CONSTITUTION OF
SUFFOLK COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH
SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
SECTION XI, INC
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of this organization shall be the
Suffolk County Public High School Athletic Association, Section XI, Inc.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
It shall be the purpose of this Association to formulate, adopt and implement policies that
will enable the Association to administer and govern interscholastic athletics
in accordance with sound educational practices.
(5/22/03)
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Any school in Suffolk County, which is a member of the New York
State Public High School Athletic Association, may become a member of this
Association upon proper application, approval by a referendum of the membership,
and payment of annual dues.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1: The elected officers of this Association shall be a president,
a first vice-president, a second vice-president, and the immediate past
president.
Section 2: The Executive Director is an ex-officio officer of the
Association with no voting powers.
ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Executive Board shall consist of: the elected officers; "at large"
representative(s), if needed to insure at least three male and three female
representatives; the NYSPHSAA Central Committee representatives; and two school
district superintendents elected to represent the BOCES Supervisory Districts.
(May 2000)
ARTICLE VI
THE ATHLETIC COUNCIL
Section 1: The governing body for the Association and for the control of
athletics in Section XI shall be the Athletic Council.
Section 2: The Athletic Council shall consist of the Executive Board and
six representatives from each of the conferences.
ARTICLE VII
CONFERENCES
Section 1: A conference is the basic organization for a group of schools,
formed by the Athletic Council for the purpose of the administration of athletic
activities.
Section 2: Each school in a conference shall be represented by a school
administrator, an athletic director, and a physical education representative (of
the opposite sex from the athletic director).
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS
Section 1: Annual Meeting of Section XI, Inc. The annual meeting shall
be held preceding the last Athletic Council meeting of the school year.
Section 2: Athletic Council
a) The Athletic Council shall meet at least four times per year.
b) Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board.
Section 3: Executive Board
a) The Executive Board shall meet prior to the dates of the conference
meetings which precede each Athletic Council meeting.
b) Special meetings may be called by the President.
ARTICLE IX
FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year shall be July 1 through June 30 of the following year.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
Section 1: A proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the
Executive Director at least 21 days prior to the next Athletic Council meeting.
Section 2: After consideration at conference meetings and approval by the
Athletic Council, the proposed amendment shall be forwarded to all member
schools for a referendum vote. A two-thirds majority of the member schools is required
for approval.
ARTICLE XI
RULES OF ORDER
The edition of Robert's Rules of Order currently in effect shall govern Section
XI, Inc. in all parliamentary situations that are not provided for in the
Constitution and Bylaws.
ARTICLE XII
BYLAWS
Bylaws shall be developed to further define the structure of the Association as
prescribed within the
Constitution.
(5/22/03)
ARTICLE XIII
OPERATING CODES
Operating codes shall be developed for all standing and continuing committees.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Any school in Suffolk County which is a member of the New York
State Public High School Athletic Association, may become a member of this
Association upon proper application, approval by a referendum of the membership,
and payment of annual dues.
Section 2: Application shall be made before October 31st prior to July 1st
of the school year during which Section XI membership is to become effective.
Section 3: The effective date of membership will be July 1st of the
following school year.
Section 4: Membership shall require each school to:
a) be registered with the State Education Department (with a full 9-12
grade program).
b) meet enrollment requirements of 10 students per gender per grade level
(except in single gender schools).
c) abide by the rules and regulations of the NYSPHSAA and of Section XI.
d) participate in the Section in all sports offered by the school.
e) accept the placement assigned by Section XI in all sports in which it
participates.
f) pay all fees in accordance with the procedures and regulations of NYSPHSAA and Section XI.
g) be in compliance with all rules and regulations in the NYSPHSAA
handbook.
h) neither recruit student athletes nor to offer or allow to be offered
athletic scholarships in any form.
i) make records available on request by Section XI to ensure that
athletic scholarships in any form are not offered.
j) be represented at a majority of the meetings held for the
appropriate level of participation; i.e., modified, junior high, varsity,
conference, etc.
k) abide by Section XI team uniform codes.
l) be in compliance with coaching certification requirements as per
public school requirements.
m) forfeit all contests in which an ineligible athlete (including
scholarship recipient) participated and to affirm that any championship earned
while an ineligible athlete participated will be rescinded with relevant plaques
or trophies to be returned to Section XI.
