The NSAA Board of Directors met on August 16, 2023 at the NSAA Office in Lincoln with members present as follows:
District I - Kara Graham, Lincoln Southeast
District I - Dr. Dana Wiseman, Sutton
District II - Dr. Nick Wemhoff, Fort Calhoun
District II - Thomas Lee, Omaha Westview
District III - Dr. Jon Cerny, Bancroft-Rosalie
District IV- Darren Tobey, Broken Bow
District V - Robert Drews, Arapahoe
District VI - Dr. Troy Unzicker, Alliance
Also in attendance: Dr. Zainab Rida, Nebraska Department of Education liaison; Bobby Truhe, NSAA Legal Counsel; Mike Hassler, Football Coach Wakefield High School; Matt Brenn, Athletic Director Wakefield High School; Matt Farup, Superintendent Wakefield High School; Brice King, Superintendent Humphrey High School; Andy Bishop, Principal Lindsay Holy Family High School; Stephanie Corman, Athletic Director Superior High School; Nelsen Petersen, Cross Country Coach Superior High School; Kelsea Blevins, staff member Superior High School.
The meeting was called to order at 8:35 a.m.
1. Motion to nominate Kara Graham as Chairperson of the Board and Darren Tobey as Vice Chairman.
Motion Carried: 8-0
2. Motion was made to approve the Consent Agenda. Items on the Consent Agenda included:
- Approval of the meeting Agenda as presented
- Approval of the Minutes of the May 19, 2023 Board of Directors meeting
- Approval of the Minutes of the May 22, 2023 Music Advisory Committee meeting
- Approval of the Minutes of the May 25, 2023 Sports Medicine Advisory Committee meeting
- Approval of the Minutes of the June 1, 2023 Speech Committee meeting
- Approval of the Minutes of the June 2, 2023 Play Production Committee meeting
- Approval of the Minutes of the June 15, 2023 Board of Directors meeting
- Approval of the Minutes of the June 20, 2023 Journalism Committee meeting
- Approval of the Financial Statement
- Approval of the following new cooperative sponsorships for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years:
- Holdrege, Adams Central and Minden for Softball
- Exeter-Milligan and Friend for Volleyball, Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Speech, Girls Golf, Play Production, Boys Wrestling, Girls Wrestling, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Boys Track & Field, Girls Track & Field, and Boys Golf
- Wahoo and Wahoo Neumann for Baseball
- Gretna and Gretna East for Unified Sports Bowling, Boys Swimming, Girls Swimming, Girls Wrestling, Boys Bowling, Girls Bowling and Unified Sports Track & Field
- David City, East Butler and Shelby/Rising City for Girls Wrestling
- Omaha Benson and Omaha Northwest for Softball
- Emerson-Hubbard and Allen for Speech
- Approval of the following cooperative sponsorship renewals for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years:
- Platteview and Plattsmouth for Boys Soccer
- Fillmore Central, Exeter-Milligan and Friend for Softball
- Nebraska City, Johnson County Central and Nebraska City Lourdes for Boys Soccer and Girls Soccer
- Bellevue East and Bellevue West for Girls Wrestling
- St. Paul and Palmer for Baseball
- Gering and Minatare for Boys Soccer and Girls Soccer
- Columbus Lakeview and Twin River for Girls Wrestling
- Sargent and Loup County for Boys Track & Field and Girls Track & Field
- Crofton and Wynot for Boys Golf
- Fremont, Fremont Bergan, Arlington and Blair for Boys Swimming and Girls Swimming
- Fremont and Fremont Bergan for Boys Tennis, Softball, Girls Wrestling, Baseball, Girls Tennis, Boys Soccer and Girls Soccer
- Humphrey and Lindsay Holy Family for Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Boys Track & Field, Girls Track & Field and Boys Golf
- Cambridge and Arapahoe for Unified Sports Bowling
- Kearney Catholic, Amherst, and Gibbon for Girls Soccer and Boys Soccer
- Approval of the dissolution of the following cooperative sponsorships for the 2023-24 school year:
- Omaha Roncalli and Omaha Brownell-Talbot for Boys Cross Country and Girls Cross Country
- Lawrence-Nelson and Sandy Creek for Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country and Boys Wrestling
