PUBLICATIONS
RULES –
Athletic, Cheerleading and Dance / Drill
In accordance with its rule making authority under Article 4.3. of the OSAA Constitution, the Delegate Assembly has adopted the following Rules, which shall govern each official, athletic district and student who represents his/her school in any interscholastic activity sponsored by the Association.
It should be noted that these Rules are intended to relate only to the regulation of interscholastic activities sponsored by the Association. The Association does not promulgate and takes no responsibility for the adoption of Rules concerning the safety of individual participants in interscholastic activities. The members of the Association recognize and agree this responsibility rests with the school districts and with their member schools.
1. Rule 1 – Responsibility of the Principal
(Student, Coach, AD and Cheer Coach
Eligibility Report)
1.1. Certification of Student Eligibility. The high school principal shall be held accountable for accurate certification regarding eligibility of students. The high school principal shall submit a seasonal eligibility report to the Executive Director prior to the first interscholastic competition of that season.
1.2. Athletic Director and Coach Certification. Athletic directors and Coaches shall be certified through the NFHS Coach Education Program – “Fundamentals of Coaching” by achieving a passing score on the certification test prior to assuming duties as an athletic director or coach. The high school principal shall be held accountable for verifying that athletic directors and coaches have been certified. The high school principal shall submit a seasonal eligibility report to the Executive Director prior to the first interscholastic competition of that season. EXCEPTION: Any emergency exception must be authorized in writing by the OSAA.
1.3. Trips. The high school principal, or the high school principal's authorized representative, shall accompany all school teams or individuals participating in an activity. The school shall be responsible for acts of its school teams or individuals while on trips, or while participating in any such activity.
1. Q. When should Eligibility Reports be submitted to the Executive Director of the Association?
A. Eligibility
Reports are due to the Executive Director prior to the first contest date in
each sport season.
2.
Q. Is certification required of all coaches?
A. No. Coaches
need NOT be certified if a certified coach is present at all times when the
non-certified coach is working with students.
3. Q. Does
certification through the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) satisfy the
requirement in Rule 1.2?
A. Yes,
so long as the athletic director or coach was certified through ASEP prior to
August 1, 2007. Thereafter, only the
NFHS Coach Education Program “Fundamentals of Coaching” will satisfy this
requirement unless an exception is granted in writing by the OSAA.
4. Q. When must a
coach be certified?
A. A coach must be certified if at any time for
any reason (ejection, illness, etc.) the coach is, or could be, solely
responsible for coaching a team.
5. Q. If a
cheerleading squad or dance team functions only in a support capacity and does
not attend competitions, must the coach be certified?
A. No. In
the same way that students that do not participate in competitions are not
required to satisfy OSAA eligibility requirements, coaches of teams that do not
participate in competitions are not required to satisfy OSAA certification
requirements.
6. Q. In individual sports, may a parent or non-certified coach accompany a participant to a competition as the school representative if that person is an authorized representative of the principal?
A. Yes, but
the authorized representative may not coach the participant unless specific
permission has been granted in writing by the Executive Director.
2.1. The OSAA Athletic Officials Handbook shall govern the officiating of interscholastic activities, except as defined by this Rule.
2.2. The superintendent, assistant superintendent, or high school principal has the authority to approve the selection of officials for all festivals, meets, contests, and championships serviced by the local association during the regular season. State championship and playoff official selections shall be made by the commissioner or local association with input from the schools serviced by that association.
2.3. An official shall not violate any of the Association’s Regulations or engage in any of the Prohibited Conduct listed below.
2.4. Prohibited Conduct – An individual official or commissioner is prohibited from engaging in the following conduct:
2.4.1. Use tobacco products, drugs, and/or alcoholic beverages, or be under the influence of drug and/or alcoholic beverages at an interscholastic facility.
2.4.2. Engage in unsportsmanlike conduct at an interscholastic event. “Unsportsmanlike conduct" includes, but is not limited to, unwarranted physical contact, profane language, and/or taunting. Unwarranted physical contact initiated by an official toward a coach/player shall be considered a gross act of unsportsmanlike conduct.
2.4.3. Make a bet or take a bribe in connection with an interscholastic event.
2.4.4. Having been convicted of:
(a)
a felony involving the use, possession or
sale of a controlled substance within the last 10 years. The 10-year period of ineligibility to
officiate shall commence from the date of suspension from officiating duties or
from the date of conviction- whichever occurred first; or
(b)
a crime involving the use or threatened use
of violence against a person within the last 10 years. The 10-year period of ineligibility to
officiate shall commence from the date of suspension from officiating duties or
from the date of conviction- whichever occurred first; or
(c) a crime involving a minor child at any time.
