HERMITAGE, Tenn. -- Minutes from Thursday's TSSAA Board of Control meeting.

1. Roll Call

2. Approved Minutes of Last Meeting

3. Approved State office to conduct the Drawing for State Wrestling Tournament

4. Heard report of the 2009 Athletic District Meetings

5. Heard Review of 2009 Fall Sports Tournaments

6. Heard Update of Regional Basketball Sites for 2009-10 and 2010-11

7. Heard Update on Sports Medicine Advisory Committee Update

8. The current post-season basketball seating requirements set by the TSSAA Board of Control was discussed in detail during our fall Administrators’ Meetings in August. Each administrator in attendance was given an opportunity to express their opinion. Schools were also informed that a survey had been placed on our TSSAA website. Each school was asked to complete the survey, which contained questions concerning each school’s seating capacity. The survey also asked administrators for their opinion for change in the requirement.

The Board voted to leave the minimum seating requirements to host a post-season basketball tournament as a central site or a sectional game as is, but added the following to the regulations regarding the Basketball Seating Requirements for Post-season Tournaments:

If a school that is chosen to host a tournament game does not have a gym that satisfies the seating minimum, then the principal of that school may seek a waiver of the seating requirement from the Executive Director, and the waiver will be granted if the principal establishes that waiving the seating requirement will not give rise to any substantial safety concerns. In the event that safety concerns preclude the granting of such a waiver, then the host school shall choose the site that has the required minimum number of seats.

9. Voted to adopt Recommended Lighting Standards

The lighting standards presented by Musco Sports Lighting, LLC are strictly recommendations and minimum standards. These same minimum standards have been adopted in Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas, Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa. They have also been adopted by the NCAA.

As a service to TSSAA/TMSAA member schools, the professional staff at Musco Lighting has agreed to go to any member school upon request free of charge and make recommendations in any facility the school requests. This is a free service with no obligations whatsoever.

10. Heard update regarding Playon Sports

11. Approved the Hiring of an Assistant Executive Director

The position will be posted immediately following the Board meeting. Applications will be accepted for one month. A minimum of three candidates will be selected from the application process to make presentations and be interviewed by the Board on January 14, 2010. Members of the Board of Control will make the final decision with no exceptions to the process.

The job description and application requirements will be posted on the TSSAA website (www.tssaa.org).

12. Voted to not set an Officials’ Fee Schedule for Junior Varsity Contests.

13. Voted to Change the Regulations Governing TSSAA Officials and Handling Appeals

Guidline will read:
1. Any person 18 years of age or over, of good character, a high school graduate, and who has not been arrested for or convicted of a felony (including a conviction or plea of nolo contendere), nor been arrested
for or convicted of the illegal possession of drugs and/or narcotics may
apply for registration as a TSSAA official as an independent contractor.
The application can be printed from the website www.tssaa.org. Click
on Officials Information for all links regarding officiating.

14. Voted that officials at the Middle School level must be registered with the TSSAA.

15. Approved request from TSBA (Tennessee School Board’s Association) to allow their current President to represent their association on the TSSAA Board of Control and Legislative Council as an ex officio member.

16. Voted to approve that the Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Secondary School Principals serve as an ex officio member of the TSSAA Board of Control and Legislative Council.

17. Approved the request of Nashville Diploma Plus High School for TSSAA Membership

18. Denied request from Wilson Central High School for Change in Regional Tournament Format to advance two teams from the District to the Regional level.

19. Approved request of Berean Christian School to End Cooperative Program with Fulton High School

20. Approved Girls’ Wrestling Invitational Format. Girls who have competed against boys during the regular season will not be eligible for the Girls Invitational.

21. Approved request of Maryville High School Requests to Allow Football Coaches to Participate in All-Star Game.

George Quarles, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Maryville High School, has been asked to serve as the head coach of the East squad during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas in January of 2010.

Mr. David Ellis, an assistant coach at Maryville, has been asked to serve as a coach on the East squad during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas in January of 2010.

22. Voted to not allow schools to participate in postseason competition until any outstanding fines and membership dues to the Association have been met.

23. Voted to allow formation of a committee that will study the football playoff format.

Committee will consist of Board of Control members Chuck West, Jerry Mathis, Lynn Brown, Bill Marbet (Executive Director of the Tennessee Athletic Coaches’ Association), select football coaches (at least one per class, and representing every area of state), and members of TSSAA staff to look at the football playoff format.

24. Heard Update on the Home School Study Committee

25. Heard Litigation Update

26. Approved request of the Division II Committee to allow schools to Video Stream Football Playoff Games. If permission is granted by the game director, a fee of $750 will be paid to the game director and be included as part of the gate receipts.

27. Heard Athletic District Meeting Update

28. Approved request that Mr. Branson Townsend, Executive Director, of the Tennessee Department of Education, serve as an ex officio member of the TSSAA Board of Control and Legislative Council.

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)