The Metro High School

Athletic Association

Constitution

                                                     Revised February 2006

The Metro High School Athletic Association

Constitution

ARTICLE I.

                   Section 1.

The name of the Association shall be the Metro High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).

This Association is under the jurisdiction of the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) its code of ethics and constitution.

Section 2.

In cases of conflict between this constitution and that of the NSSAF, the NSSAF Constitution shall prevail.

Section 3.

The Association is a district of the Capital Region of the NSSAF, and the activities sponsored by the Association shall be conducted according to the rules and regulations as specified in the NSSAF Handbook. The Association shall have the approval of the NSSAF before it alters the rules and regulations of the NSSAF for District play.

ARTICLE II.         Purpose

The purpose of the Association shall be:

1.      To organize and administer inter school sports in the area.

2.      To encourage a friendly and harmonious relationship among the high schools in the promotion of athletic activities.

3.      To encourage coaches and students of the schools to have a desire for fair play, stressing the values, appreciation and skills involved in all competitive activities.

4.      To promote through athletics, an understanding of race relations, cross cultural understanding and human rights among member schools.

ARTICLE III.       Membership

Section 1.

School membership in this Association shall be open to any High School, be it public or private in the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Capital Region of the NSSAF. These schools must be members of the NSSAF.

Section 2.

To retain membership in good standing, schools must attend regular meetings, fulfill all schedule commitments and pay annual fees as determined by the MHSAA.

Section 3.

Schools outside the MHSAA must apply yearly to the Association to compete in league play. The Association on a yearly basis will determine fees for these teams. There will be a minimum one hundred-dollar fee. The decision on the application is final.

ARTICLE IV.         Organization

Section 1.

There shall be a Council of the Association consisting of representatives of all member schools.

Section 2.

Each member school shall be entitled to four representatives:

a.       The Principal or his/her designate.

b.      A representative of Boy’s Athletics.

c.       A representative of Girl’s Athletics.

d.      A representative of the Student’s Council. This may be a teacher Advisor or student.

Section 3.

Representatives other than Student’s Council would normally be engaged in the teaching at the Secondary School Level, (Teacher, Supervisor or Administrator).

Section 4.

Voting in the Council shall be by schools. Each school shall have one vote determined by the Principal.

ARTICLE V.           Executive

Section 1.

There shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer elected by and from the Council.

Section 2.

The Executive shall be responsible to the Council and shall carry out the duties entrusted to it by the Council.

ARTICLE VI.       By-Laws and Regulations

The Association shall have By-Laws and Regulations drawn up and approved by a two-thirds vote of the council provided a quorum is present. Voting by schools, notice of motion having been given at a previous meeting.

ARTICLE VII.      Amendments

Amendments to the Constitution shall be made as follows:

1.      Notice of proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be sent to the Chair of the Association.

2.      Notice of a proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be distributed to all member schools and the Halifax Regional High School Principals Association at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting.

3.      An amendment to the Constitution may be made by a two-thirds vote of council provided a quorum is present, voting by schools.

4.      An approved amendment to the Constitution shall be effective immediately.

BY-LAWS

BY-LAW I.              Executive

Section 1.

There shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer elected by and from the Council.

Section 2.

Term of office. The term of office for all Executive Officers shall be for two (2) years.

Section 3.

Meetings of Executive. There shall be meetings of the Executive when deemed necessary by the Chair.

Section 4.

Vacancies. The first meeting of the Association shall fill vacancies after the vacancy has occurred.

BY-LAW II.          Duties of the Executive Members

1.      Chair:

a.       Shall be a District Coordinator of the NSSAF.

b.      Shall preside at all meetings of the Association.

c.       Shall be responsible for the agenda for each meeting.

d.      Shall make an Annual report to the Association.

e.       Shall call Executive meetings when deemed necessary.

f.        Shall keep abreast of his/her committees, coordinators and the Association as a whole.

g.       Shall appoint replacements for members of the Protest Committee as per By-Law V of the Constitution.

h.       Shall be a member of the Nominating Committee.

2.      Vice-Chair:

a.       Shall preside at all meetings that the chair cannot attend.

b.      Shall be acting Chair if the Chair cannot finish his/her term until such time as the vacancy is filled.

c.       Shall act as Chair of the Protest Committee.

3.      Secretary and/or Treasurer:

a.       Shall record minutes of all meetings of the Association.

b.      Shall prepare and distribute minutes to all members of the Association.

c.       Shall carry on all correspondence of the Association as directed by the Association.

d.      Shall keep all financial records, deposits all money and pay all approved bills.

BY-LAW III.         Sports Coordinators

Section 1.

There shall be a Sport Coordinator for each sport sponsored by the Association. These Coordinators will be elected from the members of the Association. Each year every member school must be willing to offer someone to either serve as a Coordinator of a sport or act in an administrative position in the Association.

Section 2.

