KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION AND BY LAWS
REVISED AUGUST 2004
KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Table of Contents
Constitution
Article I Organization Page 2
Article II Membership Page 3
Article III Administration Page 4
Article IV Meetings Page 5
Article V Finances Page 6
Article VI Amendments Page 6
By-Laws
Article I Regulated Sports Page 7
Article II Spectator Control, Sportsmanship Page 7
Article III Conduct Page 7
Article IV Player’s Eligibility Page 8
Article V Tournaments Page 11
Article VI Games Page 12
Article VII Playing Rules Page 12
Article VIII Protests Page 13
Article IX Reporting Contest Rules Page 14
Article X Imposition of Penalties Page 14
Article XI Awards Page 15
Article XII Fees Page 16
Article XIII Schedule Requirements Page 17
Article XIV Miscellaneous Page 17
It is the clear obligation of principals, coaches, faculty members, and all official representatives of member schools to practice the highest principles of sportsmanship with fans, officials, players, coaches, official representatives of member schools, and the general public. It is the desire of the Kentucky Christian Athletic Association that this constitution, by-laws, and procedures be considered as guidelines to guide us in achieving this task.
CONSTITUTION
Article I
Organization
Section 1: Name
This organization is an association of Christian schools and shall be known as the Kentucky Christian Athletic Association (KCAA). It is for Christian schools within the boundaries of Kentucky, unless schools were members in good standing before 1997.
Section 2: Purpose and Goals
The KCAA exists to assist member schools in providing a program of Christian athletics in coordination with a Christian education. We will seek to have a program that is first and foremost, glorifying to God. Therefore, we believe in fairness and organization within the competition. Each member school shall stress excellence in Bible standards, sportsmanship, and testimony.
In order to accomplish these goals the KCAA will provide the following:
A. Competition in Varsity and Junior Varsity sports.
B. Competition on a state level.
C. A state tournament in Varsity and Junior Varsity sports.
D. Uniform playing rules and standards of eligibility, conduct and competition.
E. Safeguards for the health and well-being of players.
F. Guidelines and penalty for misconduct and noncompliance with established standards.
G. A building of Christian character into our athletic program and athletes.
H. Regularly scheduled league meetings each year.
Article II
Membership
Section 1: Participation
A. Membership: Participation in the KCAA is open to all Christian schools that are approved by majority vote of member schools in the KCAA.
B. Admittance of New Schools: Schools wishing to join the KCAA must have 2/3 acceptance ( closed session) of member schools. Upon entering the league, new member schools, will have a probationary period for that school year. However, new schools may participate in regional and state tournaments if schools are in compliance with the KCAA Constitution and Bylaws. To be eligible for state tournaments, for fall/winter/spring sports, new schools must have been admitted during the KCAA spring meeting. A new school admitted during the late summer meeting will only be eligible for winter/spring state tournaments.
C. Schools approved for membership shall be given one vote in league decisions.
Section 2: Good Standing
A. Fees: For any school to be a member in good standing, it must pay all athletic fees established therein which each school must pay before each specific season begins.
B. Grievances: All grievances occurring within the current school year must be addressed and resolved by a discipline committee and presented to the KCAA members for approval, otherwise expulsion or suspension may be necessary for a length of time.
Section 3: Sanctions
A. A member school may be suspended or placed on probation for any violation of the Constitution, By-Laws, and Association Policies (hereinafter referred to as “regulations”). This can occur only by a two-thirds majority vote of the league. A school cannot be disciplined in this manner without receiving a written notice at least ten days prior to league action.
B. Lesser penalties specified by this Constitution shall be imposed and/or confirmed by a two-thirds majority vote by the league. President may designate discipline already written in the regulations.
Article III
Administration
Section 1: Officers
A. The officers of the Association shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Regional Directors and shall serve on designated committees. All officers will be elected in the Spring meeting. No one may hold more than one office at a time.
B. President: Shall be elected by member schools every two years (no term limits). He/She shall preside over all meetings, oversee all league activities, enforce the constitution, by-laws and policies when necessary. President shall appoint a Secretary and/or Treasurer to be approved the member schools.
C. Vice-President: Shall be elected my member schools every two years (no term limits) and will assist the President and preside in his/her absence.
D. Regional Directors: Shall be elected by member schools annually in the Spring meeting. He/She will be responsible for regional tournaments, overseeing all regional activities, and is responsible to the President.
E. Secretary: Shall be appointed by the President and approved by member schools to take care of minutes of all meetings, newsletters, and promotion. The secretary will be responsible for all team rosters and birth certificates.
F. Treasurer: Shall be appointed by the President and approved by member school to take care of financial matters and disbursement of funds as deemed necessary by the league. The treasurer is responsible for the collection of all fees on a timely basis.
