Top 10 legal issues facing high school sports discussed
May 26, 2015 by MaxPreps, AZPreps365
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See how one California community connects special needs students and athletes on the hardwood
Attorney and professor Lee Green at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., has listed the top 10 sports law issues that impact high school sports. He listed the following issues for a story he did on the National Federation of State High School Associations website. Click the link to see detailed explanations of each issue.
1. Concussion management and return-to-play protocols
All 50 states have rules on this trending topic, but many are different.
2. Liability for sports injuries and duties of athletic personnel
Each year, hundreds of suits are filed by the families of injured student-athletes against schools, administrators and even coaches and/or athletic directors for negligence.
3. Social media issues and school authority to sanction student-athletes
Can schools sanction student-athletes for inappropriate, off-campus postings on social media?
4. Constitutional rights of student-athletes
This is a complex issue when players are suspended or kicked off teams for breaking codes of conduct.
5. Hazing in athletic programs
From the start of 2014 calendar year, more than 150 alleged hazing incidents involving athletic programs have been reported by national media. You could probably more than double that number for the ones not reported.
6. Sexual harassment in athletic programs
This is a problem that continues to increase.
7. Transgender policies for athletic programs
The revelations from former Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner — perhaps the world's greatest athlete of his time — will no doubt spotlight this growing issue.
8. Disability law applied to athletic programs
Clarifying the obligations of schools to provide for disabled children in athletics is another tricky issue. MaxPreps recently reported on one very grand solution called Unified Sports, in this case the sport was basketball.
9. Title IX and gender equity in athletic programs
Typically up to 150 Title IX complaints are filed against school districts annually. In 2011, that number was 210 and it affected 525 high schools.
10. Retaliation against complainants
Some coaches who blow the whistle on schools for things like Title IX or civil rights issues claim they are thus receiving disadvantageous treatment or negative consequences.
See how one California community connects special needs students and athletes on the hardwood
Attorney and professor Lee Green at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan., has listed the top 10 sports law issues that impact high school sports. He listed the following issues for a story he did on the National Federation of State High School Associations website. Click the link to see detailed explanations of each issue.
1. Concussion management and return-to-play protocols
All 50 states have rules on this trending topic, but many are different.
2. Liability for sports injuries and duties of athletic personnel
Each year, hundreds of suits are filed by the families of injured student-athletes against schools, administrators and even coaches and/or athletic directors for negligence.
3. Social media issues and school authority to sanction student-athletes
Can schools sanction student-athletes for inappropriate, off-campus postings on social media?
4. Constitutional rights of student-athletes
This is a complex issue when players are suspended or kicked off teams for breaking codes of conduct.
5. Hazing in athletic programs
From the start of 2014 calendar year, more than 150 alleged hazing incidents involving athletic programs have been reported by national media. You could probably more than double that number for the ones not reported.
6. Sexual harassment in athletic programs
This is a problem that continues to increase.
7. Transgender policies for athletic programs
The revelations from former Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner — perhaps the world's greatest athlete of his time — will no doubt spotlight this growing issue.
8. Disability law applied to athletic programs
Clarifying the obligations of schools to provide for disabled children in athletics is another tricky issue. MaxPreps recently reported on one very grand solution called Unified Sports, in this case the sport was basketball.
9. Title IX and gender equity in athletic programs
Typically up to 150 Title IX complaints are filed against school districts annually. In 2011, that number was 210 and it affected 525 high schools.
10. Retaliation against complainants
Some coaches who blow the whistle on schools for things like Title IX or civil rights issues claim they are thus receiving disadvantageous treatment or negative consequences.
