N.C. High School Athletic Association Board Meeting Addresses Key Issues in High School Sports

Chapel Hill, NC – The N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Board of Directors is set to meet this week for their annual winter gathering, where several important topics will be discussed. Board members will arrive on Wednesday for the meeting, which will kick off at 8:15 a.m.. One of the first items on the agenda will be a vote on the consent agenda, admitting three new schools into the NCHSAA for the upcoming school year.

Following this, the board will enter closed sessions to hold committee meetings. A key discussion point scheduled for Wednesday at around 1 p.m. is about realignment, playoff structures with eight classifications, and future amendment proposals. Additionally, there will be talks about a proposal to separate charter and parochial schools from traditional public schools in state playoffs. Nash Central High School has put forward a proposal for this consideration, citing that many state championships are often won by schools without clearly defined attendance zones.

Later in the day, the board will receive updates from several committees, including the Finance & Personnel, Policy, Review & Officiating, and Sports Committees. This groundwork will be crucial for votes that are set to take place on Thursday, starting at 8:30 a.m. The board will hear reports from affiliate members, such as the N.C. Coaches Association, before moving into discussions and voting on various proposals.

On Thursday at 1 p.m., Commissioner Que Tucker and board members will hold a virtual press conference to discuss the board’s decisions. Live coverage of the meetings will be provided throughout the week.

Among the proposals under consideration is a request from schools in Durham, Johnston, and Wake counties to officially sanction flag football as a sport for the 2025-2026 school year. Currently, about 116 schools in the state are expected to participate in flag football this year. While the first flag football playoffs will be wrapping up with a state championship this Saturday, it won’t be officially recognized yet due to the lack of NCHSAA sanctioning. However, the board is considering recognizing it as an official sport soon.

Another significant discussion will involve the RPI formula used for determining playoff seeding. A survey indicated that a majority of coaches are not satisfied with the current formula, which takes into account a team’s winning percentages among other factors. Additionally, there have been concerns from schools about losing money on playoff games due to lower mandated ticket prices. Consequently, the board will also consider increasing ticket prices, which have remained unchanged for the last seven years.

This meeting is crucial as it addresses key issues that impact high school athletics across North Carolina. With many topics on the table, school leaders and community members alike are eager to see how these discussions will shape the future of high school sports in the state.