Section 2: Committees
Committees shall be comprised of officers or appointed by the board of officers to insure a representation of fairness and appropriate action within the league. All regions must have representation on all committees.
Section 3: Regions
Number of schools and geographic location will be a large consideration in appointment to regions. Regions will be revised as needed based on recommendations by officers.
Section 4: Vacancies
A. Officers: League shall elect new officers when needed.
1. The Vice-President will assume the position of President if the office is vacated.
2. All other offices shall be elected as needed.
B. Schools: Any school leaving the KCAA must be voted back into the league and pay all membership dues just as a new school.
Article IV
Meetings
Section 1: Time and Place
A. The President shall call regular meetings at the time and place agreed upon by the league to consist of at least a Spring and Late Summer meeting annually. Special meetings may be called when necessary.
B. Each school must have a representative at each meeting. Failure to do so jeopardizes good standing unless notification is received by any league officer prior to the meeting.
Article V
Finances
Section 1: Use of Funds
Funds will be dispersed by the Treasurer, as the league deems necessary. League shall vote on necessary matters that pertain to spending of funds.
Section 2: Recording of Funds
Treasurer shall keep accurate records of financial actions and should inform league officers as to its financial status throughout the year. The Treasurer shall be responsible for an annual report in the late summer meeting.
Article VI
Constitution and/or By-Law Amendments
A. An amendment shall be passed by a two-thirds vote of member schools present.
B. An amendment may be voted on in the regularly scheduled meetings with at least ten (10) days advance notice.
1. A proposed amendment must be initiated by a voting member of a school.
2. The proposed amendment must be presented and approved by the elected officers.
C. An amendment will go into effect at a determined date.
BY-LAWS
Article I
Regulated Sports
Section 1: Sports Offered
Varsity and Junior Varsity sports shall be offered and controlled by the KCAA. The league shall have the authority to add or eliminate a sport by a majority vote.
Article II
Spectator Control and Sportsmanship
Section 1: Responsibilities
A. The home school in any contest shall be responsible for hosting visitors, including officials. Each school shall be held responsible for the conduct of its coaches, athletes, students, and other school representatives at home and away games. Any infraction of this rule may subject an offending school or its representative to discipline by the League.
B. When the conduct of the spectators, athletes, coaches or any other person is not representative of the KCAA, the host school Administrator or Athletic Director shall have authority to stop the contest and warn the offender(s). Upon repetition of the offense, the Administrator or Athletic Director may resolve the situation according to his/her best judgment. We do want control of our league, but officials must have and indeed to have authority over the contest at all times. For regional and all state competition, the elected officials have the authority to correct misconduct.
Article III
Player Conduct
A. At a KCAA event, unacceptable conduct such as the use of, possession of, buying or selling of drugs or tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages along with acts of immorality and the like, shall result in the immediate suspension of a student from KCAA sponsored events. THIS IS A ZERO TOLERANCE ISSUE!!! Reinstatement may be made at the discretion of the elected officials.
B. Vulgar and offensive language will not be tolerated. Habitual offenders will be suspended as mentioned above.
C. Any offenses should be reported to a coach or athletic director and then the regional director.
Article IV
Player Eligibility
Section 1: School Attendance
A player must be a full time student (at least four (4) instructional hours per day) of the school he/she is representing. The Headmaster/Principal of each school is responsible for confirming each student athlete’s scholastic schedule. The exception to this rule is for seniors, depending on credits needed.
Section 2: Age
There shall be an age and semester limit for both levels of play, Junior Varsity and Varsity. They are as follows:
A. Junior Varsity: Any athlete, upon entering his/her freshman year, shall only have 4 semesters of eligibility for J.V. play. An athlete is ineligible for J.V. play if they turn 17 before August 1 of the school year.
B. Varsity: Any athlete upon entering his/her freshman year, shall only have 8 semesters of eligibility for Varsity play. An athlete is ineligible for Varsity play if they turn 19 before August 1 of the school year.
C. A student is only eligible for the first 8 consecutive semesters after enrolling in the ninth grade, even if they do not participate in athletics.
Section 3: Graduation
A player is declared ineligible if that player has received a high school diploma from any school institution.
Section 4: Conduct
A. Any conduct determined inappropriate and not in accordance with KCAA standards is subject to review by the elected officials who will make a fair determination of the offense in question.
B. Any team member or coach, who has been ruled out of a contest by an official because of un-sportsman like behavior, shall be disqualified from athletic competition for a minimum of one game. When a player or a coach is disqualified, the name of the player or coach shall be reported by the Administrator or Athletic Director of the school to the Regional Director of the offending coach or player. The Regional Director will contact the President of the KCAA and the school of the offending coach or player. If the President finds upon investigation that the offense was sufficiently serious, the offender shall be permanently disqualified until restated by the League.