2.4.5. Engage in any action which, within the discretion of the Commissioner of the local Association or the OSAA Executive Board, gives rise to a concern for the safety of children due to the official’s conduct, indicates that the official cannot objectively perform the official’s duties, or otherwise is inconsistent with the OSAA’s responsibilities to its member schools, the student participants or the parents of the participants.
2.5.
Appearance before the Executive Board - The
Executive Director may require the official or commissioner to appear before
the OSAA Executive Board and show cause why the official or commissioner should
not be subject to sanctions under OSAA Rule 5-6 for such conduct.
1. Q. Who selects officials for a state level contest?
A. State
championship and playoff officials’ selections shall be made by the
commissioner or local association with input from the schools serviced by that
association.
2.
Q. May two schools mutually agree to waive certain
association rules such as playing a contest without the use of certified
officials when certified officials are required?
A. Association or playing rules may not be waived by mutual consent.
3.
Q. At what levels are certified officials required?
A. See Executive Board Policy, “Officials – Certified
Requirement” for additional information.
4. Q. How will
cheerleading judges be selected for competitions in Oregon?
A. Sponsoring organizations shall
contact the OSAA for a list of qualified judges.
5.
Q. Are protests against the decision of an official in
a game reviewed by the Executive Board?
A. No. The Executive Board will not review the
decisions of officials whether due to ignorance of the rules or errors in
judgment. The competing schools must
accept, without protest, the rulings of the officials who have been approved by
the competing schools to have full charge of the contest.
6.
Q. Will the Executive Board hear protests based upon
the application of the rules of any particular sport or protests that involve
judgment on the part of game officials?
A. No.
7.
Q. Will the Executive Board hear protests based upon
the conduct of an official that violates the Regulations?
A. Yes.
3. Rule
3 – Contests –
Sportsmanship – Crowd Control
3.1.
The
arrangement of all festivals, meets, contests, or championships is the
responsibility of the superintendent, assistant superintendent, or high school
principal, subject to the approval of the Association. Participation in any or all activities is
optional for the individual school.
3.2. When a festival, meet, contest, or championship is in progress, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules governing such activities shall apply, except for specific deviations as approved by the Executive Board.
3.3.
Sportsmanship Responsibility. The
high school principal, coach and other responsible officials of each member
school shall take all reasonable measures to insure that the school's students
and supporters maintain a sportsmanlike attitude toward all events so that
events may be conducted without unreasonable danger or disorder. When a petition is filed alleging violation
of this rule, the Executive Director may, at his/her discretion and with
concurrence of any two Executive Board members, postpone any pending event
which the Executive Director has reason to believe cannot be conducted without
an unreasonable danger of disorder. All
such protests shall be referred to the Executive Board, which shall proceed as provided
in Rule 4. In addition to any other
action the Executive Board may take regarding a protest alleging a violation of
this rule, the Executive Board shall have the power to cancel or re-schedule
the event involved, or to impose conditions on conducting it.
3.4.
Sportsmanship Violations / Penalties. When
the students, staff, or supporters of any member school engage in
unsportsmanlike conduct, disorder or infliction of damage to persons or
property in connection with any festival, meet, contest or championship
sponsored by this Association, the Executive Board may treat such acts as a
violation by the school of the Rules of the Association. Any school whose students, supporters,
rooters or partisans take part in riots, fights, pilfering, painting or any
other unsportsmanlike conduct shall be subject to penalty.
3.5.
A
member school shall not participate in any festival, meet, contest or
championship with a school that has been suspended or expelled from the
Association.
3.6.
The
Association shall conduct state championships as directed by the Delegate
Assembly.
3.7.
A
school shall not be allowed to participate in more than one state championship
in a given sport.
1. Q. Is the host school exclusively responsible for crowd control?
A. No. While the host school for any activity must
assume a primary responsibility for the physical management of the activity,
including providing for crowd control, this is a mutual responsibility. The visiting school also must take such
measures as are necessary to insure proper behavior on the part of its own
students and fans.
4.
Rule 4 – Violations of Regulations (Articles, Rules,
Board Policies, Participation Limitations, Sports Seasons Limitations and Board
Interpretations) – Protests and Self-Reported Violations
4.1.
A
high school wishing to have another high school penalized for violation of the
Association's Regulations, or to have an official penalized for violations of
the Association’s Regulations or the Prohibited Conduct, shall file a written
notice of protest signed by its superintendent, assistant superintendent or
principal and specifying the grounds of protest with the Executive
Director. The notice shall be filed
without delay after the alleged violation has occurred, and the Executive
Director and Executive Board may consider unreasonable delay a factor in ruling
on any protest. Protests also may be
initiated by the Executive Director or by the Executive Board.
4.2.
The
Executive Director shall notify the accused school of the protest, and after
such further investigation as the Executive Director deems necessary, shall
either make a ruling on the protest or refer it to the Executive Board.
