Bill Text: CT HB06383 | 2013 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Hiring Standards For Athletic Directors.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-5-1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-05-28 - Signed by the Governor [HB06383 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2013-HB06383-Chaptered.html
Substitute House Bill No. 6383
AN ACT CONCERNING HIRING STANDARDS FOR ATHLETIC DIRECTORS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2013) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Athletic director" means an individual responsible for administering the athletic program of a school or school district under the jurisdiction of a local or regional board of education, and who is responsible for the supervision of athletic coaches.
(2) "Athletic coach" means any person holding a coaching permit issued by the State Board of Education who is hired by a local or regional board of education to coach a sport for a sport season as part of intramural and interscholastic athletics for a school or a school district.
(3) "School professional" means any school teacher, administrator or other personnel certified by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 10-145b of the general statutes.
(b) (1) On and after October 1, 2013, any person hired by a local or regional board of education to serve as an athletic director for (A) a school shall hold a (i) certificate issued by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 10-145b of the general statutes and a coaching permit issued by the state board, or (ii) certificate issued by a national athletic administrators association, as approved by the Department of Education, and a coaching permit issued by the state board, or (B) a school district shall hold a (i) certificate issued by the state board pursuant to section 10-145b of the general statutes with an intermediate administrator and supervisor endorsement and a coaching permit issued by the state board, or (ii) master certificate issued by a national athletic administrators association, as approved by the department, and a coaching permit issued by the state board.
(2) Any person who was serving as a director of athletics prior to October 1, 2013, in accordance with subdivision (2), (3) or (4) of subsection (b) of section 10-145d-423 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies and who does not meet the qualifications described in subdivision (1) of this subsection may continue to serve as an athletic director in such school or for such school district. No other local or regional board of education shall hire such person as an athletic director unless such person meets the qualifications described in subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(c) An athletic director administering the athletic program of a school or school district shall have the following responsibilities: (1) Ensuring that each athletic coach in the athletic program holds a coaching permit issued by the state board, (2) supervising and evaluating athletic coaches, pursuant to section 10-222e of the general statutes, as amended by this act, (3) supervising students participating in interscholastic athletics, (4) possessing knowledge and understanding of all rules and regulations of the governing authority for interscholastic athletics, (5) administering and arranging the scheduling of and transportation to athletic activities and events, (6) administering and arranging the hiring of officials, (7) ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all athletic activities and events, and (8) any other duties relevant to the organization and administration of the athletic program for the school or school district.
(d) Any athletic director responsible for the evaluation of any school professional shall hold a certificate issued by the State Board of Education, pursuant to section 10-145b of the general statutes, with an intermediate administrator and supervisor endorsement.
Sec. 2. Section 10-222e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
(a) [Local and regional boards of education that employ athletic coaches shall require the coaches' immediate supervisor to evaluate such coaches on an annual basis and to provide such coaches with copies of such evaluations. ] Any local or regional board of education that employs an athletic coach, as defined in section 1 of this act, shall require the athletic director, as defined in section 1 of this act, or the immediate supervisor of such coach to evaluate, in accordance with the provisions of section 1 of this act, such coach on an annual basis and provide such coach with a copy of such evaluation.
(b) Any local or regional board of education acting directly, or through its duly authorized agent, that terminates or declines to renew the coaching contract of an athletic coach who has served in the same coaching position for three or more consecutive school years shall inform such coach of such decision no later than ninety days after the completion of the sport season covered by the contract. Such coach shall have an opportunity to appeal such decision to the local or regional board of education in a manner prescribed by such local or regional board of education. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a local or regional board of education from terminating the coaching contract of an athletic coach at any time (1) for reasons of moral misconduct, insubordination or a violation of the rules of the board of education, or (2) because a sport has been cancelled by the board of education.
[(c) For the purposes of this section, "athletic coach" means any person holding a coaching permit who is hired by a local or regional board of education to coach for a sport season. ]
Sec. 3. Section 10-149 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2013):
The State Board of Education shall, pursuant to chapter 54, adopt regulations fixing the qualifications of athletic coaches, as defined in section 1 of this act, of intramural and interscholastic athletics. Such regulations shall make provision for qualified persons who do not possess a teaching certificate to coach intramural and interscholastic athletics if a qualified person possessing a teaching certificate is not available.