Approved Oct 22, 1999
Section 5: Following the receipt of an application, a committee appointed
by the Executive Board will make a site visitation for the purpose of inspecting
athletic facilities and making a subsequent recommendation to the Executive
Board as to whether such facilities are appropriate. The determination
will be on a case by case basis.
Section 6: The Section XI Executive Board will review the completed
application, including evidence of registration with SED and the report of the
site visitation committee and make recommendations to the membership prior to the
referendum as per Article 1, Section 1, of the Bylaws.
Section 7: Schools approved for membership will be considered to be on a
probationary status for two years, with permanent status to depend on the
Executive Board's decision as to the school's compliance with Section XI
membership policies during the probationary period.
Section 8: Enrollment figures for single gender schools shall be doubled
for placement purposes.
Section 9: Classification and placement of new member schools will
continue to reside with the Section XI Placement Committee as per Article 1,
Section 6, of the Section XI Bylaws.
Section 10: Non-public schools may be placed in leagues/divisions with higher
enrollment criteria. This would be based upon the ability to select
students from significantly larger geographic areas and without regard to
residency within a school district boundary.
ARTICLE II
DUES AND ASSESSMENTS
All dues and assessments shall be determined by
recommendation of the Finance Committee. Dues and assessments shall be
approved by the Athletic Council.
ARTICLE III
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1: Term of Office
Officers shall:
a) serve a one-year term with voting powers
b) serve as voting members of the Executive Board, Athletic Council, and
at the annual meeting
c) assume office on July 1.
Section 2: The President shall: preside at Athletic Council and
Executive Board meetings; recommend all Section XI sport chairmen for the
approval of the Executive Board; represent Section XI, Inc. at state and local
meetings; serve as ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating
Committee; appoint members of president's committees; call meetings of the
Executive Board.
Section 3: The 1st Vice President shall preside in the absence of the
President, serve as Chairman of the Handbook Revision Committee, the Policy
Committee, and the Constitution Committee.
Section 4: The 2nd Vice President shall preside in the absence of the
President and 1st Vice President.
Section 5: The Past President shall serve as Chairman of the Placement
Committee and the Nominating Committee.
Section 6: Vacancies in any office shall be filled by a vote of the
Executive Board for the unexpired term of such office.
Section 7: The Executive Director is responsible for the administration
and implementation of the policies and regulations of Section XI and the NYSPHSAA.
ARTICLE IV
THE ATHLETIC COUNCIL
Section 1: The Athletic Council shall be vested with the powers granted by
the Constitution, and shall formulate and enforce policies, rules, and
regulations for all interscholastic athletic activities.
ARTICLE V
THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1: The Executive Board shall: act between meetings of the
Athletic Council; appoint "at large" representative(s) to the
Executive Board; subject to the approval of the Athletic Council, be responsible
for the selection of the Executive Director, and the
terms of employment inclusive of his/her salary and benefit package in
consultation with the chairman of the Finance Committee; supervise and
annually evaluate the work of the Executive Director. (Approved by Referendum
2/1/05)
Section 2: At large representatives are appointed by the Executive Board
for one-year terms. Representatives will be appointed as needed, to insure
a minimum of three male and three female representatives on the Executive Board.
Section 3: Six members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.
Section 4: Representatives serving on the Executive Board must be active
employees of Section XI member schools.
Section 5: Representatives on the Executive Board (including central committee
representatives) who retire during their term of
office may remain in that position until their term of office expires. (Oct 20,
2004)
Section 6: No more than one representative per district shall serve on the
Executive Board.
Section 7: Superintendents elected to Executive Board positions shall, whenever
possible, represent a balance of large and small schools, and geographically,
east and west schools.
