic program
but feels this program should be carefully controlled, regulated and limited.
1.
Students below the seventh grade may not participate in
interscholastic athletics. Students
in grades 7 and 8 will not be permitted to participate on varsity
interscholastic teams in football, wrestling, and soccer.
2.
Participation on junior varsity or "B" teams
will be left to the local school authorities. These regulations do not forbid an overlapping of the two
"graded" groups on such teams. Schools
are reminded that a student may not participate on more than one team and
participate in more than one football game or two basketball games per week.
3.
It is recommended that athletic contests be played with a
start time no later than
4.
All sports are allowed one scrimmage, one jamboree and two
tournaments. A team may not
play more than a half of a regulation contest in a jamboree.
5.
Sub-varsity teams must complete their schedule prior to
the day of the first round of play-offs in that sport; exception: Class AAAA
football.
6.
The eligibility requirements will be substantially the
same as for high schools with the following variations:
BIRTH CERTIFICATION - Students will submit certificates to
their principal for approval. Copies
must be kept on file in the school.
AGE - A student who becomes 15 years of age prior to July 1, 2008 will not be able to compete on an 8th grade and under team in any athletic activities during the 2008-2009 school year. For a 9th grade and under team, substitute 16 years of age for 15. A student who becomes too old for a 7th and 8th grade team may be considered as enrolled in the 9th grade for eligibility purposes.
Return to Question # 34
ADVANCED PARTICIPATION - A junior high or middle school
student promoted to a high school varsity, junior varsity, or other interschool
squad, may not return to junior high or middle school competition during the
current year in the same sport if he has participated in a game played by the
advanced squad.
PLAY-OFFS - No play-off beyond region level is permitted
between seventh, eighth and ninth grade teams.
TRAVEL - Junior high and middle schools will not permit
their athletic teams to travel more than 150 miles round trip for any contest.
OFFICIALS - Certified athletic officials should be
provided in all cases possible. When
this is not possible, competent adults should be obtained whom the schools
concerned mutually agree upon in advance. High
school students shall not be used as game officials.
7.
Once the regular season for a varsity sport is concluded,
no team below the varsity level may schedule a game or tournament.
C.
Game Rules and Game Conditions:
FOOTBALL
1.
The football season will
open on September 10 and close on November 6.
Eligibility forms are due in the League Office at least 7 days before the
first game.
2.
No school team, or
individual player, may participate in more than eight games, which shall be
scheduled with no more than one game per week.
In extreme cases, games may be rescheduled.
A minimum of three days must elapse between games.
3.
Practice may begin
August 11. No practice session shall
exceed two hours in length and no more than one practice may be held in any one
day. Practice may be held on 6 days
in one week during the preseason. After
the first legal playing date, schools will be restricted to 5 practice days per
week.
| Practice
may begin............................. August
11 (helmets)
|
| First
practice in pads........................... August 14 (helmets & shoulder pads)
|
| Practice
in full gear.............................. August
18
|
| First
scrimmage.................................. August 27
|
| First
contest........................................ September 10
|
4.
A school must hold at
least fifteen sessions before playing an inter-team game.
5.
7th and 8th
grade teams shall play eight-minute quarters only.
6.
Free substitution is
encouraged.
7.
No game may end in a
tie. The Ten Yard Line Overtime
Procedure as printed in the National Federation Football Rules Book will be
used.
8.
Other than the above,
National Federation Rules shall apply.
9.
Middle and Junior High
teams shall be permitted one inter-team scrimmage and one jamboree.
VOLLEYBALL
1.
Practice may begin on August 11.
2.
The volleyball season will open on September 8 and close
on October 25. Eligibility forms are
due in the League Office at least 7 days before the first match.
3.
Schools are limited to 14 play dates including
invitational tournaments.
COMPETITIVE CHEER
1.
Practice may begin on August 11.
2.
The competitive cheer season will open on September 8 and
close on November 8.
3.
Schools are limited to 6 competitions.
BASKETBALL
1.
Practice may begin on November 3.
2.
The basketball season will open on December 1 and close on
February 14 including tournaments. Eligibility forms are due in the League
Office at least 7 days before the first game.
3.
At least 15 organized practice sessions must be conducted
before interschool play is to be permitted. Practice sessions shall not exceed 1-½ hours in length and shall not
exceed more than one practice per day.
4.
Middle and Junior High teams shall be permitted one
interschool scrimmage. At least 5
practices must be held prior to the scrimmage.
5.
No junior high team, middle school team, or individual may
participate in more than 14 regular season basketball games and enter more than
2 tournaments, provided one of the tournaments is a region tournament at the
conclusion of regular season play.
6.
A team may not participate in games on more than two
school days (Monday through Friday) in any week nor participate in more than
three games in any seven-day period. A
student has the same limitation on playing as does a team.
7.
A student will be restricted to one game per day except
they may play in two games in one day in an invitational tournament.
There must be a minimum of one hour's rest between games.
8.
The length of quarters shall be 6 minutes and play will be
according to National Federation Rules.
9.
By state adoption, all girls' teams will use the legalized
smaller ball. This ball is 1 inch
smaller and 2 ounces lighter than the ball used by the boys' teams.