Broken Arrow High School has issued self-imposed sanctions for OSSAA rules violations that involved a student who should have been ruled ineligible for athletics last year but participated, the district announced today.
The school will forfeit two football games, one of them a win, and five track meets from the previous school year. The school did not strip itself of its state track championship. Broken Arrow also penalized multiple staff members, including head football coach Steve Spavital.
The football and track programs have been placed on “warning” status in the 2013-14 year, which means future violations could come with more severe penalties from the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association.
Although the district has imposed penalties, they still must be approved by the OSSAA's board. The board, which meets Sept. 11, can accept Broken Arrow's penalties or impose additional sanctions.
Broken Arrow sanctioned three school administrators. The district also named a new boys basketball coach after longtime coach Rusty Stecker was promoted to a new position as part of changes in the athletic department.
Among the sanctions:
* Athletic director Ken Ellett was suspended from his duties that involve any oversight of athletic eligibility for the 2013-14 school year. He will remain in charge of the athletic department.
* Spavital will remain football coach but was stripped of his title as assistant athletic director. His new title will be coordinator of football operations, and he won't be considered a member of the administrative staff.
* Brad Farrow, an assistant coach in multiple sports, will be suspended from coaching duties in the 2013-14 year.
Broken Arrow’s penalties involved a student who repeated eighth grade five years ago, according to a statement from the school. The student, who was not identified by the district, did not sit out athletics that season, which meant his athletic eligibility expired after his junior season.
“By not sitting out a year in middle school, the student was effectively ineligible during his senior year,” Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Chuck Perry, who oversees athletics, said in a statement.
Broken Arrow’s self-imposed penalties do not affect student eligibility for the upcoming season, according to the district.
Broken Arrow became aware of the potential violations in June. An internal audit of high school students confirmed the violation but no other violations were discovered among the high school’s 1,400 students who participated in athletics in the 2012-13 year, according to the district’s statement.
The student who was ruled ineligible participated in football and track, which led to the forfeits in those sports. The Tigers did not strip themselves of the Class 6A state track championship.
In football, the school will only forfeit one victory – a 2012 season-opening triumph over Owasso. Broken Arrow also forfeited a game against Bentonville, Ark., in the season’s second week. Broken Arrow lost that that game.
“Our staff did not properly inquire as to the conflicting responses that were recorded on the student’s various years’ eligibility forms, and therefore, the student did not sit out a year as required by OSSAA rules or obtain a hardship waiver from the OSSAA,” Perry said in a statement.
Broken Arrow superintendent Jarod Mendenhall said the district has reviewed its athletic policies for determining eligibility and made some improvements.
“We should always seek to improve our processes throughout the district, but it is unfortunate that these process improvements and staff promotions must be made as the result of a violation,” Mendenhall said in a statement issued by the school. “I appreciate the support of the officials at the OSSAA, and while I am not at all pleased with this situation, I believe we have arrived at a fair and proper solution that does not unfairly penalize students for the mistakes made by adults.”
The athletic department's changes included promotions and the creation of new positions:
* Stecker, who was boys basketball coach for 14 seasons, will leave that position to become associate director for athletic compliance, a new position in the district. Beau Wallace was promoted from assistant coach to head coach of the boys basketball team.
* Melenda Knight was named assistant director of athletics -- a new position -- and will oversee all Title IX and academic eligibility issues.
Schools that are placed on warning status by the OSSAA, face potentially harsh penalties for additional violations. Those sanctions include probation that could prohibit a school’s program, or programs, from participating in an OSSAA event like postseason playoffs.
The OSSAA's board meets monthly and consists of 14 school adminstrators from throughout the state.
“We have worked with them through this issue from when it was first reported by them to us, and it will be up to the (board of directors) to accept those penalties,” said OSSAA Executive Director Ed Sheakley. “I know Broken Arrow has been working on this, and I know they welcome the fact that they’ve finally been able to disclose it and make some of the changes they’ve outlined.”
