Mr. Salyer,
Let me first give a brief background of myself. I have been in the educational/coaching setting for the past seven years and have been an interested observer of how KHSAA handles it's business.
As you stated, and correctly so "Membership in KSHSAA is strictly voluntary, and the members of KSHSAA, through their elected board of directors and executive board, determine the rules for their organization, and KSHSAA's only function is to enforce the rules and regulations to properly implement the activities agreed upon by the organization."
The problem that those that wish to not participate can do so, but will get black balled and any event will not be sanctioned. So if Abilene says to heck with KHSAA, it has every right to do so. But by doing so, they wouldn't be able to compete with any other KHSAA school in a regular season format. It is understood that they wouldn't have any post season honors.
But back to it's mission statement....
"The Kansas State High School Activities Association advocates principles and sponsors services which assure that the state's middle level and high school students gain a balanced preparation for life, work, and post-secondary education."
Aside from sports, what is the one thing that KHSAA does that advocates, "life, work, and post-secondary education?" I mean this in all sincerity. What life skill initiative have they proposed? Does this orgainization promote some sort of vocational training skill that I'm not aware of? And post secondary? Please inform me how they prepare students for an education beyond high school.
I will give you credit however. You are absolutely right that legal action should be taken if we aren't happy with their policy. Only one problem - the organization has a history of being able to crush any malcontents in court - for various reasons. One is obviously a poorly organized case. The second is the fact that they have lots of legal help, whereas, for the most part, we do not. Every once in a while a group is able to persuade someone to do a case pro bono, and KHSAA makes it clear through long drawn out cases, that this is not in the best interest of the lawyer/s involved.
And of course, doesn't it just drive you nuts that they are beating us with our money?
As for Mr. Mann, you state:
"Also, I don't want my students to get the idea that bending the rules is ok. If a rule needs to be changed, it should be done through the approriate channels, but while it is the rule it should be enforced, and anyone not doing that is teaching the person a bad lesson. Why should they learn to follow the rules if they aren't enforced. Pretty soon they will think that all rules are subject to change for them and they don't have to follow any of them."
Quick scenario for you. Lets say the school strongly discourages and will reprimand any coach to be found giving rides to athletes after practice. The legal issues are just to great.
Lets say you have a kid that is an average wrestler, but you know his family history and the best thing for him is to be involved in something other than homelife. But he has no transportation. Do you give him a ride anyway?
I've done it plenty. Does this make me a bad person? Am I showing the kids that rules are only applicable to those that chose to follow them, or am I showing compassion.
What about deadlines? Have you ever secretly extended a deadline in your class for someone because of a legitimate excuse or just to get them over the grade hump from one grade to the next?
I have. Was I wrong for doing so or was I just being a teacher that realized that the end of the world will not come by giving a kid a ride or extending a deadline on a rare occasion. Then again, you and I may very well be teaching two very different types of students.
The problem with KHSAA, as I see it, is that they are reluctant to any sort of change and if that change does come, it's at the expense of various groups challenging them in court, an expensive process.
Elected officials through an "at large" election are effective (to some degree, depending on your city/town) because they are capable of understanding that a change needs to take place. I'll use Topeka as an example. We just changed our form of government from strong mayor to city manager. Topekans realized that something needed to be done and voted to do something about it.
This liberty is not afforded to those KHSAA directly affects. Instead, the Executive Board is voted in through representation of the school boards (usually the AD), who is not voted on by the citizens he or she oversees in the district.
Ask me how many times an AD I've worked for has come to me about any issues I think would make this organization better. Zero.
In the symposiums KHSAA sponsors in August, look to see how many sessions involve making KHSAA bettter.
