RHSAA Bylaws

ARTICLE 1 Eligibility

1.1 General Requirements

1.1.1 In any school year participation in activities organised or sponsored by the Association or by any Member of the Association shall be open to any high school student:

(a) whose principal certifies that the student meets the eligibility requirements of the Association as set out in clause (b); and

(b) who is not otherwise ineligible pursuant to the bylaws or policies of the Association.

1.1.2 The eligibility requirements of the Association are that, in any school year, each student:

(a) must be enroled in Grade 9 through 12 during that school year, and

(b) must not hold a Grade 12 certificate as of September 1 of that school year, and

(c) must provide a signed and completed parent's permission in a form approved by the Association which is on file with the high school, and

(d) must be within the period of eligibility as set out in these bylaws and

(e) must not be in violation of any school or board of education policy that would prevent the student from participating in the activity, and

1.2 Grade 8 Students

1.2.1 In the case of high schools designated as 1A or 2A by the Association a Grade 8 student may play as a representative of the high school in the sports of basketball, volleyball, soccer and curling provided that:

(a) the Executive Director has approved of the use of Grade 8 students, and
Ratified September 22nd, 1998.

(b) no more than 25% of the team consists of Grade 8 students, and

(c) other than being in Grade 8, each student otherwise meets all the eligibility requirements of the Association.

1.2.2 In the case of all other high schools, a Grade 8 student may play as a representative of the high school in the sports of basketball, volleyball, soccer and curling provided that:

(a) the Executive Council of the Association has approved of the use of Grade 8 students for that school year (See Form E2); and

(b) no more than 25% of the team consists of Grade 8 students; and

(c) other than being in Grade 8 each student otherwise meets all the eligibility requirements of the Association.

1.3 Older Students

1.3.1 In the event a student is 15 years of age as of September 1 in any school year but has not yet entered Grade 9, that student may be designated as eligible to participate provided:

(a) the board of education approves of the participating of the student; and

(b) the student otherwise meets all the eligibility requirements of the Association.

1.4 Home School Students

1.4.1 Students who are not enroled in a high school operated by a Member of the Association may participate in activities organised or sponsored by the Association or by Members of the Association provided:

(a) a Member of the Association agrees that such student may represent a high school operated by the Member; and

(b) the student otherwise meets all the eligibility requirements of the Association.

1.5 Foreign Exchange Students

1.5.1 Foreign exchange students are permitted one school year of eligibility provided the sponsoring organization is listed on the CSIET ( Council on Standards for International Education Travel) approved programs. Foreign exchange students must meet all RHSAA eligibility regulations

1.6 Alternate Education Programs

1.6.1 A student participating in alternate education programs at another school is eligible to participate in RHSAA activities provided the student is registered at the high school that the student will represent and that the student meets all other RHSAA eligibility regulations.

1.7 Period of Eligibility

1.7.1  Students shall be eligible to participate in activities organized or sponsored by the Association for a period of a maximum of three (3) consecutive school years or six (6) consecutive semesters

1.7.2  The period of eligibility shall commence at the earlier of:
(a) the first day of the school year in which the student enters Grade 10
(b) the first day of the school year in which the student was sixteen years old on September 1st.

1.8  Eligibility to represent school teams

1.8.1 A Student shall play as a representative of the high school in which the student first registered in as a bona fide high school student
(a) If a student transfers to a new school during the school year or during the semester but the family of the student does not move, the student must apply to the SHSAA Executive Director for eligibility in order to participate at the new school.
(b) The SHSAA Student Transfer Form (E-17) for the SHSAA must be completed, and ratified, before participation at a new school can commence
(c) In any event, a student can compete with only one school in any one sport in any school year, unless, in the sole determination of the SHSAA director, it is in the best interests of the student to do so.

