IAAM Regulations and Guidelines

The purpose of this organization is to provide structured and organized support for interscholastic competition for female students at member schools. To achieve this, it is the intention of this association to regard athletics and competition in the context of the educational process. The educational objectives of athletics in the IAAM include the promotion of the physical, mental, moral, social and emotional well being for all students. The IAAM embraces the highest ideals of fair play, integrity, dignified and ethical conduct and respect for self, opponents, and officials.

The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland values the diversity of its member schools and respects the unique qualities amongst these institutions. References to the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or rules shall mean the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and rules as they may be amended from time to time.

It is expected that athletic program staff be an extension of their school’s philosophy and objectives. A good example will be set through behavior, attitude, and self control in an educational setting. As we, the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland, expect sportsmanlike behavior from our schools’ athletic program staff, we also expect that of our participants and spectators. We are playing in the spirit of the game, and winning is not our only goal.

1. Purpose
The purpose of the eligibility rules contained herein is to uphold the objectives and standards of this Association and to provide equitable competition for the student-athletes of the member schools.

2. Eligible Students
Commencing with the date of enrollment at a member school, a full time student, who is in good standing according to the policies of the particular member school and subject to the other limitations herein prescribed, is eligible to participate in league competitions in the IAAM.

Students are considered full time and part of the school community when they take a majority of their academic classes on campus within their school, during the traditional school year.

Home Schooled students who have participated in a sport at a member school as of September 2003 would be exempt from this requirement.

Foreign-exchange athletes who practice and play on high school teams MUST meet the criteria established by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) and comply with the MPSSAA’s Standards of Competition.

3. Amateur Status
To be eligible to participate in contests of the IAAM, a student must be an amateur. As such, she may not
receive, directly or indirectly, any salary, stipend, incentive, payment, financial award, gratuity, gift, educational expenses or expense allowance as a result of participation in any sport or sports team. In order to preserve students’ eligibility for college athletics, IAAM athletes are required to adhere to the policies for avoiding “professionalism” as defined by the NCAA.

4. Age Limitation
A student who has attained her 19th birthday before August 31st of a given academic year is not eligible to participate.

5. Limits of Participation

a. High School team members may participate in interscholastic athletic contests in a maximum of four seasons in any given sport within the 9th through 12th grades.
b. A student who has graduated from a domestic secondary education program is not eligible to
participate.
c. A student may participate in one IAAM sanctioned sport per season and a student must complete one season’s play before participating in try-outs and/or practices for the next season.
d. No Middle School student is allowed to participate on JV or varsity IAAM teams. However, Oldfields
School, as an 8th-12th grade school, may, upon petition of the Executive Committee, have eighth
graders join a US team if needed to fill the roster.
6. Migration between squad levels
a. Regardless of the league status of an athletic competition, a student may not compete in two squad levels of the same sport in the same day.
b. A student may play temporarily at a higher level in extenuating circumstances upon agreement
between the competing Athletic Directors and the Sport Committee Chairperson or Executive Director.

7. Transfer Students (ADOPTED MAY 5, 2008)

Definition of a Transfer Student:
A transfer student is one who changes enrollment from one school to another after high school matriculation.

Academic Year Transfer

A student-athlete may not represent two schools in athletics in the same academic year regardless of the competitive level she has participated. Therefore, any student transferring during the academic year is not eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics, at any level, during that academic year if she has participated in athletics at any level at her previous school.

Open Enrollment Period
An Open Enrollment Period will be offered for member and non-member student-athletes. From June 1 through September 1, student athletes transferring from any member or non-member school, may transfer to and participate in interscholastic athletics, at any level, without penalty. In order to qualify under this guideline, all appropriate paperwork must be completed and the enrollment contract deposit must be paid on or before September 1. The IAAM reserves the right to request copies of any enrollment contract.

