FILED ON: 7/17/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4334

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Fourteen

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An Act establishing an interscholastic athletic competition working group.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. There shall be a working group on matters related to interscholastic athletic competitions, hereinafter referred to as the group. The group shall include: the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education or a designee; the President of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association or a designee; the President of the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association or a designee; the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents or a designee; the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees or a designee; and two athletic directors to be chosen by the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association, one of whom shall come from a school district larger than 6,000 students, and one of whom shall come from a school district smaller than 6,000 students.

The group shall: (i) review and analyze current operations of interscholastic competitions or events; (ii) assess the site selection process, scheduling and timing impacts on school districts, costs, and financial impacts related to post regular season interscholastic competitions or events; (iii) examine the current state of gender equality present in interscholastic competitions or events; and (iv) examine the criteria used to determine how an activity is classified as an interscholastic sport.

The group shall issue a final report containing its findings and recommendations with the joint committee on education and the clerks of the house and senate not later than six months following the first meeting of the group, which shall occur not later than ninety days from the effective date of this act.