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The board approved three additional referendum items, bringing the total number to seven items, which will go to the membership for vote in May. Among the proposed changes, which can only be approved by a majority vote of the OHSAA’s member schools, is a modification to the sit-out period for transfer students who do not meet one of the established exceptions to the transfer bylaw. Currently, transfer students who do not meet an exception must sit out preseason contests and the first half of the regular-season before becoming eligible to participate. Instead, the proposed change would have students sit out the second half of the regular-season and the OHSAA postseason tournament. Please see a separate release posted at: http://bit.ly/2EyAH56

The board recognized OHSAA Director of Sport Management Jerry Snodgrass as the recipient of the 2018 OHSAA Ethics and Integrity Award. A 31-year veteran in education prior to joining the OHSAA in 2008, Jerry serves a as the OHSAA’s main liaison with athletic administrators across the state in addition to being the administrator for soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. He created the nationally recognized “Golden Megaphone” program to promote sportsmanship within student sections of member schools’ basketball games. In 2010, he was inducted into the OIAAA (Ohio Athletic Directors) Hall of Fame and received the OHSAA’s Naismith Meritorious Service Award.

The board approved the dates and sites for the 2018 regional tournaments in softball, baseball and lacrosse. That information will be posted on the respective sport pages at OHSAA.org (search under “Sports & Tournaments”).

Since the board’s last meeting, 11 member schools were penalized for committing infractions of OHSAA bylaws or sports regulations. The list of infractions and penalties is always included in the complete meeting minutes, but media members may request the list in advance from Tim Stried, OHSAA Director of Communications, at [email protected].

The board approved a modification to the OHSAA’s Competitive Balance Business Rules, which the OHSAA uses to determine adjusted enrollment counts for divisional assignments. The change affects students on a team who are not enrolled in a public school but have participation opportunities at the school district where the parents reside due to state statute, and have previously been placed in the Tier 2 Non-Enrolled category. Those students will now be placed in Tier 1 Non-Enrolled. The process change becomes effective during the 2018-19 school year, with impact taking place during the 2019-20 school year.

The attendance and financial reports from the 2017 football playoffs will be reviewed by the board at its April meeting, which will include a discussion of the playoff format for 2018.

By a 9-0 vote, the board denied a request from the Ohio Field Hockey Coaches Association to add a game to the number of regular-season games permitted.

As a reminder, the list of upcoming open positions on the six District Athletic Boards that will become available this spring are posted on the OHSAA’s DAB page at: http://www.ohsaa.org/about/districtboards