Subchapter A: ACADEMICS (903-906)

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Section 903: DISTRICT MEET

(a) ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS. Only schools that are members of the UIL as prescribed in Subchapter D shall be eligible for the district meet.

(b) MEETS. High school competition shall extend to a state championship in the contests and events listed in Section 902.

(c) DISTRICT STRUCTURE, HIGH SCHOOL. Academic district assignments shall correspond to those listed in the academic alignments on the UIL website. Junior high, middle and elementary school districts may have 
separate district organization from high school districts. See Subchapter D.

(d) DUTIES OF THE ACADEMIC DISTRICT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

(1) General Responsibilities. Refer to Section 28 for general responsibilities.

(2) District Representatives. The UIL office shall name an organizing chair for each academic district committee to call a meeting of all schools in the district to select a chair and the district academic meet director. The UIL office shall be notified of the selections no later than October 1.

(3) List of Other Duties. Select the site and dates for the meets in accordance with the Official Calendar by November 1. Complete arrangements for conducting the district meet. Arrange the contest and event schedule. Arrange for financing the meet. Solicit entries from each school. See that only those schools on the official list furnished by the UIL office are permitted to enter. Cooperate with the schools in organizing and promoting a district. Adjudicate disputes arising within the district subject to Subchapters E and F, and work toward making the contests worthwhile.

(4) Planning Schedule. The Academic District Executive Committee shall schedule all academic competitions during designated dates on the official UIL calendar. One-Act Play shall be completed prior to the certification deadline posted annually on the UIL website. The committee is urged to follow the recommended Academic Conflict Pattern on the UIL website.

(5) Expenses In Academic Activities. The Academic District Executive Committee has authority to finance its expenses.

(e) DUTIES OF THE DISTRICT ACADEMIC MEET DIRECTOR.

(1) List of Duties. It shall be the duty of the district Cross-Examination Debate director to set up the meet by December 1 and the academic meet director to set up the district academic meet by February 1 in the Academic Meet Online Entry System; secure appropriate facilities; select or arrange for the selection of judges and directors of the contests with the approval of the District Executive Committee and in accordance with individual contest plans; requisition and distribute to contest directors all contest materials furnished by the UIL office; have immediate responsibility for conducting the meet in an orderly manner; certify results online by 5 p.m. of the day following the academic meet; and serve on the Regional Executive Committee. For responsibilities relating to Cross-Examination Team Debate, Refer to Section 1001. 

(2) The district academic meet director is expected to notify all member schools regarding the scheduled dates of the meet, but each school has the final responsibility for ascertaining the dates and schedule.

(f) ENTERING DISTRICT ACADEMIC EVENTS.

(1) Entries of Contestants. See each contest plan for the number of students a school may enter and specific entry requirements. The designated administrator of a school shall be responsible for submitting via the UIL Academic Meet Online Entry System entries of contestants in the academic meet no later than 10 calendar days before the day of the meet. For each contest, all participants must compete at the same time and contest site.

(2) Substitutions.

(A) Students Whose Names Do Not Appear on Academic, Cross-Examination Debate or One-Act Play Online Entry Forms. Eligible students may serve as substitutes for an original entry by providing the contest director with a Substitute Eligibility Form found on the UIL website or a letter signed by the designated administrator certifying the student’s eligibility. The substitution form or letter shall be presented to the contest director before the student competes. At the conclusion of the meet, the contest director shall submit all substitution forms or letters to the district academic meet director to be filed with the school’s original online entry form.

(B) Students Whose Names Appear on Academic or One-Act Play Online Entry Forms. Students who have been certified as eligible but who are to be substituted into another event shall provide the contest director with written notification signed by the event sponsor or a representative from the contestant’s school. Eligibility is already certified; therefore, written notification is for the convenience of the contest director who may not have a copy of the academic or one-act play forms.

(C) Refer to Section 1001 for Further Restrictions in Cross-Examination Debate.

(3) Late Entries. Entries submitted after the 10-day deadline require authorization of the district academic meet director. Allowances for late entries shall be consistent for every school within that district. Late entries include the following:

(A) Late Online Entry. Submitting an online district meet entry form after the deadline constitutes a late entry.

(B) Late Entry of an Event. Entry of an event not entered by the school prior to the deadline constitutes a late entry.

(C) Late Entry of an Individual. Entry of an individual to fill a place left vacant on the district meet online entry form after the deadline constitutes a late entry.

If the approval for a late entry is granted, the coach or contestant shall provide the contest director, prior to the beginning of the contest, a letter signed by the superintendent or designated administrator certifying both the eligibility of the student and the fact that the District Executive Committee or the district academic meet director has approved the late entry. At the conclusion of the meet, the contest director shall submit the letter to the district academic meet director to be filed with the school’s original online entry form.

(g) CONTEST MATERIALS. The district academic meet director shall requisition contest materials necessary for conducting meets from the UIL office by setting up the meet in the Academic Meet Online Entry System and should be completed by December 1 for Cross-Examination Debate and February 1 for academics.

Section 904: REGIONAL MEET

(a) ORGANIZATION. Names of the regional sites and directors are posted on the UIL website. The regional director is expected to exert every effort to notify all member schools in the region of the dates and schedule of the regional meet; however, the designated administrator of each school having qualified representatives is ultimately responsible for ascertaining the dates of the meet and scheduled times for each contest or event.

(b) ENTRIES, ALTERNATES AND SUBSTITUTIONS.

(1) Entries. The district academic meet director’s online results constitute a school’s official entry in the regional meet for contests advancing from the district meet. Individual school entry is unnecessary. For each contest, all participants must compete at the same time and contest site.