In the case of a protest filed
against an official, the Executive Director shall refer the protest to the
proper local Association of OSAA Officials for determination of a penalty. EXCEPTION:
Where it is alleged that unwarranted physical contact has been initiated by an
official toward a coach/player, the official shall be required to appear before
the Executive Board at the next scheduled meeting.
4.3.
Any
parent, student or school may appeal to the Executive Board from a ruling of
the Executive Director on a protest by giving the Executive Director written
notice of such appeal within 10 working days of the Executive Director's
ruling. Any interested official, parent,
student or school may appeal to the Executive Board from a ruling of a local
Association of the OSAA Officials on a protest against an official by giving
the local association written notice of such an appeal within 10 working days
of the local association’s ruling.
Failure to give such notice shall be a waiver of the right of
appeal. Where an appeal is taken from
the Executive Director's ruling of ineligibility, the ineligible student(s)
shall remain ineligible until the Executive Board decides the appeal.
4.4.
If
any member of the Executive Board is an interested party in a protest, the
Executive Board shall appoint a disinterested person as a replacement in the
decision of the case.
4.5.
The
Executive Director may determine that a school has violated a rule of the
Association based upon facts reported to the Executive Director by the member
school affected. Such a determination
may be appealed to the Executive Board in the manner set forth in Rule 4.6.
4.6.
When
a ruling has been appealed or when a protest has been initiated by or referred
to the Executive Board, the Executive Board shall schedule a hearing at the
earliest practicable opportunity. The
hearing shall be conducted by the Executive Board, pursuant to such procedures
as it may direct, provided that interested schools have an opportunity to
present evidence on their behalf.
Pending decision of any appeal from a ruling of the Executive Director,
that ruling shall stand and be given full force and effect for all purposes. If the ruling is modified or overruled on
appeal, the Executive Board, at its discretion, may take such corrective action
as it deems feasible and fair to all concerned.
1. Q. Must a school protesting the eligibility of another school's student secure the evidence to show that the student is ineligible?
A. Yes. The protesting school should secure all
evidence possible and send it to the Executive Director.
2.
Q. When is an Executive Board member an interested
party to a protest?
A. Only when
the high school in which the Executive Board member is superintendent,
assistant superintendent, principal or assistant principal is a party to the
protest. A protest involving a high
school in an Executive Board member's athletic district does not disqualify
that Executive Board member from the protest proceedings.
3.
Q. Who rules on a protest filed against an official?
A. The local Association of OSAA Officials of which that official is a member rules on the protest. An interested official, student, parent or member school may then appeal the local Association’s decision to the Executive Board.
5.
Rule 5 – Violations of Regulations – Penalties
5.1. Upon a ruling by the Executive Director or
by the Executive Board that a student is ineligible, the school shall forfeit
all meets, contests or championships in which that student participated during
that student's ineligibility, either before and/or after such ruling. As determined by the Executive Director, the
student may be disqualified for the remainder of that sport season.
Upon a ruling by the Executive Director or by the Executive Board that
an uncertified coach has coached students in a meet, contest or championship,
the school shall forfeit all meets, contests or championships in which that
coach participated, either before and/or after such ruling.
5.2. For violation of any Regulation of the
Association and in addition to game forfeitures provided in 5.1 of this rule,
the Executive Board may impose any one or more of the penalties set forth in
this Rule.
Upon a ruling by
the Executive Director or by the Executive Board that a violation of any
Regulation resulted from conduct of an employee or representative of a member
school, the Executive Director or Executive Board may require the employee,
representative and/or member school administrator to appear before the
Executive Board and show cause why the employee, representative and/or member
school should not be subject to sanctions under Rule 5 for such conduct.
The Executive Board may impose any form of
penalty set forth in Rule 5 that the Executive Board finds appropriate to
punish or deter such conduct. A member
school may be subject to penalties under Rule 5 based on the conduct of its
employees or representatives.
5.2.1.
Probation:
When a school is on probation, it shall suffer no impairment of rights of
membership, but probation shall be a factor in determining the penalty for any
violation during probation.
5.2.2.
Forfeitures
of festivals, meets, contests, championships, titles, awards,
prizes or the right to participate in such festivals, meets, contests and
championships as the Executive Board may direct.
5.2.3.
Fines,
in such amounts as the Executive Board may determine, to a maximum of $1,000
for one violation.
5.2.4.
Suspension
of rights of membership, for such period as the Executive Board may direct, to
a maximum of two years. During
suspension, a school may not participate in any festivals, meets, contests or
championships.
5.2.5.
Expulsion
from membership in the Association.
5.2.6.
The
Executive Board may direct that any or all penalties provided in this Section are
to be imposed only if certain conditions are not met, or that any such
penalties are to be relieved if certain conditions are met.