Duties of the Sports Coordinators:

a.       Be responsible to the organization and administration of the activities for which he/she is coordinator, in accordance with the Constitution, By-Laws and Regulations of the Association.

b.      Obtain a list of member schools and necessary information for drawing up a schedule, e.g. days when home games can be played.

c.       Present to the general meeting of the Association, prior to the commencement of that activity, complete details of the type of schedule or tournament being played, along with the dates and places of activity.

d.      Notify schools of local modifications of the rules.

e.       Have records available for presentation at the appropriate time.

f.        To prepare and present the final report of the activities in his/her sport to the Association.

g.       Require schools which default games to submit a written report within 72 hours and (the Sport Coordinator will) report to the Chair.

h.       Notify schools of the procedures, which will be followed in the event of a defaulted game.

·        Every effort should be made to notify the school as far in advance of the game as possible.

·        The forfeiting school must pay for any expenses incurred by the other school for that game (i.e. transportation, officials, security, facility rentals, etc.)

·        The Sports Coordinator shall send a written report to the Chair within a 72 hours of the forfeiture.

·        In the event of a dispute by any of the schools involved, the Vice-Chair shall strike a Forfeiture Committee to deal with the situation and render a decision. Possible consequences:

-         Letter to the Principal.

-         A fine of up to $100.00.

-         Probation from that sport-maximum of two (2) years.

-         Suspension from that sport for one (1) year for repeat offenders.

·        Appeals to this decision would fall under the direction of the NSSAF appeals process regulation Ten.

BY-LAW IV.        Awards Committee

Section 1.

There will be an awards committee made up of three (3) members chosen from the council.

Section 2.

Duties of the Awards Committee:

a.       Make recommendations to the Association concerning the awards for the different sports.

b.      Upon approval of the Association obtain these awards.

BY-LAW V.          Protest Committee

Section 1.

This committee will consist of the Vice-Chair of the Association, two members at large from an area other than that of the Vice-Chair. This committee will rule on all protests regardless of the sport. In the event of a conflict of interest, the chair shall appoint replacements for any or all of the above.

Section 2.

The Protest Committee will render a decision with all official protest within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of the protest using the following guidelines. Possible consequences:

-         Letter to the Principal.

-         A fine of up to $100.00.

-         Probation from that sport-maximum of two (2) years.

-         Suspension from that sport for one (1) year for repeat offenders.

Section 2

Appeals to this decision would fall under the direction of the NSSAF appeals process regulation Ten.

BY-LAW VI.        Nominating Committee

Section 1.

There shall be a Nominating Committee made up of three (3) members chosen from the Council.

Section 2.

Duties of the Nominating Committee:

a.       To present a full slate of officers at the annual meeting prior to the expiration of the Executive’s term of office.

b.      When a vacancy in the Executive occurs, be prepared to nominate a replacement at the next regular meeting.

BY-LAW VII.       Meetings of the Association

Section 1.

a.       There shall normally be seven (7) regular meetings of the Council of the Association annually and others when deemed necessary.

b.      A quorum for transaction of business shall be 50% +1 of the member schools in good standing.

Meetings

Section 2.

Association Meetings

a.       The first meeting shall be held in September. The annual meeting will  be held in June. Other meetings will be held as determined by the Association.

b.      Sport meetings may be called by the Sport Coordinator when demed necessary.

c.       The Chair may call special meetings when deemed necessary.

BY-LAW VIII.      Voting

Section 1.

Council Meetings. Each member school shall have one (1) vote.

Section 2.

Sport Meetings. Each school represented at a sport meeting shall have one (1) vote.

BY-LAW IX.        Membership Fees

1.      The Association shall determine the annual membership fee.

2.      This fee shall be paid at the June meeting for the following year.

3.      New schools in the Association will pay their membership fee by September 30^th of that school year.

4.      Schools that have not paid their membership fees by the September meeting shall not be eligible for competition.

5.      The Association shall assess entry fees, as it deems necessary.

6.      An entry fee of one-hundred dollars ($100.00) per year per sport will be assessed to non-member Association schools that compete in Association leagues.

BY-LAW X.          Amendments

1.      Proposed member schools of the Association through the Chair may submit Amendments to the By-Laws.

2.      The By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Association by a 2/3 vote of the Council, provided a quorum is present.

3.      Approved Amendments to the By-Laws shall be effective June 30^th, following their approval.

REGULATIONS

REGULATION I            Classification of Schools

The Association will follow the NSSAF Handbook outline regarding the classification of schools.

REGULATION II           Student Eligibility

The Association will follow the NSSAF Handbook Regulation IV regarding student eligibility.

REGULATION III                   Athletic Contests

The following items shall apply to all competition leading to an Association Championship:

1.      The Association, through the Sports Coordinators, shall establish locations, dates and rules of play, together with any further policy matters necessary to conduct all Championships.

2.