C. During the disqualification period of any non-player (coach, assistant, etc.), the offender may not be at the game site for the team’s contest. Suspended players may attend the contest (s), but may not be in uniform. For purposes of definition, to “not be at the game site” is defined as not being on school property or game site property during the entire contest.
Section 5: Transfer Students
A. Member schools: A transfer student, who has transferred from one member school to another member school, during the school year, must sit out six weeks (42 days) and is eligible on day 43. A letter of good standing and statement of enrollment date must be sent to the President of the league upon transfer.
B. Non-member schools: A transfer student, who has transferred from a non-member school is eligible to play for a member school on the 15th day after he/she is enrolled in the member school. The member school is required to send a letter stating date of enrollment and previous school enrolled in.
C. Post-Season Play: To compete in post-season play, the transfer student is required to compete in at least one-fourth (1/4) of the regular season games or at least be dressed and on the bench.
Section 6: Foreign Exchange Students
A. Each member school may have no more than two (2) foreign exchange students per roster.
B. A foreign exchange student may play for only (1) one year.
Section 7: Rosters/Enrollment
A. A letter of attendance/roster must be received by the League Secretary stating that all students participating in the KCAA league games are enrolled in the school he/she is participating with. A copy of the athlete’s birth certificate must accompany this letter if not already on file.
B. Rosters must be received by the League Secretary before the first game of the season.
C. Additions to a roster must be made no later than two (2)* games prior to post-season play for Fall and Spring sports. Additions to a roster must be made no later than four (4)* games prior to post-season play for Winter sports.
D. Additions to a roster must satisfy the conditions listed in C. above to be eligible for post-season play.
Section 8: Grades
The league recommends that a player maintain a GPA of 2.0 or a “C” average overall.
Article V
Tournaments
Section 1: Sanctions
The KCAA will sanction tournaments in all regulated sports. Type or format of tournament will be decided upon by the elected officers.
Section 2: Withdrawal
Teams entered in a KCAA tournament shall not withdraw from a tournament unless done so two (2) weeks in advance. Failure to do so will carry a $50.00 penalty plus any other fines deemed necessary by officers to cover the host school's expenses.
Section 3: Tournaments
A. Tournament sites must be approved by elected league officers.
B. Location of state tournaments will be decided upon by member schools at the late summer meeting.
C. The League will receive fifty percent of the gate after expenses for state tournaments.
Section 4: Regional Seeding
Teams shall be seeded for regional play by their overall region record. All region teams shall have the same number of games played.
Section 5: Ties
In case of ties for seeding tournaments, the following procedures shall be instituted.
A. Head to head competition during the regular season.
B. Head to head competition against the next highest seed to continue to the last place seed.
C. Best regular season overall KCAA record.
D. Flip of coin by Regional Director.
Article VI
Games
Section 1: Referees
All referees must be registered officials in the state of Kentucky/Indiana and should be used exclusively in all J.V. and Varsity games. Referees are the responsibility of the host school. Relatives of participants, school/staff/sponsoring church or former graduates shall not officiate for that school. Basketball officials may not call more than three (3) games per night and may not call more than three (3) consecutive home games.
Section 2: Time
A. Schools should be on time (20-30 minutes), taking into consideration proper warm up.
B. Teams arriving less than ten (10) minutes before game time, will automatically be assessed to the coach
1. Yellow card for soccer or volleyball.
2. Technical foul for basketball.
3. An out for baseball.
Section 3: Facility
All games will be played on junior high or senior high regulation facilities unless otherwise authorized by the KCAA. No advertisement or selling of alcoholic beverages will be allowed.
Article VII
Playing Rules
Section 1: The Equipment
All equipment being used for athletic contests should follow Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) guidelines.
Section 2: Regulations
KHSAA rules shall apply except for those listed in the KCAA Constitution, By-Laws, or Policy Procedures.
Article VIII
Protests
Section 1: Violation of KCAA Rules
A. Any protest against a member school for violation of KCAA rules shall be made in writing to the KCAA office within 72 hours after said offense and information including the known facts, sources of information, any witnesses, and the time such information became known, should be included in the notice. Such protest must originate with either the Administrator or Athletic Director of a member school. Failure to render the report will not relieve the offending school of its responsibility and such negligence may jeopardize the standing of any official and/or any school for withholding evidence.
B. An investigation shall be conducted by the elected officials after all information has been obtained and a ruling will be determined, whereupon all parties will be notified. The final decision will lie with the KCAA on any and all protests.
Section 2: Disagreements
Any coach or administrator who has a disagreement with another coach or administrator should voice that concern within 72 hours directly to the Athletic Director or Administrator of that school in an effort to resolve the disagreement. If the disagreement cannot be resolved in this manner, then and only then shall you contact the League President. A phone call and a written report should be given to the President. If the situation warrants further action then it shall be brought before the KCAA members.
NOTE: If these guidelines have not been followed, then the report will not be considered.
Section 3: Decision of Contest Officials
A. It is the responsibility of authorized school personnel to employ licensed officials and to place within their hands the operation of contests according to the KCAA standards.
B. Protests arising from the decisions and interpretations of the rules by official concerning a game will not be honored. Their decisions and interpretations are final.
Official timers, scorekeepers, and other personnel required should be adults (out of high school). (Exceptions only by mutual agreement of competing schools.)
Article IX
Reporting Contest Results
The home team will be responsible to report the results of a scheduled league game. Reports will include the final score, the date, and place of the contest. A report must be sent to the KCAA website within five (5) days of the contest. A $10 late fee paid to the league will be assessed and must be paid in order to be eligible for post-season play.
Article X
Imposition of Penalties
A. Fine: A fine may be imposed upon a school unable to fulfill schedule agreements if notice is not given within 72 hours. These fines will offset any financial responsibility incurred by the league or its members.
B. Warning: A warning is a written notification that a violation has occurred, is a matter of record, and requires that such action must not be repeated.
C. Probation: A school on probation is on a conditional Association membership. An individual or school on probation may engage in regular scheduled events of the KCAA. The individual or school may not participate in any post-season competition (regional or state tournaments) sponsored by the KCAA. It is expected that steps have been taken to alleviate the problem that caused the individual or school to be on probation. Any violations while on probation will result in suspension from the KCAA.
D. Suspension: A school suspended from the KCAA may participate with other member schools if those schools agree to do so. The school may reapply for membership after a one (1) year time period (365 days) has passed. An individual will be eligible for play after the elected officials have addressed the violation.
Article XI
Awards
Section 1: Mr. And Miss Awards
Mr. Basketball, Miss Basketball and Miss Volleyball awards will be presented to a varsity player. Awards for other major sports will be determined by the elected officials.
Requirements are as follows:
1. Player must be a senior
2. Player must be nominated by qualified personnel (athletic
director, administrator, coach).3. Information required for nominations:
a. Letter of recommendation from coach
b. Letter of recommendation from minister
c. Letter of recommendation from administrator
d. Nomination form
e. All three (3) letters and the nomination form must be received by the League secretary two (2) weeks before varsity state tournament games begin.
4. All varsity candidates need to be available for an interview.
Section 2: All State
Requirements are as follows:
1. Player must be nominated by qualified personnel (athletic
director, administrator, coach).2. The nomination form must be received by the League secretary one (1) week before varsity state tournament games begin.
Section 3: All Tournament
A. All tournament players will be chosen for post-season tournaments.
B. Player’s names must be given to the designated person before the completion of the championship game.
Section 4: Trophies, Banners, Etc.
A. Trophies will be awarded to all state team members, all-tournament team members, runner up team, and champion team at post-season tournaments.
B. A banner will be awarded to the champion and runner-up team for sports in which at least one-third of the teams in the KCAA are participating. Medallions will also be awarded to each member of the winning team.
C. Awards will be presented to Mr. And Miss awards.
Article XII
Fees
Membership fees are as follows:
Initial Membership fee $200.00
Each JV Sport $ 35.00
Each Varsity Sport $ 40.00
Fees must be paid to the league office before play may begin.
Article XIII
Schedule Requirements
Section 1: Regional Competition
Teams are required to play each team within their region a minimum of two (2) times. This applies to basketball, which is an extended season.
Section 2: Outside the Region
A. Minimum Requirements: Teams are required to play every team outside of their region a minimum of one (1) time over a three (3) year period. This means that a team must play every team in the league every three (3) years. (Basketball only, due to extended season.)
B. Tournament Eligibility: Any team unable to fulfill these requirements will be ineligible for post-season tournaments. Games postponed due to unforeseeable conditions should be rescheduled if possible. However, if these games cannot be rescheduled this will not necessarily prevent a team from playing in the post season.
C. Cancellations: A team canceling play, unless due to acts of God, will take a forfeit unless they can reschedule. If a game(s) is cancelled with less than two weeks before play, a $50 fine will be assessed and paid to the host school.
Article XIV
Miscellaneous
Section 1: Tattoos
Tattoos are to be covered and out of sight during pre-game warm-ups and during the game. They are to be covered in the event of a post-game ceremony.
Section 2: Music
Only Christian music is to be played when hosting a member school. The exception to this is a selection of "jock jams" to introduce the starting line-ups.