LAFAYETTE (KATC) –Lafayette Christian Academy’s president Jay Miller confirms the school is facing punishment from the LHSAA for allowing volunteer coaches to serve as a head coach.
The school might not be the only one facing suspensions and fines from the league.
LHSAA policy requires the head coaches for football and basketball teams to be a faculty member, while other sports are not held to the same policy. (See policy below)
LCA athletic director Barry Baldwin serves as the school’s football coach in an official capacity, while former LSU standout Trev Faulk assumes coaching duties. Miller told KATC that the LHSAA has created an “accepted standard” for schools to allow CCP coaches, certified coaching program coaches, to act as head coaches in the past.
Sources tell KATC other schools are also facing punishment.
LHSAA Statement
In order to protect the integrity of any/all communications between the LHSAA offices and the LHSAA membership as well as to ensure its confidentiality between the LHSAA and the member schools, the LHSAA will not release information on infractions, violations, penalty rulings or sanctions until any/all potential and/or allowable administrative remedies are exhausted.
-Kate Adams, LHSAA Director of Communication and Media Relations
LCA is appealing the LHSAA’s decision.
LHSAA Handbook:
3.3 FACULTY COACHES
3.3.1 A faculty coach of an athletic team shall be employed by the school’s school board and shall be assigned coaching duties by the board or the school principal. The individual shall hold the position of teacher, administrator, athletic director, dean of students, librarian, or school counselor, or a combination of these responsibilities on a full-time basis by the school system. In all cases, the individual shall be required to be physically present and work at his/her school(s) during the entire school day during the school’s normal hours of operation. The normal hours of operation shall be considered the time the school begins classes for the school day until the actual end of the school day for the majority of regularly enrolled students. Each category of individuals who can serve as a faculty coach is further
defined in the following rules. Only individuals meeting the requirements specified can serve as a faculty coach at a member school in the sports of football and boys’ and girls’ basketball
3.4.3 A school shall not allow non-faculty personnel to serve as the head coach in the sports of football and boys’ and girls’ basketball. With written permission from the principal, non-faculty assistant coaches shall be allowed to serve asthe head coach and faculty representative of a sub-varsity squad in these sports.
3.4.4 A school shall be allowed to use certified non-faculty personnel as the head coach in the sports of baseball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, indoor/outdoor track and field, volleyball and wrestling.
3.4.5 A school shall be allowed to use certified non-faculty personnel to serve as an assistant coach in all sports at any level.
3.4.6 A school shall be limited to four non-faculty coaches per sport and not more than 24 non-faculty coaches’ total per school year excluding football and limited to 5 non-faculty coaches in football. A school will be limited to not more than 24 non-faculty coaches per school year unless the school has 5 non-faculty football coaches and then they will be limited to not more than 25 non-faculty coaches for the year.