Motion Carried: 8-0
3. The Board entered closed session at 8:39 a.m. to hear an appeal of a hardship from Omaha Concordia.
4. The Board exited closed session at 9:05 a.m.
5. The Board heard from Wakefield regarding their ineligibility for the NSAA Football Playoffs due to opting down.
6. The Board heard an appeal of the denied hardship waiver for a Superior student.
7. The Board entered closed session at 9:58 a.m. to hear an appeal of a hardship from Omaha Creighton Prep.
8. The Board exited closed session at 10:12 a.m.
9. The Board heard from Humphrey and Lindsay Holy Family High Schools regarding a renewal of a cooperative sponsorship in football for the 2024-25 scheduling cycle, while considering a pending merger within the archdiocese that could affect Lindsay Holy Family during the 2025-26 school year. The Board reached a consensus that a transition from Lindsay Holy Family to Lindsay Academy within the cooperative sponsorship would be permitted, provided that Lindsay Academy gains accreditation through the Nebraska Department of Education and is approved as an NSAA member school.
10. The Board was provided Conflict of Interest forms for their signature.
11. The Board moved to allow Interim Executive Director Jennifer Schwartz and Interim Associate Director Jeff Johnson to sign all documents, financial statements and reports relating to operations, investments, expenditures and receipts of the NSAA.
Motion Carried: 8-0
12. The Board moved to approve the 2023 Fall Activity Manuals.
Motion Carried: 8-0
13. The Board moved to approve the 2023-24 Media Manual.
Motion Carried: 8-0
14. The Board moved to approve the 2023-24 Officials Manual.
Motion Carried: 8-0
15. The Board moved to approve the 2023 District Music Financial Report.
Motion Carried: 8-0
16. The Board discussed the tie-breaking procedure for district and state Speech.
17. The Board moved to allow Adams Central to opt-up to Class B in Girls Golf for the 2023 season.
Motion Carried: 8-0
18. The Board moved to allow Lincoln Lutheran to opt-up to Class C2 in Volleyball for the 2023 season.
Motion Carried: 8-0
19. The Board moved to adopt the NSAA SMAC suggestion of recommending all certified coaches be CPR/AED certified once every two years starting with the 2023-24 school year and with that recommendation becoming a requirement for all certified coaches starting with the 2024-25 school year.
Motion Carried: 8-0
20. The Board moved to approve updated language to Approved Ruling 2.12, eliminating the $25 late fee for viewing an NSAA Online Rules Meeting.
Motion Carried: 8-0
21. The Board moved to approve updated language to Approved Ruling 1.10.3.10, eliminating the fees associated with a telephonic hearing due to the use of Zoom.
Motion Carried: 8-0
22. The Board moved to enter executive session at 12:51 p.m. to discuss staffing, the 2023-24 NSAA Board of Directors Policy Manual, and to protect the public interest and to prevent the needless injury to the reputation of an individual(s).
Motion Carried: 8-0
23. The Board moved to exit executive session at 2:59 p.m.
Motion Carried: 8-0
24. The Board moved to approve the 2023-24 Board of Directors Policy Manual.
Motion Carried: 8-0
25. In the matter of the Omaha Concordia hardship appeal, the Board moved to grant the Omaha Concordia student a hardship waiver under the following conditions: Omaha Concordia will be assessed a $500 fine for lack of administrative oversight, assessed a $250 fine for omitting a name from the May 1st Transfer List, placed on probation for one year and required to present an action plan at an NSAA Board Meeting prior to the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Motion Carried: 8-0
26. The Board moved to uphold the Interim Executive Director's denied hardship waiver for a Superior High School student due to age.
Motion Carried: 8-0
27. The Board moved that the eligibility of the Omaha Creighton Prep High School student shall be based on the domicile of the father.
Motion Carried: 8-0
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:07 p.m.
The next meeting of the NSAA Board of Directors will be September 14, 2023 at the NSAA Office in Lincoln.
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