Subdivision 1. Policy. The league may establish a policy to guide member high schools in forming or altering interscholastic conferences.
Subd. 1a. Request. A league member high school that is not in a conference may ask the league to arrange membership for the league member in an interscholastic conference.
Subd. 2. Reason not in conference. The reason the member is not in a conference must be: (1) the conference was dissolved, or (2) the member was involuntarily excluded.
Subd. 3. Prerequisite: 90-day good faith effort. Before asking the league to arrange membership, the school must make a good faith attempt over at least 90 days to join a conference. The 90 days run from the date of the school's first written request to join or rejoin a conference.
Subd. 4. League deadline: 90 days. The league must arrange the conference membership within 90 days after receiving a timely written request from a league member high school.
Subd. 5. Must use criteria. The league must follow its criteria in arranging the conference membership.
Subd. 6. Right to hearing, notice. (a) The requesting school or a high school already in the conference that is the subject of the proposed arrangement may request a timely public hearing on the proposed arrangement.
(b) The league must notify the schools mentioned in paragraph (a) of the right to a hearing.
Subd. 7. Decision is binding. The league's final decision on a matter of conference membership under this section is binding on all of the schools required to be notified of the right to a hearing.
Subd. 8. Otherwise, conferences are voluntary. Except to the extent the league arranges conference membership under this section, an interscholastic conference of schools participating in activities delegated to the league may be formed and changed freely.
History:1989 c 220 s 4; 2012 c 125 s 1