Legislative Council Meetings

MINUTES OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEETING

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association

December 5, 1996

Nashville, Tennessee

NOTE: The following is used in recording the business transacted by the Legislative Council. The first name is the one who made the motion; the second name is the one who seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously unless otherwise noted.

ATTENDANCE

The TSSM Legislative Council met at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee on December 5, 1996. Members of the Legislative Council present were; Gordon Perry, President, David Daniel, John Dixon, Billy Joe Evans, Ed Foster, Sonny Hicks, Jean Litterer, Pete Stafford and Steve Wilkinson. Also present were Mike Reed, President of the Board of Control; Scott Brunette, Tennessee High School Athletic Administrators Association; Jim Cartwright, Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association; Gary Nixon, State Board of Education; and James Swain, State Department of Education. Ronnie Carter, Bob Baldridge, Gene Beck, Gene Menees, Bernard Childress, and Wanda Belt were present from the TSSAA staff.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Litterer - DanieL That the minutes of the March 1 5~ 1996 meeting be approved.

PROPOSALS OF THE 1996 REGIONAL MEETINGS

The first proposal (A) reads as follows:

'Article I, Section 2: Rescind the action of the Legislative Council in regard to placing schools in two divisions (financial aid and non-financial aid)

1. Consider the following suggested bylaw changes:

Add to the Transfer Rule - When a student transfers to a non-public school that is not in the county in which the student's parents or guardian reside, the student is ineligible to participate for one year (this includes completing terminating grades in public schools).

b. Remove the tuition-receiving to non-tuition-receiving paragraph out of the transfer rule.

C. Keep the present financial aid rule as it currently reads and add the following:

2 (1) A student who transfers from a public school to a non-public school and receives need-based financial aid in their first year shall be ineligible to participate in athletics for that year.

(2) Allow any school that desires to exceed the financial aid numbers by sport or by major or minor sports to participate in an invitational tournament at the completion of the regular season, provided it is approved by the state office and provided the tournament is completed prior to the state tournament in that sport.

2. Consider the following administrative change:

a. For classification purposes, multiply the enrollment of all non-public schools by 1.5.',

Daniel-Wilkinson: That no action be taken.

The second proposal (B) reads as follows:

"Amend Article I, Section 13 of the TSSAA Bylaws to eliminate the requirement that 'only schools with the same grade configuration may combine to form a team

Wilkinson-Foster That, where a school terminates with the 9th grade and where students cannot participate because the school does not offer that sport, 9th grade students be allowed to participate at the high school where they would attend as the result of a definite feeder pattern. This, as passed, reads as follows.'

A student attending the 9th grade at a junior high school which terminates at the 9th grade may participate for the senior high school for which it is the feeder school, provided: (a) both schools are under the jurisdiction of the same board of education; (b) there is a definite feeder pattern for high school; (c) the student resides in the zone of that high school; and (d) the student does not have the opportunity to participate in that sport at the junior high school because the junior high school does not offer that sport.

Stafford-- : That 9th grade students in cooperative programs be allowed to participate in all sports at the high school where they would attend as the result of a definite feeder pattern. Strike out "in team sports." Dies for lack of second

The third proposal (C) reads as follows:

"Proposal to amend Article I, Section 13 of the TSSM Bylaws to allow schools in the Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association to co-op with schools in the high school association."

Evans-Foster: That no action be taken.

The fourth proposal (D) reads as follows:

3 Amend Article II, Section 7 of the TSSAA Bylaws to allow 7th grade students to participate in non-contact sports (cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field) at member schools with the 7th grade in the building."

Evans-Foster: That no action be taken.

The fifth (E) proposal reads as follows:

'Amend Article It, Section 13 of the TSSAA Bylaws (Sports Calendar) in the following manner:

'Limit all team sports (football, girls' volleyball, girls' soccer1 basketball, baseball, softball, and boys' soccer) to 10 days of school against school competition in the summer. In fall sports, this would apply to the period of time from the end of school until August 1 (opening day of practice). In other sports, this would apply from the end of the school year to the beginning of the following school year.'

Evans-Daniel; That the proposal to limit team sports to 10 days of school against-school competition in the summer be approved.

The sixth proposal (F) reads as follows:

"Proposal to amend Article Ill, Section of the TSSAA Bylaws (Sports Calendar) to allow for an earlier starting date in basketball and wrestling practice.

"1. To change the starting date of basketball practice from November 1 to October 15.

"2. Change the starting date of basketball practice from November 1 to the week of November 1."

Stafford-Dixon: That no action be taken.

The seventh proposat (G) reads as follows:

"A proposal to amend the TSSAA Constitution (Articles Ill and IV) as follows:

The TSSAA Board of Control and Legislative Council shall be joined together to form on body composed of nine (9) members. Members shall consist of one representative from each athletic district elected to serve for a period of three (3) years. The terms of office of three (3) of the members, one from each grand division of theystate, shall expire each year. The duties of the Board of Control and Legislative Council shall be combined to form the new Board of Directors.

wilkinson-Litterer: That no action be taken.

OTHER PROPOSALS

Note: The first proposal listed on the Legislative Council agenda was from Bolivar Central High School and was discussed along with the proposal on the Regional Meeting agenda from Athens Junior High School. This proposal was passed as written on page 2 of these Minutes under the section entitled, "The second proposal (B) reads as follows:"

The agenda contained the following statement: "Article II, Section 31 of the TSSAA Bylaws regarding physical examinations has been passed by the Legislative Council, effective with the 1997-98 school year to allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to conduct routine pre- participation physicals under the supervision of a physician or team doctor at the sole discretion of the TSSAA. The official signature on that form must be that of the supervising physician.

"Supplement #3 contains letter from Dr. John Winter, President, etc. and Jenny Walls, a family nurse practitioner, regarding these areas. The request for a change would be to allow 'properly licensed physicians,' nurse practitioners, or physician assistants to conduct physical examinations.

Litterer-Daniel: That no action be taken.

The agenda contained the following statement: "Article II, Section 27 of the TSSAA Bylaws and the changes made by the Legislative Council regarding financial aid rules -- There have been a number of questions regarding changes made by the Legislative Council in the financial aid rules in May. The primary questions are concerning the four-year "death penalty" as a result of any violation of the financial aid rule and the change to a percentage rule for schools in the Financial Aid Division. In many cases the schools who chose to go into the financial aid division are now having to cut more students on financial aid because of the change to the percentage rule. The Executive Director will go over questions that have been brought to the state office."

Mr. Evans suggested an item involving the "death penalty" be put on the agenda for the March meeting of the Legislative Council, to be discussed and looked at again by the Council.

Evans-Dixon: That the Division II schools provide input to the Council as to what they want in regard to the financial aid rule and that those suggestions be brought to the Legislative Council at its March meeting.

REPORT FROM THE TENNESSEE MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Mr. Bernard Childress of the TSSAA staff gave a report from the TMSAA Committee which met at the TSSAA office on November 20,1996. There were no proposals to be voted on by the