The student-athlete must physically be attending classes on the first day of fall classes or by September 1, whichever is later. If the opening of the member school is after September 1, the required paperwork and deposit must be complete on or before the September 1st date.

Any student transferring from member to member school must have satisfied all financial obligations at the previous school before participating in any interscholastic athletics, games or practices.

ARTICLE THREE – RECRUITMENT

In conformity with the purpose and spirit of the IAAM, the following principles govern the manner in which member schools influence and encourage a student to become affiliated with another member school:

1. No school, through any of its officers, representatives or by any other means, shall directly offer inducement (such as athletic gear, financial aid, promises of playing time, etc.) to a student of any school, regardless of the student’s age or academic grade, to terminate enrollment at said school and transfer to another for athletic purposes. It is considered appropriate for a school’s Admissions Department to provide a student information about its school, when the admissions department has been contacted first by the parent/guardian of the student.

2. Coaches and other members of a school’s Athletic Department are prohibited from contacting or
communicating with a student or the student’s parents/guardians until such time as an inquiry regarding the student’s possible admission to the school has been initiated by the student’s parent/guardian through the Admissions Department.

3. Non-need based financial assistance, given for the purpo
ses of athletics, is prohibited. Financial aid should be granted only on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Any member school that awards financial assistance not based upon determined need to students who participate in the IAAM will be subject to sanctions from the IAAM.

Practices and try-outs will begin on or after dates determined for each sport by the Executive Committee of the General Assembly. These dates will be announced yearly for the subsequent year at the annual meeting.

Each sport is allowed the following number of contests per season:

Each sport is allowed the following, in addition to the number of designated games:

• Three scrimmage dates, a “scrimmage date” may involve (but is not limited to) several games, i.e. play-day, one 5-day trip would equal two scrimmage dates (i.e. Spring break lacrosse trip). In a scrimmage, scores are not kept or reported by the member schools to the newspaper;
• One in-season tournament,(i.e. Christmas basketball tournament);
• The end-of-season Championship tournament;
• Teams may opt to “mix and match” their scrimmages with their game schedule, never to exceed the agreed upon number of contests;

A member school may not arbitrarily, intentionally, and unilaterally forfeit a scheduled competition with another member school. It is the competence of the Executive Director to determine the arbitrary or intentional nature of forfeiture.

1. Eligibility Violations
A member school’s deliberate or inadvertent violation of the conditions of a student athlete’s eligibility will result in the forfeiture of all contests in which the ineligible student athlete participated. The Executive Director, upon the Executive Director’s own initiative or upon any member school’s initiative, will determine the eligibility status of a student athlete.

2. Membership Sanctions

a. If a member school violates the terms of the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws or rules, the Board of Governors may impose one or more of the following sanctions upon such member school: (i) expulsion from the IAAM; (ii) suspension from the IAAM; (iii) probation; (iv) forfeiture of certain contests; or (v) reprimand.
b. If a member school violates the terms of the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws or rules, the Board of Governors may impose one or more of the following sanctions upon an individual team of a member school: (i) suspension from the IAAM; (ii) probation; (iii) forfeiture of certain contests; or (iv) reprimand.
c. Before imposing any sanction set forth in clauses (a) or (b) of this Section 2, the Board of Governors must approve the sanctions by an affirmative majority vote of those members voting. The Board of Governors shall consider the following factors when determining the level of sanctions to impose upon a member school or individual team of a member school: (i) the nature of the violation; (ii) whether the violation was deliberate; (iii) whether violations were repeated; (iv) whether the member school or the individual team of the member school has previously violated the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws or rules or breached any agreement with the IAAM; (v) whether the member school or individual team of the member school reported its violation to the IAAM; (vi) whether the member school or individual team of the member school was cooperative with the IAAM in investigating its violation; and (vii) whether the member school or individual team of a member school imposed its own sanctions.

3. Expulsion
A member school may be expelled from participation in the IAAM for serious, deliberate or repeated violations of the terms of the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws or rules.

