FINAL BILL REPORT

ESSB 6383

C 155 L 12

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Regarding Washington interscholastic activities association penalties.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Benton, Eide, Schoesler, Kohl-Welles, Chase, Padden, Stevens, Hobbs, Pflug, Hargrove, Harper, McAuliffe, Prentice, Shin, Fraser, Fain, Hill, Baumgartner, Nelson, Swecker, Holmquist Newbry, Kline, Hatfield, Becker, Conway, Hewitt, King, Parlette, Ranker, Litzow, Zarelli, Ericksen, Morton and Honeyford).

Senate Committee on Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections

House Committee on Education

Background: The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) is a private, nonprofit service organization and rule-making body formed in 1905 to create equitable playing conditions between high school sports teams in Washington. The WIAA consists of nearly 800 member high schools and middle/junior high schools, both public and private, and is divided into nine geographic service districts. The WIAA staff administers WIAA policies, rules and regulations and provides other assistance and service to member schools.

The WIAA oversees athletics and fine arts in Washington State and hosts 83 WIAA state championship events.

The WIAA does not receive any funding from tax dollars nor does it receive any financial support from the state. The WIAA is funded primarily through ticket sales for state tournaments and other events. Additional funding is derived from sponsorships, membership fees, and a percentage of merchandise sales and other items.

The purpose of the WIAA is to plan, supervise, and administer interscholastic activities approved and delegated by school districts' board of directors.

Summary: The WIAA or other voluntary nonprofit entity is authorized to impose penalties for rule violations upon coaches, school district administrators, school administrations, and students, as appropriate, to punish the offending party or parties.

No penalty may be imposed on a student or students unless the student or students knowingly violated the rules, or unless a student gained a significant competitive advantage or materially disadvantaged another student through a rule violation.

Any penalty that is imposed for rule violations must be proportional to the offense.

Any decision resulting in a penalty must be considered a decision of the school district conducting the activity in which the student seeks to participate or was participating and may be appealed.

The school districts, the WIAA districts, and leagues that participate in interschool extracurricular activities must not impose more severe penalties for rule violations than can be imposed by the rules of the WIAA or the voluntary nonprofit entity.

Any penalty that is imposed by the WIAA Appeals Committee must be proportional to the offense and must be imposed upon only the offending individual or individuals, including coaches, school district administrators, school administrations, and students.

If a matter is appealed to the executive board of the WIAA (executive board), the executive board must conduct a de novo review of the matter before making a decision. Any penalty or sanction that is imposed by the executive board must be proportional to the offense and must be imposed upon only the offending individual or individuals. Should a school violate a WIAA rule, that violation does not automatically remove the school's team from post-season competition. Penalties levied against coaches and school programs must be considered before removing a team from post-season competition. Removal of a team from post-season competition must be the last option. If a rule violation is reported ten days prior to post-season play, the only review must be conducted by the executive board so that a decision can be rendered in a timely manner. The executive board must take all possible actions to render a decision prior to the beginning of post-season play.

Votes on Final Passage: