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OLR Research Report


CONNECTICUT INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

By: Marybeth Sullivan, Associate Analyst

ISSUE

This report answers the following questions about the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC):

1. To whom does CIAC report in the General Assembly?

2. How much autonomy does CIAC have? Who oversees the conference?

3. Is CIAC subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?

4. Who oversees similar state high school athletic conferences in New York and Massachusetts?

SUMMARY

CIAC is a private, nonprofit organization that governs interscholastic sports in Connecticut. It was founded in 1921 by a group of high school principals interested in protecting the interests of student-athletes. Virtually all public and parochial high schools in the state are dues-paying members. CIAC determines athletic eligibility; makes rules for athletic competition, including safety and health rules; and runs state boys' and girls' tournaments and controls state championships for various sports.

State law does not require CIAC to report to the General Assembly. Neither the legislature nor any governmental agency oversees the organization. CIAC is self-governing, answering to an internally elected board composed of member school representatives who uphold a constitution and by-laws.

Connecticut's Freedom of Information Commission has never been asked to consider whether CIAC is subject to FOIA. A private, nonprofit organization such as CIAC is generally not subject to FOIA; however, CIAC is a private entity to which public entities (i.e., boards of education) have delegated their legal authority to oversee the organization of high school athletics.

Similar to Connecticut, most boards of education in New York and Massachusetts choose to delegate their duty to oversee interscholastic athletics programs to self-governed, private, nonprofit athletic associations. New York has four of these associations: the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), the Public Schools Athletic League of the City of New York (PSAL), the New York State Catholic High Schools Athletic Association, and the New York State Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association. Massachusetts has the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA).

CIAC REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, OVERSIGHT, AND AUTONOMY

State law gives local school boards the authority to organize interscholastic high school athletics in general terms: “Each local or regional board of education shall . . . provide such other educational activities as in its judgment will best serve the interests of the school district” (see CGS § 10-220(a)). Boards have delegated this authority to CIAC.

Neither the General Assembly nor any governmental agency oversees CIAC or authorizes its rules or their implementation. As a private, nonprofit organization, CIAC is governed by a Board of Control, which the CIAC membership elects annually. Membership is open to any public or parochial school accredited by the State Department of Education and any private school or academy holding associate institutional membership in the Connecticut Association of Schools (CIAC's parent organization). Nearly all public and parochial schools in the state are CIAC members.

Under the CIAC constitution and by-laws, the Board of Control has the authority to supervise and regulate interscholastic sports competition, including state championships, in 27 CIAC-sanctioned sports.

FOIA APPLICABILITY TO CIAC

Connecticut's FOIA provides that the public must have access to the following, with some narrow exceptions: (1) records that are developed or maintained by public agencies and (2) meetings of public agencies (CGS § 1-200 et seq.).

FOIA applies to all state and governmental agencies, departments, institutions, bureaus, boards, and commissions. CIAC, in contrast, is a private nonprofit organization to which public entities (i.e., boards of education) have delegated a legal authority.

A search of decisions of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission revealed that the commission has never been asked to consider whether CIAC is subject to FOIA. In one decision, however, the commission ordered a public school superintendent to disclose partially redacted correspondence between the school district and CIAC because the district was found to be a public agency under FOIA (Docket #FIC 88-457).

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC CONFERENCES IN OTHER STATES

New York

Similar to Connecticut, New York vests the authority to oversee interscholastic athletic competition with local boards of education, most of which have delegated this responsibility to nonprofit associations of which they are members. A consultant from New York's State Department of Education serves in an advisory capacity to these associations.

State Authority. New York education regulations charge the trustees and board of education with conducting interschool athletic competition for grades seven through 12. These regulations also establish guidelines for competition eligibility and sports standards (e.g., length of seasons, time between contests, participation rules) (N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 135.4(c)(7)(ii); Commissioner's Regulations). According to the physical education associate from the New York State Department of Education, the education commissioner's office handles appeals alleging violations of these state regulations.

Athletic Association Authority. Most local boards of education have chosen to join athletic associations, delegating their legal duty to oversee interscholastic athletic competition to NYSPHSAA and PSAL. These organizations, along with two athletic associations for private schools (the New York State Catholic High Schools Athletic Association and the New York State Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association), also meet as part of one statewide federation.

This federation, known as the New York State Federation of Secondary School Athletic Associations, brings together the above athletic associations and under its constitution pledges to, among other things, “assist in the proper interpretation, observance, and improvement of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education (135.4) governing athletics so that interschool athletics are an integral part of the secondary school curriculum” (Article II).

According to the physical education associate from the New York State Department of Education, NYSPHSAA, PSAL, and the private school associations handle appeals alleging violations of their respective constitutions and by-laws.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts law permits school committees to supervise and control public school athletics programs. The law allows school committees to either set parameters for inter-school competition themselves or allow an authorized representative to do it (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, § 47). According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, most boards of education have chosen to delegate the oversight of interscholastic athletic competition to MIAA.

MIAA is a private, nonprofit association that is organized by its member schools to govern, coordinate, and promote education-based programs for high school students. This self-regulating association currently has 378 dues-paying member schools and is composed of 35 internal governance units. Any Massachusetts public or private secondary school may become a member upon the approval of MIAA's board of directors. The MIAA website explains the association's constitutional organization in further detail.

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