BILL REQ. #: S-3772.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/19/12. Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
AN ACT Relating to the Washington interscholastic activities association; amending RCW 28A.600.200 and 28A.600.205; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that the mission of
the Washington interscholastic activities association is to assist
member schools in operating student programs that foster achievement,
respect, equity, enthusiasm, and excellence in a safe and organized
environment. The legislature intends to ensure that this mission is
successfully carried out so that arbitrary sanctions that result in
students unfairly being denied to participate or cause students'
achievements to be diminished do not occur. It is the intent of the
legislature to impact the association's current processes for
establishing penalties for rules violations and to redefine the scope
of penalties that are permitted to be imposed. It is further the
intent of the legislature to build protections into state law so that
punishment, when necessary, is meted out to the appropriate party and
in a proportional manner. The legislature further intends to ensure
that state and local rules relating to interschool extracurricular
activities be consistent with one another, promote fairness, and allow
for a clear process of appeal.
Sec. 2 RCW 28A.600.200 and 2006 c 263 s 904 are each amended to
read as follows:
Each school district board of directors is hereby granted and shall
exercise the authority to control, supervise and regulate the conduct
of interschool athletic activities and other interschool
extracurricular activities of an athletic, cultural, social or
recreational nature for students of the district. A board of directors
may delegate control, supervision and regulation of any such activity
to the Washington interscholastic activities association or any other
voluntary nonprofit entity and compensate such entity for services
provided, subject to the following conditions:
(1) The voluntary nonprofit entity shall not discriminate in
connection with employment or membership upon its governing board, or
otherwise in connection with any function it performs, on the basis of
race, creed, national origin, sex or marital status;
(2)(a) Any rules and policies adopted and applied by the voluntary
nonprofit entity ((which)) that governs student participation in any
interschool activity shall be written; and
(((3))) (b) Such rules and policies shall provide for notice of the
reasons and a fair opportunity to contest such reasons prior to a final
determination to reject a student's request to participate in or to
continue in an interschool activity.
(3)(a) The association or other voluntary nonprofit entity is
authorized to impose penalties for rules violations upon coaches,
school district administrators, school administrators, and students, as
appropriate, to punish the offending party or parties;
(b) No penalty may be imposed on a student or students when no
intentional actions were taken by a student or students to violate the
rules;
(c) Any penalty that is imposed for rules violations must be
proportional to the offense;
(d) Any ((such)) decision resulting in a penalty shall 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 pursuant to RCW 28A.600.205 and 28A.645.010 through
28A.645.030.
(4) The school districts, Washington interscholastic activities
association districts, and leagues that participate in the interschool
extracurricular activities shall not impose more severe penalties for
rule violations than can be imposed by the rules of the association or
the voluntary nonprofit entity.
Sec. 3 RCW 28A.600.205 and 2006 c 263 s 905 are each amended to
read as follows:
((By July 1, 2006,)) (1)(a) The Washington interscholastic
activities association shall establish a nine-person appeals committee
to address appeals of noneligibility issues. The committee shall be
comprised of the secretary from each of the activity districts of the
Washington interscholastic activities association. The committee shall
begin hearing appeals by July 1, 2006. No committee member may
participate in the appeal process if the member was involved in the
activity that was the basis of the appeal.
(b) Any penalty that is imposed by the 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 administrators, and students. However, no
punishment may be imposed on a student or students when no intentional
actions were taken by a student or students to violate the rules.
(2)(a) A decision of the appeals committee may be appealed to the
executive board of the association. If a matter is appealed to the
executive board, then the board shall conduct a de novo review of the
matter before making a decision.
(b) 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 including coaches, school district
administrators, school administrators, or students. However, no
punishment may be imposed on a student or students when no intentional
actions were taken by a student or students to violate the rules.
(c) If a rule violation is reported to the association within ten
days of the relevant state championship, then the only review shall be
conducted by the executive board of the association so that a decision
can be rendered in a timely matter. The executive board must take all
possible actions to render a decision before the championship takes
place.
(3) A decision of the executive board of the association may be
appealed to superior court pursuant to RCW 28A.645.010 through
28A.645.030.