1.8.2 A Student who transfer for athletic reasons is not eligible to participate in interschool athletics for one year following the date of the transfer. A transfer for athletic reason is defined as, but not limited to:
            (a) seeking a superior team
            (b) seeking a team consistent with the student’s ability
            (c) seeking a means to nullify a decision by the previous school

1.8.3 A student attending St. Luke or Cochrane High School shall be eligible to participate in RHSAA activities, not provided at these two schools, at a high school within the designated school division

1.8.4 Note  Students may only participate on one school team, which will participate in division, district and post-district play.

1.9 Decisions as to Eligibility

1.9.1 Unless otherwise provided for in the bylaws or the policies of the District, any decision regarding the eligibility of a student shall be made by the Executive Director of the SHSAA.

1.9.2 If any Member or any principal or director of education employed by a Member of the District disagrees with any decision made regarding the eligibility of a student the Member or the principal or director of education may appeal that decision to the Executive Council.

1.9.3 If any Member disagrees with any decision made by the Executive Council regarding the eligibility of a student the Member may appeal that decision to the SHSAA Board of Review whose decision shall be final.

1.9.4 While the decision is in appeal, the student will not be eligible to participate.

1.10 Procedures to seek exceptions to Eligibility Provisions

1.10.1 A member or its designate may request an exception to the eligibility provisions of these bylaws by making an application to the Executive council of the SHSAA.

1.10.2 The SHSAA Executive Council may grant a request for an exception, with such terms and conditions, as the SHSAA Executive Council deems appropriate.

1.10.3 If any Member disagrees with any decision made by the SHSAA Executive Council regarding the exceptions to eligibility provisions, the Member may appeal that decision to the Board of Review whose decision shall be final

1.10.4 The Board of Review shall consist of three people who are not members of the Executive Council.

1.11 Failure to Comply with Eligibility Provisions

1.11.1 In the event a student participates in an activity organised or sponsored by the District when that student is not eligible, then any contest in which the student participated shall be forfeited.

1.12 Ban on Recruiting

1.12.1 Any communication, verbal or otherwise, initiated by a coach or other staff employed at any high school, to a student from another school regarding the possibility of that student playing for that high school in any sport will be considered recruiting.

1.12.2 Recruiting is considered by the District to be unethical and if any person employed by or acting on behalf of any Member engages in recruiting that Member may be subject to discipline.

1.13 Coaches and Supervisors

1.13.1 The District urges that all schools strive to have faculty members as head coaches of their interscholastic teams.

1.13.2 Application may be made to the SHSAA for approval of other individuals as head coaches or supervisors. (see SHSAA Bylaws page 32-33) Form E-14 “Declaration for Non-Faculty Coach” should be completed in accordance with bylaws.

1.14 Sanctions

1.14.1 RHSAA member teams hosting a tournament that involves out of province teams must apply to the Executive Director for sanction. (Form E-4 of handbook “ Interprovincial Competition Sanction Form”)

1.14.2 RHSAA member teams participating in SHSAA sanctioned tournaments must follow SHSAA regulations.

1.15 Notice of Eligible Players

1.15.1 For each sport a list of eligible players must be completed 24 hrs. prior to team’s first league game. Eligibility of players is completed online in accordance with the SHSAA Activity Eligibility form E-5

1.16 Scheduling

1.16.1 All pre-provincial playoffs held at the district or regional level must be scheduled for completion on or before the weekend preceding the provincial championship in that activity.

1.16.2 No athletic competition involving students from schools operated by Members may be scheduled on a Sunday.

1.17 Rural School Participation

1.17.1 Participation in RHSAA activities is restricted to schools within the Regina District, with the exception of Greenall High School, Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, and Lumsden High School. These three schools will hereafter be referred to as ‘Rural Schools”. Rural Schools, for the purposes of football only include Weyburn Comprehensive, Greenall High School, Yorkton Regional, and Notre Dame College,

1.17.2 Rural schools must follow the RHSAA and the SHSAA Constitution and Bylaws.

1.17.3 Rural schools teams will be eligible to participate in RHSAA playoffs but will not be eligible to represent the Regina District in Provincial competition. The exception is football, as RHSAA playoffs are considered regional playoffs.

