Information for Potential, New and Transferring Officials

1. Information for Potential, New and Transferring Officials Florida High School Athletic Association

2. Welcome to the Florida High School Athletic Association! • Objective: This presentation will answer frequently asked questions for: • Individuals who are interested in high school officiating, but never have officiated; • Newly registered officials; • Transferring officials (from other states). • We hope you find this to be of assistance. • Thank you for your interest in giving back!

3. Requirements for all officials Register with a local officials association Register with the FHSAA Attend Training Sessions at a local officials association Take the mandatory online open or closed book rules examination Comply with the Jessica Lunsford Act !!!

4. Register with a local officials association You must join and maintain membership in a local official association which has been sanctioned by the FHSAA Office. A local association must grant such an individual conditional membership until such time as the individual is registered with the FHSAA Office. To locate an association near you, please visit our website at http://officials.fhsaa.org/ or contact the Officials Registrar at (352) 372-9551 extension 290.

5. Register with the FHSAA Registration with the FHSAA is mandatory. FHSAA registers officials in the following sports: Baseball Softball Basketball Swimming and Diving Football Track and Field Flag football Volleyball Lacrosse Wrestling Soccer Water polo

6. Register with the FHSAA, continued Requirements for Registration 1. Be 18 years of age or older 2. Submit to the FHSAA Office a valid application for registration (available online) 3. Pay appropriate non-refundable registration fees 4. Join and maintain membership in a local officials association (must declare local officials association at time of registration) 5. Certify that you have never been arrested for or convicted of a felony

7. Register with the FHSAA, continued Requirements for Registration 1. Be 18 years of age or older The FHSAA has a Student Officials Program which allows a 16 year old (or older) high school student to register and work as a contest official. Student officials will be allowed to work middle school (6th-8th grades) and junior high contests (8th-9th grades). Student officials ARE NOT REQUIRED to complete the online rules video and online exam.

8. Register with the FHSAA, continued Requirements for Registration 2. Submit to the FHSAA Office a valid application for registration (available online) The registration form may be accessed at: http://tech.fhsaa.org/.

9. Register with the FHSAA, continued Requirements for Registration 3. Pay appropriate non-refundable registration fees To register, an official must pay $27 per sport plus a $7 processing fee. (Paper registration processing fee is $27). Example, online registration for two sports at the same time of registering is $61. Online registration for two sports, registering at two different times, i.e. fall sport and spring sport is total of $68. Paper registration for one sport is $54.

10. Register with the FHSAA, continued Requirements for Registration 4. Join and maintain membership in a local officials association (must declare local officials association at time of registration). The local association contact information may be requested at officials@fhsaa.org. Be sure to include your city location and sport(s) of interest.

11. Register with the FHSAA, continued Requirements for Registration 5. Certify that you have never been arrested for or convicted of a felony. This begins the compliance process in accordance with Jessica Lundsford Act!!! If the answer to this question is yes, officials are encouraged to complete the background check and get “clearance” prior to completing the registration process. For more information regarding this, please contact the FHSAA Office at officials@fhsaa.org.

12. Register with the FHSAA, continued An application for registration can be made online at www.fhsaa.org and by clicking on the contest officials page, or the ifhsaa link. Prior to registering, you will need: to obtain a valid email account, have the name of your local officials association available; and be able to pay using a Visa or MasterCard. Once you’ve completed your registration and your payment has been processed, your name will be electronically submitted to your local officials association as well as to the FHSAA’s roster of registered officials.

13. Take the mandatory online rules exam Taking the exam is required each year, for each sport that you register in with the FHSAA. You can access the exams through the eClassroom link of FHSAA’s website at http://www.fhsaa.org/eclassroom/. The FHSAA requires a 75% or higher to officiate varsity competition. Failure to take the rules exam by the designated date (deadline) will result in a $50.00 fine and suspension.

14. Take the mandatory online rules exam, continued Exams are administered online under the following guidelines: Closed Book Consists of 50 questions (True / False and/or Multiple Choice 50 minutes to complete

15. Comply with the Jessica Lunsford Act Officials are independent contractors and require a level 2 screening (background check). This is a check of a person's background via state and national databases to ascertain whether the individual has been convicted of a crime(s) and its/their nature. It requires you to file with the district school board a set of fingerprints taken by an authorized law enforcement agency or an employee of the school or school district who is trained to take fingerprints. You may refer to Florida Statutes 1012.467 and 1012.468 at: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=1012.467&URL=CH1012/Sec467.HTM.

16. Comply with the Jessica Lunsford Act Your local officials association will need your finger print clearance prior to assigning you. You may contact your local county school district office for information regarding locations to complete the fingerprint process.

17. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. I’m really interested in officiating. How do I get started? A. First you’ll need to register with the FHSAA, as well as with the local officials association in your area. Once registered, you will be required to view one FHSAA sponsored rules video and take the exam online. Your local officials association will assign you based on your knowledge of the rules, clinic attendance and exam grade. Your name will also be searched against the states sexual predators list by the county school board to comply with the Jessica Lunsford Act.

18. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. How do I find a local officials association in my area? A. Send an email to the FHSAA office at officials@fhsaa.org, identifying your location (city of residence) and sport in which you are interested in officiating. The FHSAA staff representative will provide contact information for the local association. The official is advised to make contact with the individual(s) to make arrangements to join the local association and attend meetings. Q. Does the local officials association charge a fee? A. Yes, however, you will need to contact your local officials association to confirm the cost.

19. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. How do I get game assignments? A. Once registering with FHSAA is complete and contact with the local association is established, the local association will advise of the assignment process used. Many associations require training meeting attendance or evaluation of level of officiating as a part of the assignment process.

20. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. I am an experienced official transferring from another state and worked numerous state championships in my previous state. How will this affect the level of contests to which I’m assigned by my local association? A. See answer to previous question. . Be advised that Florida’s policies and procedures may differ from other states.

21. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. If transferring from another state, how do I get credit for my years of experience? A. The state association’s office will need to communicate (or verify) years of experience to the FHSAA. Please note that all years of experience may not be accepted. Q. What are the start-up costs as a new official? A. Good question! Registration cost, fingerprinting costs, uniform cost. Many local officials associations have special incentive programs for new officials to help offset costs.

22. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. I have a new official wanting to register and the mandatory rules presentation is over, can this person still register? A. Yes, a new official who registers after all rules videos have concluded will be exempt his/her first year only . Q. Do new officials pay a late registration fee? A. No.

23. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. I’ve registered to officiate, but my plans have changed. May I have a refund of my registration fee? A. Registration fees are non-refundable. However, officials should notify the FHSAA office directly to ensure that no fines are assessed for failure to complete the online rules exam or online rules presentation (video).

24. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. I currently live out-of-state and travel to Florida during the season. Am I still responsible for meeting the requirements of online exam and rules presentation? A. Because of online testing and rules presentation accessibility, officials who reside out of state will be required to meet the same requirements as officials who reside in Florida.

25. Frequently Asked Questions: Q. How much does it cost to register with FHSAA? A. Registration cost $27.00 per sport and $7.00 for the processing fee. Q. When can I register? A. Registration begins in June for the following school season. Fall sports are due no later than July 14th, winter sports are due no later than September 1st and spring no later than December 1st.

26. Requirements for all officials (Summary) Register with a local officials association Register with the FHSAA Attend Training Sessions at local officials association Take the mandatory online closed book rules examination Comply with the Jessica Lunsford Act!!!