SP0394
LD 1273
First Regular Session - 125th Maine Legislature
 
LR 1039
Item 1
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

An Act To Establish a 2-week Quiet Period for School Teams

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA c. 223, sub-c. 7-D  is enacted to read:

SUBCHAPTER 7-D

INTERSCHOLASTIC ACTIVITIES

§ 6641 Quiet period for coaching and fund-raising

1 Definitions.   As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
A "Fund-raising" means a solicitation to the public for funds to support the activities of an interscholastic team. "Fund-raising" does not include the charging of an admission fee to an event, such as a contest or competition, featuring an interscholastic team.
B "Interscholastic team" means a team that is organized by and affiliated with a high school in this State for the purpose of competition with other high schools in this State.
C "Quiet period" means the 2-week period immediately prior to the beginning of that season during which that interscholastic team traditionally engages in competition.
D "School-affiliated organization" means an organization, including, but not limited to, an athletic booster club or other support group that is aligned with an interscholastic team.
E "Statewide interscholastic association" means an association that oversees interscholastic activities in public or private schools in this State that receives its funding from those public or private schools, either through membership dues or fees collected from those schools or from the participation of those schools in interscholastic activities.
2 Limit on contact by coaches.   During the quiet period, a coach or advisor for an interscholastic team is prohibited from coaching or giving instruction about a sport or activity to members of the coach's or advisor's interscholastic team, either individually or collectively.
3 Limit on fundraising.   An interscholastic team and a school-affiliated organization of that interscholastic team are prohibited from engaging in fund-raising activities during the quiet period.
4 Participation in statewide interscholastic association limited.   A school administrative unit may not belong to a statewide interscholastic association that imposes more restrictive limits on contact by coaches or advisors or fund-raising by an interscholastic team or school-affiliated organization than those imposed by this section.

summary

This bill prohibits the coach or other advisor of a school athletic team or other school-organized and affiliated team from having any contact with members of the team during the 2-week period immediately prior to the beginning of that team's traditional competitive season. This bill prohibits the team or a school-affiliated booster club or support group aligned with that team from engaging in fund-raising during that same 2-week period. This bill also prohibits a school administrative unit from being a member of any statewide interscholastic association that places more restrictive limits on contact by coaches or fund-raising.


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