1.17.4 Each Rural School – Yorkton, Greenall, Weyburn, Notre Dame, Lumsden- must apply to the RHSAA Council before March 31 of each year for those sport(s) in which it wishes to participate in the following school year. Each school will complete an application form. Each application will be considered on an individual activity basis at the RHSAA April Council Meeting.

            2009-10 Activities
Notre Dame

• Senior Boys and Junior Girls Basketball,  Boys and Girls Soccer, Baseball, Softball, Senior and Junior Girls Volleyball, Wrestling

Greenall

• Junior and Senior Basketball,  Boys and Girls Soccer, Junior and Senior Volleyball,  Curling, Wrestling, Softball, Badminton, Baseball, Golf

Lumsden

• Junior and Senior Basketball, Junior Volleyball, Senior Boys and Girls Volleyball, Badminton, Boys and Mixed Curling,

Weyburn, Yorkton, Notre Dame, Greenall

• Football

1.17.5 School teams from Regina Public, Regina Catholic and Luther College High School will not travel outside city limits to participate in league or playoff games. The exceptions are football and golf. Football teams may travel for league games only. The transportation will be by bus and the cost will be covered by the rural school. Golf may travel outside the city limits for league play only.

1.17.6 Officials will be assigned to games by the Regina Sport/Activity Officials Group. Any travel expenses will be charged to the rural member schools.

1.17.7 Rural schools will be assessed a sport and administration fee. The yearly administration fee is subject to an increase proportional to any increase endured by District Members, to be determined in the fall of that school year. Each school will also be assessed a sport fee on a per team per sport basis. Costs such as field rental and officials will determine the sport fee.

1.17.8 Any Rural school that removes a team during a season will be deemed ineligible in that sport for the following sport season.

ARTICLE 2 Conduct

2.1 The RHSAA is vitally interested in sustaining high standards of conduct on the part of the players, coaches and fans at contests and on out-of-town trips. It is the responsibility of Members to make their best efforts to ensure that coaches, supervisors, teachers and students maintain a high standard of behaviour. Specific situations include but are not restricted to:

2.1.1 Drinking or possession of alcoholic beverages before, during or after a contest or on an out-of-town trip, is a violation of this code.

2.1.2 Unsportsmanlike conduct during a contest or at any time during a trip is a violation of this code.

2.1.3 Travelling regulations and curfews are to be set by the supervising teacher or coach, and shall not be violated.

2.1.4 Misconduct which may reflect on the good reputation of team members, schools, or the RHSAA is a violation of the code.

2.1.5 The illegal use of drugs at any time is a violation of the code.

2.1.6 Refrain from using artificial noisemakers, drums, or other musical instruments. The exception to this policy would be a school prep band under the direct supervision of authorized school personnel, with the understanding that nothing will be done to interfere with the performance of the opposing team.

2.2 Contests

2.2.1 Unless specific permission is obtained from the Executive Director, no member shall allow any of its schools or students to participate in any competition unless the constitution, bylaws, policies and rules of the Association are fully observed by all participants.

2.2.2 No team shall participate in any contest if the other team has been suspended or if a suspended player or coach participates in the game.

2.3 Contest Requirements

2.3.1 Sport Regulations

(a) Teams, students, coaches, supervisors and teachers shall abide by the regulations of the sport as set out in the District Handbook.

(b) The District may amend the Sport Regulations, governing non-provincial play, for any particular sport. All teams, students, coaches, supervisors and Members shall abide by those amendments.

(c) Amendments to the regulations governing each sport will require approval from the RHSAA Executive Council or the District Council. The RHSAA Executive Council shall determine whether the proposed amendments shall be forwarded to the District Council.

Often a change in sport regulations will occur to accommodate changes in school size, addition of new schools and teams, a change in facility rentals, and a number of other "natural" factors. These decisions can be approved by the RHSAA Executive Council.

Other changes in sport regulations occur because of a change in philosophy by a majority of coaches. This philosophical change can have far reaching implications on other sports and the RHSAA (eg. change in season, suspensions, practice times, team travel, etc.). These decisions should be presented to the RHSAA Executive Council and then be presented to the District Council for approval.