(May 2000)
ARTICLE VI
COMMITTEES
Section 1: There shall be Standing Committees, President's Committees, and
Continuing Committees.
Section 2: The following are Standing Committees: Awards,
Constitution, Finance, Modified, Nominating, Placement, Policy, Safety, Seeding,
Sportsmanship and Tournament.
(Approved
by Referendum: Nov 2015)
Section 3: Representatives on Standing Committees (Awards,
Constitution, Finance, Modified, Nominating, Placement, Policy, Safety, Seeding,
Sportsmanship and Tournament):
a) shall be active employees of Section XI schools with the exception of
those responsibilities assumed by the past-president,
b) shall be school or athletic administrators, and
c) are expected to be in regular attendance at conference meetings.
Section 4: The following are Continuing Committees: Appeals, Austerity,
Eligibility, Ethics, Information/Technology, Mixed Competition, Officials, and Violations.
(Approved by Referendum: Nov 2015)
Section 5: The President's Committees and Continuing
Committees are indefinite in number and are appointed by the President of
Section XI.
Section 6: Representatives on President's Committees and
Continuing Committees (appointed committees) must be active employees of Section
XI member schools at the time of the appointment. Retired Administrators may
serve at the discretion of the Executive Director and the President. (Approved
Jan 2020)
Section 7: Terms of Office
a) Standing Committee members shall be appointed by conference
presidents for a term of two years. Odd numbered conferences shall appoint
in odd years, even numbered conferences shall appoint in even years.
b) Members of a Continuing Committee shall serve until the
specific duties of the committee have been concluded.
c) President's Committees may be appointed and/or terminated
at any time by the President, and shall terminate with his/her administration in
office.
Section 8: No more than one representative per district shall
serve on a Standing Committee, a Continuing Committee, or a President's
Committee.
Section 9: Representatives on Standing Committees, Continuing
Committees or President's Committees may continue to serve while active in
interim positions.
Section 10: The functions, organization, and procedures of the
various committees are set forth in their respective operating codes.
ARTICLE VII
BASIC CONFERENCES
Section 1: A Conference shall consist of at least ten schools.
Section 2: A Conference shall: Conduct conference
meetings; provide for the election of its officers, representatives and
alternates to the Athletic Council; provide for the appointments of
representatives to standing committees as specified in Article VI, Section 3.
(May 2000)
Section 3: Conference Officers
a) The officers of a conference shall include a president, a vice
president and a secretary. Other officers may be included at the
discretion of the conference.
b) The conference president shall preside at all meetings; provide for the
election of six conference representatives to the Athletic Council; provide for
the disposition of necessary business within the conference; receive and act on
any protest or dispute between schools.
c) The conference vice-president shall preside in the absence of the
president.
d) The conference secretary shall record the minutes and proceedings of
conference meetings; distribute minutes to all conference schools, Athletic
Council, and to the Executive Director.
Section 4: School Representation to the Conference
a) Each school shall be represented in the conference by three people
designated by the superintendent. Such representation shall include at
least one person charged with the responsibility of the athletic program, a
person of the opposite gender who is a physical education teacher or coach, and
a school administrator.
b) Each school shall be entitled to one vote at the conference level.
c) Those schools which participate solely at the modified level shall be
placed in conferences geographically and shall each be entitled to one vote on
modified issues
only.
(May 2000)
d) No absentee voting will be permitted.
Section 5: Representation from a conference to the Athletic
Council shall include six representatives: two school administrators, two
males and two females. No member of the Executive Board shall serve as a
voting conference representative.
Section 6: Conference presidents shall appoint standing
substitutes for administrative representation at Council Meetings.
Section 7: No more than one representative per district shall
serve as conference representatives to the Athletic Council.
Section 8: All representatives serving as conference
representatives to the Athletic Council shall be active high school personnel.
ARTICLE VIII
ATHLETIC COUNCIL
Section 1: The Athletic Council shall consist of the Executive
Board and six representatives from each conference.
Section 2: The Athletic Council shall be the governing body
for the Association and for the control of interscholastic athletics in Section
XI.