5.2.7.
Suspension
of a member school’s employee(s) or representative(s) from coaching or other
participation in Association activities.
5.2.8.
Forfeiture
of any meets, contests or championships in which the member school’s
employee(s) or representative(s) have participated or which have been affected
by the prohibited conduct, as determined by the Executive Board at its sole
discretion.
5.3.
Suspended
or expelled schools may be reinstated by the Executive Board. Reinstatement may be subject to such
conditions as the Executive Board may direct.
5.4.
A
member school (except an associate member school) that engages in a meet,
contest or championship with a non-member school, or with a school that has
been suspended or expelled, shall itself become liable for suspension or
expulsion by the Executive Board.
5.5.
Responsibility. If
a school employee or representative declared to be in violation of any Regulation
or if a student who has been declared ineligible is permitted to participate in
Association activities or interscholastic competition because of a temporary
restraining order, preliminary injunction and/or permanent injunction issued by
a court against the school or the Association, and if such restraining order
and/or injunction is subsequently vacated, dismissed, stayed, reversed or
finally determined by the courts to not justify injunctive relief, one or more
of the penalties outlined in this rule may be assessed in the interest of
restitution and fairness to other member schools.
5.6.
Penalties of Officials. Upon
a ruling by the Executive Board that an official has violated any Regulation,
the Executive Board may impose any of the following penalties that the
Executive Board finds appropriate to punish or deter such conduct:
5.6.1.
Probation. Probation may be imposed for
such period as the Executive Board may direct.
When an official is on probation, he or she shall suffer no impairment
of certification as an OSAA official, but probation shall be a factor in
determining the penalty for any violation during probation.
5.6.2.
Suspension. Suspension of certification as
an OSAA official for such period as the Executive Board may direct, to a
maximum of two years. During suspension,
an official may not officiate over any OSAA sponsored festival, meet, contest,
or championship.
5.6.3.
Revocation.
Revocation of certification as an OSAA official.
6.
Rule 6 – Association Year (Sports Seasons) See Participation Limitations for additional information.
6.1.
Association
Year, Practice, Contests – Starting, Ending Dates.
6.1.1.
Association Year. The Association Year shall start with the
first day of practice for fall sports (August 20, 2007) and shall end on May
26. (“Summer season” activities may begin on May 27.)
6.1.2.
Fall Sports. Practice shall not start prior to the
third Monday (August 20, 2007) prior to the first contest date. The first contest shall not be played prior
to the first Tuesday (September 4, 2007) following Labor
Day. EXCEPTIONS:
(a)
A
school may play a varsity, JV or freshman contest/jamboree in football, soccer and/or volleyball up
to five days prior to the first contest date.
Note: football players are required to have nine (9) days of practice prior
to participation in a contest/jamboree.
(b)
As specified in Executive
Board Policy, “Endowment Games”.
6.1.3.
Winter Sports. Practice shall not start prior to Monday (November
5, 2007) of the first football playoff week. The first contest shall not be played prior
to the Monday (November 26, 2007) following Thanksgiving Day. See Executive
Board Policy, “Endowment Games” for additional information.
6.1.4.
Spring Sports. Practice shall not start prior to the
first Monday (February 18, 2008) following the Wrestling State Championships. The first contest shall not be played prior
to the first Monday (March 10, 2008) following the 6A
Boys Basketball State Championships. See Executive Board Policy, “Endowment Games” for
additional information.
6.1.5.
During
the Association year, practice in a sport shall not be held after the
conclusion of a school's sport season in that sport as defined in Rule 6.1.6.
6.1.6.
The
season for a school in a sport shall end when a school has completed its
regular season contests and all state championship contests.
6.2.
Cultural Exchange Exception. Upon written request, the Executive Director
may permit a school to play an additional contest before, during, or after the
regular season as part of a Cultural Exchange Program. This contest shall not count as part of the
allowable game or match limit specified for each sport.
6.3.
Contest limitations, exclusive of any varsity district playoffs
and state championships, are as follows:
Baseball 26 games
Basketball 24
games
Cross Country 12
meets
Football 9
games
Golf 20 9-hole rounds
Soccer 14
games
Softball 26
games
Swimming 12
meets NOTE: If more than 10, two shall be invitational meets.
Tennis 16
matches
Track 12
meets
Volleyball 18
playing dates / 36 matches
Wrestling 14
events / 40 mat appearances
6.4.
All
other sports seasons and game limitations not listed above will be defined and
approved by the Executive Board.
6.5.
If
a school district adopted calendar ends before any state championship, that
school district is allowed to complete its playing schedule and to participate
in the state championship.
1. Q. May a student or a team of a member school participate in an organized practice or contest against a student or a team of a college, university, community college, non-high school club or alumni in contact sports (football, wrestling and soccer)?