Meeting was convened at 4:15 p.m. by Chairman Majikes
ITEM 1 Chairman Majikes called the meeting to order at 4:15 p.m. welcoming Attorney Gerald C. Grimaud, School Board member in the Tunkhannock Area School District, as the new Pennsylvania School Boards’ Association member of the District II Committee.
Absent but accounted for: Don Kanavy, Jim Marcks, Danielle Adams, Michael Costanza
Advisors Present: Jim Sabatini, Phil Latinski, Don Rogers (District II Solicitor)
ITEM 2 A motion was made by Tom Jenkins, seconded by Jay Starnes, to approve the minutes of the November 18, 2009 meeting. All Ayes
ITEM 3 Frank Victor provided the committee with an update on the status of the Treasury following the completion of the winter sports’ season. As of December 16, 2009 the District has $71,076.89 in Total Certificates of Deposit; and $75,434.63 in Total Savings and Checking Accounts, for a total fund balance of $146,511.51. Frank will provide a detailed financial summary of the recently completed District II Football Championships at the January meeting. A motion was made by Jeff Gregory, seconded by Jim Higgins, to approve the Treasurer’s report as submitted. All Ayes
ITEM 4 Sports Reports from the PIAA Workshop Meetings held on December 10th at the PIAA State Offices:
§ Cross Country (Bill King): Bill explained that there has been discussion regarding the move to three classifications in Cross Country. Bill favors the move as it would provide for more representation from District II at the State Championships. A motion was made by Frank Galicki, seconded by Mike Ognosky, to have Chairman Majikes vote in favor of the move to three classifications at the State Committee meeting.
§ Football (Tom Jenkins): Tom explained that there was discussion for consideration of home field sites in the state championship tournament, with the exception of the State Championship final games. There was no further discussion on the possibility of 6 classifications.
§ Soccer (Vito Quaglia): The proposal for a 4th classification in Boys’ Soccer was defeated in the Soccer Committee meeting.
§ Tennis (Mike Ognosky): Mike mentioned that in the Tennis Committee discussions the PIAA State Tennis Championships Chairperson, Greg Biller, requested that all first round matches in the State Team Tennis Tournament be held at indoor facilities.
§ Volleyball (Maureen Williams): It was recommended in committee that the first round of the state tournament would be regionalized in all classifications with the winners moving to the state championship site. District II was not in favor of that recommendation.
ITEM 5 At 4:33 p.m. the District II Committee moved into an open session hearing regarding a request by Tunkhannock Area School District for a revision of their enrollment information that was submitted to the PIAA for the 2010-2012 two year cycle in the sport of Boys’ Swimming and Diving. Greg Ellsworth, Principal, and Morris Jackson, presented on behalf of Tunkhannock. At the conclusion of the presentation, a motion was made by Mike Ognosky, seconded by Jay Starnes, to recommend to the PIAA State Committee to approve the request by Tunkhannock to have the boys’ enrollment number revised as submitted. All Ayes (Grimaud abstain)
ITEM 6 At 5:03 p.m. the District II Committee moved into an open session hearing regarding an incident during the Tunhannock-Dallas football game played
Friday, September 18, 2009 at Tunkhannock. During halftime of the
game, it was alleged that members of the Dallas football team urinated on the tennis courts located adjacent to the football field. Both schools provided written testimony regarding the incident as well as presenting witnesses before the committee during the open hearing. The meeting was conducted by the District II Solicitor, Don Rogers, Esq., and committee members present were allowed to ask questions of all witnesses regarding all information brought forward. After approximately 4 hours of testimony, the District II Committee went into deliberation at 9:36 p.m. Members of the committee that had affiliations with the schools involved (Gerald Grimaud, Frank Galicki, Maureen Williams, Dino Galella) were allowed to participate in the open hearing, but were not part of the deliberation or final motion and vote. During the course of the hearing, Mike Ognosky and Jay Starnes had to excuse themselves for other meeting responsibilities. At 9:48 p.m. the District II Committee returned from deliberation and a motion was made by Bill King, seconded by Frank Victor, with the following provisions:
- The current probationary period of the Dallas football program, which was scheduled to end at the conclusion of the 2009 PIAA football season, will be extended for a two year period through both the 2010 and 2011 PIAA football seasons.
