Council approves Rules Compliance Program

By Traci Neely | Wednesday, April 28, 2010 10:04 AM

The Legislative Council has approved the UIL Rules Compliance Program (RCP), which will be required for coaches and athletic trainers of grades 7-12 for the 2010-11 school year. The program is designed to bring an additional level of professionalism to the interscholastic teacher/coach.

The RCP provides a stage for athletic staff to understand the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules (C&CR). It will include a section on ethics and sportsmanship to replace the former COPE course offered in past years. In addition, the RCP will offer a “one-stop shop” to complete the state requirements for safety training and steroid education information. The UIL course will deliver these requirements from the UIL Web site.

The course sections will be presented using comprehensive information and videos, followed by a series of assessment questions. The information is pertinent and valuable. It also establishes an accountability system for member schools.

The RCP will be arranged in a simple way through required tasks. Coaches will be allowed to begin the course, then return periodically at their convenience to complete the course.

All participants must complete each section with a 70 percent passing rate in order to proceed to the next section. The last portion presents an acknowledgement statement and a completion certificate. It should take coaches about an hour and 15 minutes to complete the course.

High school coaches will complete a section that pertains to the high school athletic plan in the C&CR, while the junior high coaches will complete a section that is applicable for only junior high athletics.

Athletic trainers will be directed to a section that is more relevant to their job responsibilities.

UIL still requires that all first year coaches and coaches who are ejected during a contest must complete the online NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching course.