(2) Forms and Fees. Each regional site may have its own fee structure and instructions for paying fees.

(3) Alternates. If a qualified contestant placing first, second or third is unable to participate in the regional meet, the qualifier’s designated administrator shall notify the district academic meet director in writing. The district academic meet director shall contact the regional director as well as the next lower place finisher, who shall become qualified to represent the district. Once an alternate has been designated as a contestant, the original qualifier is not eligible to be reinstated unless the alternate cannot compete. Alternates who are not taking the place of an absent qualifier shall not be allowed to participate in the competition.

(4) Substituting Team Members. If a qualified team member is unable to participate, refer to Section 902 
(h)(3).

(c) QUALIFICATION. District winners in each contest qualify to the regional meet from each conference according to Section 902. Team members, except journalism and speech, are eligible to compete for individual honors at each level, regardless whether they advanced as a member of the team or as an individual.

(d) REGIONAL ACADEMIC CHAMPIONSHIP. The school in each region with the highest total points for all regional level academic events shall be named the regional academic champion and awarded a trophy. Points shall be awarded according to Section 902. No school shall be eligible for the regional academic championship that does not place in more than one event.

(e) DUTIES OF THE REGIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND REGIONAL DIRECTOR.

(1) Composition of Regional Executive Committee. Each regional site shall be under the charge of a Regional Executive Committee with a regional director named by the UIL office. The Regional Executive Committee shall consist of a regional director as chair, directors of the regional academic meet and One-Act Play appointed by the regional director and the academic meet district director from each district in the region.

(2) Committee Quorum. The foregoing shall constitute the voting members of the Regional Executive Committee. Five members shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum cannot be assembled, members may be contacted by telephone.

(3) List of Duties.

(A) Regional Committee. A Regional Executive Committee is subject to Section 28 (e)(j) and (n), as applicable, and Section 30. The Regional Executive Committee shall hold regional contests in the events listed in Section 902; schedule contests within dates specified on the official UIL calendar in compliance with Subchapter L; follow the Academic Conflict Pattern provided on the UIL website; and arrange the meet schedules in the interest of the schools and participants, using as little school time and necessitating as little expense and travel as possible.

(B) Regional Director. The duties of the Regional Director shall parallel those of the District Academic Meet Director found in Section 902 (d) and (e), as applicable. The Regional Director shall have charge of arrangements for the contests and appoint other contest directors as necessary. The Regional Director shall identify Academic Meet District Directors from the Regional Executive Committee and participating school representatives who will work with the site contest directors in all aspects of the meet from the planning stages through certification of results.

Section 905: STATE MEET

(a) ORGANIZATION.

(1) State Meet. The Academic State Meet is held annually. A tentative schedule of contests and events and information is posted on the UIL website.

(2) School Responsibility. The designated administrator of each school having qualified representatives is ultimately responsible for ascertaining the dates of the meet and scheduled times for each contest or event.

(b) ENTRIES, ALTERNATES AND SUBSTITUTIONS.

(1) Entries. The regional meet director’s online results constitute a school’s official entry in the state meet for contests advancing from the regional meet. Individual school entry is unnecessary. For each contest, all participants must compete at the same time and contest site. All other state academic events shall follow the process found in the contest plan.

(2) Alternates. If a qualified contestant placing first, second or third is unable to participate in the state meet, the qualifier’s designated administrator shall notify the state director in writing. The UIL office will contact the next lower place finisher, who shall become qualified to represent the region. Once an alternate has been designated as a contestant, the original qualifier is not eligible to be reinstated unless the alternate cannot compete. Alternates who are not taking the place of an absent qualifier shall not participate in the competition.

(3) Substituting Team Members. If a qualified team member is unable to participate, refer to Section 902 (h)(3).

(c) QUALIFICATION. Regional winners in each contest qualify to the state meet from each conference according to Section 902. Team members, except journalism and speech, are eligible to compete for individual honors at each level, regardless of whether they advanced as a member of the team or as an individual. State events without a regional competition will follow the process found in the contest handbook.

(d) STATE ACADEMIC CHAMPIONSHIP. The school in each conference with the highest total points for all academic events listed in Section 900 with a state competition shall be named the state academic champion for that conference and awarded a trophy. Points shall be awarded according to Section 902. No school shall be eligible for the state academic championship that does not place in more than one event.

Section 906: INVITATIONAL MEETS

(a) INVITATIONAL MEETS. Invitational meets are those meets hosted by schools to which other schools are invited, irrespective of UIL district and conference assignment, to participate in a practice setting for academic contest activities.

(1) Host School Responsibilities. The host school has complete authority over entry procedures, rules and administration of contests and activities for the invitational meet. Host schools are urged to include on the meet invitation and entry forms the origin of contest materials to be used (for example, UIL Set A, UIL Set B, or original materials). Host schools should order Invitational Meet materials through the UIL website by the required deadline.

(2) Contest Administration. To provide maximum benefit for students, invitational contests should be administered as closely as possible to UIL contests, but the final determination of how contests will actually be run rests with the host school.

(b) IDENTICAL CONTEST MATERIALS. Participating and host schools should be aware that invitational contest materials provided by the UIL office will be used for a designated time period rather than for just one day. If students attend more than one invitational meet during any of the designated time periods, they will be tested on identical materials, unless host schools secure or create original materials. Academic coaches are urged to limit student participation to only one competition using the same set of UIL materials.

(c) Invitational Meet Materials. Only those schools hosting meets may purchase UIL invitational materials.