- The Principal and the Athletic Director of the Dallas High School are publicly censured as they hold the primary responsibility for the action and conduct of their students and coaches involved in the athletic programs of the District.
- The Principal and entire Varsity Coaching Staff of the Dallas High School will write a letter of apology to the Principal of the Tunkhannock Area High School in regard to this unfortunate incident.
- The Dallas School District will make full restitution to the Tunkhannock Area School District for the cost of cleaning the tennis courts.
- The Principal of the Dallas Senior High School will complete a report to the District II Committee detailing the actions taken against members of the football team involved in this incident, if and when they are identified.
- The District II Committee recommends that the Dallas School District suspend the current Dallas Head Football Coach, Ted Jackson, for the entire 2010 football season. If the District fails to take said action, the District II Committee will reconvene and consider further penalties and sanctions of the Dallas football program.
- Effective for the entire 2010 and 2011 PIAA Football Seasons the District II Committee requires that a “Report of Referee to the PIAA” be furnished by the Dallas School District to the “referee” of each of their football contests and that the form be completed and submitted to the District II Chairman by said referee no later than the Monday following each contest. The District II Chairperson will provide the Dallas School District with said form in time for the beginning of the 2010 season. If there are any inconsistencies in the action of the Dallas Football Staff as reflected in the “Report of Referee to the PIAA” it will be immediately addressed by the District II Committee. This will be required for the entire length of the football program’s probationary period during the 2010 and 2011 PIAA football seasons.
The motion was approved unanimously by all members present.
Also, a motion was made by Tom Jenkins, seconded by Vito Quaglia, that the administration of the Tunkhannock Area School District be required to submit an action plan to the District II Committee at the April, 2010 meeting to describe how they will improve security at their home football games. All Ayes
ITEM 7 A motion was made by Jeff Gregory, seconded by Tom Jenkins, granting eligibility to Kyle Krasavage, Wyoming Seminary to Wyoming Valley West, in accordance with Article VI, Transfers, Residence, and Recruiting, principal-to-principal sign off, of the PIAA By-Laws. All Ayes
A motion was made by Bill King, seconded by Maureen Williams, granting eligibility to Kristin Rattigan, Wyoming Valley West to Meyers, in accordance with Article VI, Transfers, Residence, and Recruiting, principal-to-principal sign off, of the PIAA By-Laws. All Ayes
ITEM 8 A motion was made by Joe Farrell, seconded by Bill Schoen, granting eligibility to Peter Kmec, Slovakia, to Holy Redeemer, in accordance with Article VII, Foreign Exchange Students, International Students, and Foreign Students of the PIAA By-Laws. All Ayes
ITEM 9 A motion was made by Frank Victor, seconded by Bill King, granting eligibility of Annie Monseur and Brittany Rattigan, Wilkes-Barre GAR, in accordance with Article III, Attendance, of the PIAA By-Laws. All Ayes
ITEM 10 Chairman Majikes provided the committee members with a PIAA Legislative Update from Millron Associates.
ITEM 11 Chairman Majikes reviewed a letter received from Anthony Guariglia, Principal of the West Side Career and Technology Center in Pringle, advising the District II Committee that the girls’ basketball program at the school would be suspended due to lack of participation for the 2009-2010 girls’ basketball season. Chairman Majikes advised the Committee that in compliance with Article XII, Section 7, of the PIAA By-Laws, the contests that are not played will be forfeits for the opposing team unless that team is able to schedule a substitute contest in its place.
ITEM 12 A motion was made by Gerald Grimaud, seconded by Jeff Gregory, to adjourn the meeting.
Meeting was adjourned at 10:13 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Ognosky
Mike Ognosky
District II Secretary