Section 3: Voting Rights
Voting members of the Athletic Council shall be: each member of the
Executive Board and the six representatives from each conference. No
absentee voting will be permitted nor shall any member be permitted more than
one vote. There is no provision for proxy voting on the Athletic Council.
Section 4: In cases where a 2-2 conference vote exists, the
following shall occur:
a) A roll call of votes per school, recorded at each individual conference
meeting, shall be reported.
b) A tally of roll call votes per school shall be used to break the
tie. If the roll call vote per school does not break the tie, then a roll
call vote of the Executive Board shall determine the outcome of the
proposal. If the Executive Board vote does not break the tie, the
President's vote shall be used to break the tie.
Note: It shall be the responsibility of the conference president to
send representatives to the Council Meeting with an accurate record of the roll
call vote on all conference agenda items.
ARTICLE IX
REFERENDUM
Section 1: A referendum vote necessitates the signature of the
superintendent of the district. The signatures of the principal, athletic
director, and physical education representative should also appear on the
ballot.
Section 2: A referendum will be required for: any
proposed change in the Constitution or Bylaws (two-thirds vote required as
specified in Article X, Section 2); the report of the Nominating Committee
(majority vote of schools voting). Any other items that go to referendum
shall require a majority vote of the member schools.
Section 3: All referenda defined in Section 2 shall be
authorized by majority vote of the Athletic Council.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
Section 1: A proposed amendment to the Constitution or Bylaws
must be submitted in writing to the Executive Director at least 21 days prior to
the next Athletic Council Meeting.
Section 2: The Executive Director shall forward proposed
amendments to each conference for consideration prior to action by the Athletic
Council. Upon approval by the Athletic Council, the proposal shall be sent
to referendum as specified in Article IX, Sections 1 and 2.
Section 3: A two-thirds majority vote of the member schools is
required for the approval of a Constitution and/or Bylaws amendment.
Section 4: The Executive Director shall submit a written
notice of the results of the referendum to the Section XI President and
superintendents.
ARTICLE XI
RULES OF ORDER
Section 1: Questions of procedure shall be determined
according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, unless otherwise provided
for in the Bylaws.
Section 2: Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be
utilized at Executive Board, Conference, Athletic Council, and Annual Meetings.
ARTICLE XII
SUSPENSION OF CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
An article in the Constitution or Bylaws may be suspended by a two-thirds vote
of the member schools after referendum as specified in Article IX, Section 1 and
2.
ARTICLE XIII
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
VIOLATIONS
1. Member schools violating the rules and regulations of the
Association may be disciplined by the Athletic Council. Infractions and
violations which are referred to the Athletic Council shall be considered for
action no later than the next scheduled meeting.
2. Violations and/or infractions of conference matters shall
be handled in the following manner:
a) The complaint or violation
shall be brought to the attention of the athletic director of the school
involved.
b) If unresolved, the complaint
or violation shall be referred to the conference president in writing.
c) The conference president
shall immediately notify the administrator, athletic director and coach of the
school in question of the written complaint.
d) If the problem cannot be
resolved, the conference president shall be notified and a meeting of the
conference called.
e) If the problem is still
unresolved, the conference president shall refer it to the Athletic Council for
action.
3. If a complaint or violation is not a specific conference
matter, it shall be made in writing to the office of the Executive Director for
submission to the Athletic Council for action. If the complaint or
violation cannot be resolved by the Executive Director, the following procedure
shall be used:
a) The complaint or violation
shall be referred to the Athletic Council.
b) The president of the
Athletic Council shall appoint a committee to consider and resolve the complaint
or violation.
c) If unresolved by the Section
XI Committee, it shall be referred to the Executive Board for resolution.
d) If unresolved by the
Executive Board, it shall be referred to the Athletic Council for action.
ARTICLE XIV
ELECTRONIC MEETINGS
1. Electronic Meetings - In the event that a regular in-person meeting is not possible due to weather, catastrophe, pandemic, or any other incident that precludes members from attending in-person, an electronic meeting may be considered an acceptable alternative.