General

CHSAA to Host Second Legislative Council Meeting Tuesday, April 23

AURORA - The Colorado High School Activities Association is presenting new bylaw proposals and committee reports to the CHSAA’s Legislative Council, the democratic arm of the association, on Tuesday, April 23, at the DCSD Legacy Campus.

Find a complete list of bylaw proposals and committee reports here.
 
Prior to the Legislative Council meeting, the CHSAA Board of Directors will meet for its April meeting on Monday, April 22. Among the topics of discussion will be whether to recommend moving forward ATH 1 – Girls Flag Football (a proposal to add girls flag football as a sanctioned sport beginning Fall 2024) to the Legislative Council for a vote. Girls Flag Football has already gone in front of four committees - Budget & Property Administration, Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC), Equity and Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) - and all four support girls flag football being moved to the Board of Directors for final review. If the Board of Directors decides to recommend that girls flag football become a sanctioned sport, the Legislative Council will have the final vote.

A number of Administrative Proposals that would adjust how and when school programs are classified by the Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC) have also been put forth to be voted on by the Legislative Council. Currently, a school’s single-year enrollment figure is the primary criteria used to classify programs, but this number may or may not accurately reflect any impacts that may have been experienced by the school in the years prior to classification. ADM 2 – Classification Enrollment Calculations proposes using an average of enrollment counts to allow for trends and impacts to be measured much more accurately. In addition, ADM 1 – Classification Enrollment Ranges Timeline proposes to shorten the timeframe from when classification ranges are determined to when they actually go into effect.
 
ADM 4 – Classification Enrollment Timelines, while more clerical in nature and aims to keep the CLOC proposals in alignment with other bylaws, reiterates the enrollment timelines and brings clarity to what can be considered an extreme change in CDE enrollment averages for individual schools.

A proposal that failed during the January meeting will also be re-introduced; ATH 3 – Keep Spring Season of Sport Consistent. During specific academic years (2024-25, 2025-26, 2030-31, etc.), the NFHS calendar shifts drastically backward. This shift affects the championship dates for all seasons but is especially problematic in the spring as state events conflict with Memorial Day Weekend. This proposal is for boys swimming and diving and boys volleyball to begin on Feb. 17 and all other spring sports to begin on Feb. 24 for Spring 2025. For Spring 2026, boys swimming and diving and boys volleyball would begin on Feb. 16 and all other spring sports would begin on Feb. 23.

Basketball shot clock will also be discussed once again, as there are three amendments to consider:
  • CR 14a: The Centennial/Continental Leagues recommend the use of a 35-second shot clock for both boys and girls in all classifications at the varsity level only.
  • CR 14b: If CR 14a fails, the Centennial/Continental Leagues recommend the use of a 35-second shot clock for both boys and girls in classifications 5A and 6A only, and at the varsity level only.
  • CR 14c: If CR 14a and CR 14b fail, the Western Slope League recommends the use of a 35-second shot clock for both boys and girls at the 6A level. Schools in a mixed classification league (with 6A schools) will be allowed to utilize the shot clock when hosting 6A schools if they so choose.

Additional recommendations that will be voted on by the Legislative Council will come from the individual Committee Reports:
  • CLOC: Recommends Windsor Charter and STEM Highlands Ranch for full CHSAA membership, a second-classification be added for girls wrestling and if approved, girls flag football have two classifications (with the precondition that there is a minimum of 50 programs compete)
  • Sports Medicine: Recommends that a Pre-Participation Exam (PPE) form be required for all schools beginning with the 2025-26 academic year, with 2024-25 being a pilot year.
  • Basketball: Recommends tweaking the regional seeding process for 1A, eliminating districts for 2A and 3A, extending the 4A season by one week to move to a true seeded Regional format (like 2A-3A), and expanding the bracket size from 32 to 40 teams for 5A and 6A.
    • In addition to the three shot clock amendments above, there are two additional amendments put forth by different Leagues:
      • CR 14d - Western Slope recommends the elimination of districts in 1A.
      • CR 14e - City League proposes setting predetermined start times depending upon bracket seeds for the 4A, 5A and 6A Great 8 games. 
      • CR 14f - Southern Peaks recommends keeping districts in 2A.
  • Field Hockey: Recommends implementing a multi-league postseason bracket to help grow the game for a six-year period. If growth has not occurred, the format would revert back to one bracket.
  • Football: Recommends that summer padded camp options return to pre-Covid protocols and allowing zero-week regular season contests to occur.
    • In addition, there is an additional amendment put forth by a League:
      • CR 17a - Frontier League recommends that if both teams have had the same amount of home games through the state playoffs, then a coin flip by the Commissioner will determine the home site for a game in A6 and A8, whereas the team with the higher designation will host the game in 1A through 5A. 
  • Skiing: Recommends the state championships be split into two separate championships: Alpine and Nordic. A girls and boys champion would be awarded for each championship, and Nordic Team Championships will incorporate a four-person relay as part of the team scoring.
  • Track and Field: Recommends eliminating the sprint medley relay at the state championships
  • Wrestling: Recommends changes to the regional seeding criteria, a state seeding tiebreaker be implemented, a second classification for girls wrestling and a return to the previous bracketing process at regionals.
 
Proposals to change the CHSAA Constitution (Articles 1-13) require a 2/3 favorable vote. Proposals to change the Administrative and General Bylaws and Athletic/Activity Bylaws (Articles 14-51) require a favorable vote with the majority of those Legislative Council members voting. 
 
The CHSAA’s 75-member Legislative Council is made up of representatives from across the state of Colorado. Each primary league has representation, in addition to representation from the Colorado Association of School Executives, Colorado Association of School Boards, and the Colorado Athletic Directors Association. This diverse group is tasked with making decisions that they feel best for all student-participants across the state. The CHSAA has two Legislative Council meetings per year; the first meeting was held on Tuesday, January 30.