4. Suspension

a. A member school or an individual team of a member school may be suspended from participation in the IAAM for:

1) Non-payment of dues;
2) Unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the athletic director, coaches or student
athletes;
3) Playing in a game or contest against a suspended member school or a suspended
individual team of a member school;
4) Violation of the rules governing recruitment of student athletes;
5) Granting of non-need based financial aid for athletics;
6) Additional violations during a term of probation;
7) Violations of the eligibility rules as set forth in Article One of these rules;
8) Such other violations of the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and rules as the
Board of Governors determines in its discretion;

b. Suspension from the IAAM shall be for a term of one-year commencing at the start of the next
sports season. During the term of suspension any games in which the suspended member school
or suspended individual team of a member school was already scheduled are forfeited to the opponent team; for a season not yet scheduled, the suspended member school or suspended individual team of
a member school is omitted from the schedule.

5. Probation

a. A member school or individual team of a member school may be placed on probationary status for:

1) non-payment of dues;
2) unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of the athletic director, coaches or student athletes;
3) playing in a game or contest against a suspended member school or a suspended individual team of a member school;
4) violation of the rules governing recruitment of student athletes;
5) granting of non-need based financial aid for athletics;
6) violations of the eligibility rules as set forth in Article One of these rules;
7) such other violations of the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and rules as the Board of Governors determines in its discretion;

b. A member school or individual team of a member school shall be placed on probationary status for a term of one-year commencing at the start of the next sports season. During the term of probation, the member school or individual team of a member school may play all scheduled games and be included in future schedules but shall be ineligible for championships or playoffs and such member school’s or individual team’s seeding shall be yielded to the next lowest team.

6. Forfeiture
A member school is automatically required to forfeit any game in which an ineligible or suspended player or coach participated. A member school may be required to forfeit a game in which a serious violation of the rules of the sport in question occurred and may be required to forfeit one or more games for such other violations of the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and rules as the Board of Governors determines in its discretion

7. Reprimand
The Board of Governors may also issue an official letter of reprimand to a member school or individual team of a member school for a violation of the IAAM’s Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and rules.

8. Sanctions by Agreement
As a supplement to the sanctions set forth above, the Executive Director shall have the discretion to consider and recommend to the Board of Governors such other or alternative sanctions as may be proposed by the applicable member school (“Agreement”) and the Board of Governors shall have the discretion to consider and approve or not approve any such proposed Agreement; provided that neither the Executive Director, nor the Board of Governors, shall be obligated to consider, negotiate, approve or enter into any Agreement. In the event that the IAAM and a member school shall enter into an Agreement, the member school’s failure to comply with the terms of the Agreement shall be deemed an independent violation of these rules.

9. Ejection Rule
Any player or coach who is ejected for any reason from a game or contest, is automatically suspended from participating in a minimum of one game or contest, commencing with the team’s next regularly scheduled game or contest. Individual member schools may impose heavier penalties. It is the responsibility of the Athletic Director to enforce this rule and to notify the Executive Director of the ejection and subsequent suspension.

10. Fines
Schools not represented or excused from any monthly general meetings could be liable for a fine of $100.
Schools not represented by the proper administrator at the association’s business meetings will be fined $100. Schools whose coaches do not attend the preseason or end of season meetings will be fined $100. Schools who fail to submit varsity and junior varsity rosters within seven days of their due dates will be fined $100. All-Conference nominees not submitted in the required time frame will be fined $25. Note: If a completed roster is not submitted within 30-days of the original due date, that team(s) will not be eligible for post-season play.

11. Videotaping (Adopted May 6, 2009)
Schools, or their representatives, may videotape their own contests, however the videotaping of opponents, outside of your own competition is a violation of IAAM policy. Infractions should be reported to the League’s Executive Director.

These Rules may be repealed, altered, amended, or rescinded in accordance with Section 2.03 of the IAAM’s By-laws.