Private Schools Decry Athletic Rules

SPRINGDALE -- Decatur boys basketball coach John Unger was contacting teams last year to fill a tournament when he decided to invite Providence Academy in Rogers.

It seemed like a good idea since Providence is an area team and Unger has a good relationship with Providence coach Austin Bivens. Providence wanted to play, but the private Christian school never boarded the bus for the 30-minute ride to Decatur.

The Arkansas Activities Association doesn't allow public schools in the state to schedule games against schools that aren't sanctioned by it.

"I knew Siloam Springs had played NOAH, a home-school team from Oklahoma, and I didn't think it was a big deal to invite Providence," said Unger, who is also the athletic director at Decatur. "We're basically a 1A school playing 2A because of football, and it's hard to find teams our size to play. It's just an odd rule."

In Arkansas, only teams in Class 2A and up field football teams. Even when a school's enrollment places them at the 1A level, they are bumped up a classification if they form a football team.

Unger replaced Providence with the Northeast Oklahoma Association of Homeschools team, or NOAH, after the Arkansas association said the Oklahoma group could play as long as it was sanctioned by its state's athletic association. Providence traveled to Oklahoma to play in a tournament.

"A home-school team from Oklahoma that's not even a real school got to play, and we didn't," Bivens said. "We had to take our team and go to Tulsa, where we spent two nights in hotels. We had much rather have played at Decatur and kept that money local in Northwest Arkansas."

Providence opened in 2004, and the school has 425 students in grades eight through 12. The Patriots compete in a league with five private schools in Oklahoma and field eight varsity teams for boys and girls, including basketball, baseball, and track and field. Golf and trap shooting were the most recent additions.

"It would be different if we were out here on an island and no one was approaching us, but that's not the case" Bivens said. "We've had several schools in the area call, but the AAA won't let us to play. Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee all have rules that allow all-play, where public schools can play who they want for nonconference games and tournaments. I've had schools as high as Class 7A wanting us to participate in their track meets, but we can't."

Lance Taylor, Arkansas Activities Association executive director, said the rule keeps a level playing field by insuring the association's rules are followed.

"If a school is not a member, we can't control if a 21-year-old is playing or even an 8-year-old. But if they apply for a membership, they agree to abide by the rules set forth by the Arkansas Activities Association. So all they have to do if they want to play is apply," he said.

Bivens said the Patriots aren't ready to join the association under the current rules.

"We believe allowing member schools to sometimes play independents and other times not is very inconsistent," he said. "In our case, it does not provide us with the bridge needed to consider the AAA."

Providence isn't alone in opposing the rule that bars public schools in Arkansas from playing schools not sanctioned by the association. Darrow Anderson, athletic director at West Memphis Christian, was surprised to learn of the rule when he took over three months ago. Anderson previously coached in Tennessee and Mississippi, where public schools routinely play independents.

Like Providence, West Memphis Christian plays in a two-state conference. That league is made up of teams from east Arkansas and west Mississippi.

"In those states, all you have to do is send in a request, and it's approved," Anderson said. "With the high cost of travel, it should be a good thing that two teams in the same area want to play."

Oklahoma also allows public schools to play nonsanctioned schools with a few restrictions.

"If a team in our state wants to play NOAH, for instance, they have to contact NOAH to ensure the game is played by our rules," said Ed Sheakley, executive director for Oklahoma Secondary Schools Association. "There are age rules for the players, and certain rules for the coaches."

Life Way Christian School in Centerton applied to join the association two years ago and was accepted in June. Life Way, which was founded in 2000 with 54 students, sponsors 10 sports for 220 students in grades seven through 12. It will receive full membership from the association in 2016 when the Warriors are assigned to a conference, most likely in Class 2A with schools like Decatur and Mountainburg.

"It was a two-year process and really wasn't that expensive," said Todd Ring, Life Way athletic director. "There are some advantages and disadvantages to being a member of the AAA. The AAA doesn't allow eighth-graders to play varsity sports and that will hurt us in some of our secondary sports where there's not a lot of participation."

Schools such as Fayetteville Christian have seen both sides. Fayetteville Christian, an accredited private school, began its athletic program on the high school level more than 20 years ago. But it wasn't until 1994 that the school joined the Arkansas Activities Association, attempting to play outside the organization at first.

"The travel and the need for competition for our athletes was why we joined," said Brian Disney, Mission Boulevard Baptist Church and Fayetteville Christian senior pastor.

Before joining, the Eagles would often practice against sanctioned teams around Fayetteville. Disney said no scores were kept, so there were no rules being broken.

Fayetteville Christian enjoyed success as a member of the association, particularly in boys' and girls' basketball. But at the end of 2011 cycle, the school opted to once again end its membership. Fayetteville Christian now competes primarily against teams in the Tri-State Home School Organization.

"The reason we dropped out was because of the different rules they put in place against private schools," Disney said, referring primarily to transfer rules.

The association toughened its transfer rules for nonpublic schools a few years ago. The changes included a rule that players above the seventh grade must sit out 365 days if they transfer from a public to a nonpublic school within a 25-mile radius.

"Our kids had so much pressure from the recruiting aspect. We had public schools trying to come in and take our players and that had just gotten so strong and there was just a lack of control. Now we're on a smaller stage and that helps," Disney said.

Mike Alexander, director of the Tri-State Home School Athletic Organization, was pleased with a recent rule change made by the association. Home school athletes are now allowed to play for public schools in the district in which they reside, as long as they meet certain academic requirements.

Alexander said he'd still like to see the association change its ruling about playing nonsanctioned teams, such as the home school teams.

"I think a lot of the administrators around the state saw that rule change as all that we wanted," Alexander said. "And while it was a great first step, there's still a lot of other home schoolers that are getting left out. We just want an opportunity to play."

Taylor said the organization is already giving home school athletes a fair option.

"If a home school athlete wants to play, they can," Taylor said. "The rule was passed where as long as they have the academics, they can play for their school. And we have a ton of home school athletes out there."