2.3.2 Protest of Rulings Made by Officials

The decisions of officials shall be followed by all participants.

(a) Any protest regarding the decision of an official at a league or playoff contest within the District shall be made immediately, or as soon as reasonably possible, to the Commissioner. This protest must be made in writing, time permitting.

(b) The decision by the Commissioner shall be made as soon as possible after hearing from the concerned parties and making any necessary investigation.

(c) The decision of the Commissioner concerning any protest may be appealed to the RHSAA Executive Council.

2.3.3 Ejection of Player from a Contest

(a) If a player is ejected from a contest by an official, that player shall be suspended for the remainder of the contest during which the ejection took place; and

o that player shall be suspended from the next contest to be played by the player in that sport; and

o if that player is in the final year of eligibility and is ejected from the final contest of the year in a particular sport, the player shall be suspended from the next contest to be played by the player in any sport.

(b) Such suspensions shall be automatic and do not require any notice to the team or player from the school, the Member, or the Association.

(c) If a suspended player plays in a contest, the contest shall be forfeited by the suspended player's team, and the suspended player shall still be suspended from the next contest.

ARTICLE 3 Breach of Bylaws

3.1 Breach by Students or Teams

3.1.1 If any team or player violates any of the bylaws of the District or the Association, the incident shall be reported in writing to the Commissioner.

3.1.2 The Commissioner shall:

(a) investigate the alleged breach and may speak with the students, teachers and coaches involved and any other party deemed advisable; and

(b) consult with the principal of the school or schools involved.

3.1.3 After completing the required investigation and consultation, the Commissioner may:

(a) write a letter of concern, or

(b) write a letter of reprimand, or

(c) impose a period of probation of up to one year, or

(d) impose a period of suspension of up to one year, or

(e) declare a forfeiture of a contest, or

(f) declare a forfeiture of a championship.

3.1.4 The Commissioner shall give a brief written report to the RHSAA Executive Council of the incident and the action taken.

3.1.5 If any Member disagrees with any decision made by the Commissioner, the Member may appeal that decision to the RHSAA Executive Council whose decision on the matter shall be final.

3.1.6 Procedures to seek exceptions to a Decision on Breach of Bylaws

a) A member or its designate may request an exception to the decision on Breach of Bylaws by making an application to the Executive Council of the RHSAA.

b) The Executive Council may grant a request for an exception, with such terms and conditions, as the RHSAA Executive Council deems appropriate.

c) If any Member disagrees with any decision made by the Executive Council regarding the exceptions to the decision on Breach of Bylaws the Member may appeal that decision to the Board of Review whose decision shall be final

d) The Board of Review shall consist of three people who are not members of the Executive Council.

3.2 Breach of Bylaws by Coaches or Supervisors

3.2.1 If any coach or supervisor is alleged to violate any of the bylaws of this Association, the incident shall be reported in writing to the RHSAA Executive Director (Form E-9).

3.2.2 The Commissioner shall:

(a) Contact the school reporting the violation to confirm that the named Coach(es)/Supervisor(s) were forwarded a copy of the report by the person making the report

(b) Confirm receipt of the report with the named Coach(es)/Supervisor(s),

(c) Request a written reply regarding the allegation, to be forwarded to the RHSAA Commissioner and the school reporting the violation, within ten (10) days of receiving the allegation report

(d) Consult with the principal(s) of the schools and the Director/Superintendent of the schools involved .

e) Investigate the alleged breach. He/she may speak with teachers, coaches, and students involved and any other party the Commissioner deems advisable, and

f) Prepare a written report on the incident for the RHSAA Executive Council. Forward a copy of the report to the individual(s) from the school(s) involved, their principals, and Directors/Superintendents of Education

3.2.3 Upon receiving the report of the Commissioner the RHSAA Executive Council may appoint three of its members to sit as a hearing committee. The hearing committee shall:

(a Ensure the individuals, their principals and their Director/Superintendents of Education have received a copy of the written report of the Commissioner.

b) Allow the person making the allegation, the person accused, their legal counsel (if desired) and the RHSAA Commissioner to appear before the committee

3.2.4 After hearing from the coach or supervisor the hearing committee may:
a) write a letter of concern, or
b) write a letter of reprimand, or
c) impose a period of probation or suspension on a coach, supervisor or team of up to one year, or
d) declare a forfeiture of a contest, or
e) declare a forfeiture of a championship.
f) The coach(es) / supervisor, their principal and Director/Superintendent of Education shall receive a copy of the decision of the hearing committee..

3.2.5 If any Member disagrees with any decision made by the hearing committee of the RHSAA Executive Council the Member may appeal that decision to the RHSAA Board of Review whose decision on the matter shall be final.

ARTICLE 4 Sport Seasons

4.1 Following are the start and finish dates of our sanctioned RHSAA activities:

FALL SPORTS

Cross Country, Soccer and Volleyball - the first day students are back and concluding with the Provincial Championships

* Football The Friday prior to the return of teachers and concluding with the Provincial Championships

* SENIOR BOWL game (Graduating players) allowed because teams are not school teams. Present date for game (May long week-end) conflicts with Spring RHSAA sports.

WINTER SPORTS

Basketball season commences November 12 and concludes with the Provincial Championship.
Curling October 17 Provincial Championship (as ice time allows)
Hockey November 1 Cochrane Tournament (as Commissioner assigns ice)
Wrestling November 12 and concluding with the Provincial Championship.

* RHSAA All star game allowed because teams are not school teams.

SPRING SPORTS

Badminton Seventeen (17) days prior to the first RHSAA competition and concluding with the Provincial Championship.
Baseball April 1 City Championship
Golf April 1 City Championship
Softball April 1 City Championship
Track and Field April 1 Provincial Championship

4.2 In reference to the above article:

4.2.1 A PRACTICE is defined as:
- a coach/designate is present and drills are being run
- game specific skills or strategies for competition are being developed
- game-specific skill evaluation of players is involved
- gym/facility is being used for restricted group of players for game-specific skill development

4.2.2 A PRACTICE is not:
- fitness testing, strength training, strength testing or other programs where general athletic skills such as speed, agility and power are being measured. It must be understood that these activities must not result in students being informed about their future (make/cut) with the team.
- involvement in any intramural activity.

4.2.3 A CLUB TEAM is defined as:
- a team not sanctioned by the RHSAA
- a team composed of athletes from two or more high schools
- a team that does not use the school uniforms or the school name and is not funded by the school
- a team that is not covered by the school system insurance policy
- a team that rents school gym time for practice and games

4.3 Penalty

4.3.1 Any coach who is found to be practicing outside of the designated RHSAA Sport Season, as outlined by this Article, is in breach of the RHSAA Bylaws and is liable to the aforementioned consequences

ARTICLE 5 All-Star Teams/All-Star Games

That the RHSAA may acknowledge all-star players in the sports of senior boys and senior girls basketball, senior boys and senior girls volleyball and football.

ARTICLE 6 Sanction of Activity

6.1 The RHSAA will consider sanction of activities within the framework of the following criteria:

6.1.1 a minimum of seven (7) individual RHSAA schools must have
participated in non-sanctioned exhibition games in an activity for
two years prior to application for sanction.

6.1.2 a minimum of seven (7) individual RHSAA schools must combine to make application for sanction of an activity. Each of the schools so applying must commit to the participation of a team in that activity, and to pay RHSAA fees for that activity, as determined by the RHSAA General Council.

6.1.3 applications for sanction of activities must be submitted to the Commissioner three (3) weeks prior to the April General Council Meeting, for consideration at that meeting of approval of sanction for the following school year.

6.1.4 any sanctioned activity for which participation drops below seven (7) RHSAA schools during two (2) consecutive years will automatically have its sanction reviewed by the RHSAA General Council.