Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 38, September 20, 2024
13.1. A WVSSAC
Review Board is hereby established.
13.1.a.
The Review Board shall consist of seven members to be appointed by the WVBE
upon recommendation by the State Superintendent. No person, other than a county
superintendent of schools, and a representative of the West Virginia Athletic
Directors Association, shall be appointed or shall serve who is employed by the
WVBE or any county board of education. All members of the Review Board shall be
residents of the State of West Virginia.
13.1.b. Each of the following associations
shall be requested to present three nominations to the State Superintendent for
membership on the Review Board:
13.1.b.1. West
Virginia Bar Association;
13.1.b.2.
West Virginia Association of School Administrators;
13.1.b.3. West Virginia State Medical
Association;
13.1.b.4. West
Virginia Sportswriter Association;
13.1.b.5. West Virginia Athletic Directors
Association;
13.1.b.6. West
Virginia Association of Retired School Employees; and
13.1.b.7. State Superintendent's
Designee.
13.1.c.
Members of the Review Board need not be members of the association which
submitted their names in nomination and shall be appointed for a term of five
years. Prior to the expiration date of the term of each member of the Review
Board, the respective association will nominate three representatives to the
State Superintendent who shall subsequently recommend one to the
WVBE.
13.1.d. The term of office of
each member of the Review Board will begin upon the acceptance of the
appointment and will expire on June 30 of the year in which the term
expires.
13.1.e. The member with
the shortest remaining tenure on the Review Board shall serve as its chairman.
Each appointed member of the Review Board shall have equal voting
privileges.
13.1.f. In the same
manner as prescribed in §127-1-13.1.a through 13.1.c, the WVBE shall have
power to fill any vacancy which occurs in the membership of the Review Board.
Such appointments shall be made at the next regular or called meeting of the
WVBE following the existence of a vacancy, and shall be for the unexpired term
of the position vacated.
13.1.g.
Members of the Review Board shall serve without pay but shall be reimbursed for
actual expenses incident to the performances of their duties upon presentation
to WVDE an itemized sworn statement thereof. Costs shall be taxed by the Review
Board at its discretion, not to exceed the actual expenses incurred, against
the party who fails to prevail and the Review Board may, in its discretion, if
it so desires, require any appealing party to post security for costs with the
State Superintendent in the sum of $200.
13.1.h. The Review Board will sit for
hearings within a reasonable time after the aggrieved party having a matter for
review files an appeal, but not longer than 30 days after such appeal is filed,
and at such other times as the Review Board may determine, at the State Capitol
in Charleston, or in such other place as the Chair of the Review Board may
elect.
13.2. The WVDE
shall make available adequate and competent secretarial services to record the
proceedings and transactions of each meeting of the Review Board and to prepare
the official written report, required in these regulations, on each decision
rendered by the Review Board.
13.3.
Any decision of the Board of Directors involving a penalty, protest, or
interpretation of the rules and regulations of this Commission governing
interscholastic athletic or band activities may be appealed to the Review Board
in the manner hereinafter described. Such appeal may be made by any member of
the aggrieved party directly affected by the decision of the Board of Directors
and aggrieved by such decision of the Board of Directors.
13.3.a. Appeals must be filed with the State
Superintendent within 15 days after any final decision of the Board of
Directors of the WVSSAC.
13.3.b.
Upon receipt of any appeal, the State Superintendent shall immediately notify
each member of the Review Board of the appeal and the Chair of the Review Board
shall set a date, time, and place for hearing and shall immediately notify all
interested parties, in writing, of the same.
13.3.c. The filing of any appeal shall not
stay enforcement nor act to supersede the prior ruling or decision of the Board
of Directors. However, pending the hearing of any appeal, at its discretion,
the Board of Directors may grant a stay of enforcement upon such terms as it
deems proper.
13.4.
Proceedings for review shall be instituted by filing a petition with the State
Superintendent within 15 days after the date upon which such party received
notice of the final order or decision of the Board of Directors. A copy of the
petition shall be served upon the WVSSAC or its Executive Director and all
other parties of record by registered or certified mail. The petition shall
state whether the appeal is taken on questions of law or questions of fact, or
both. No appeal bond shall be required to effect any such appeal.
13.4.a. Within 15 days after receipt of a
copy of the petition by the WVSSAC, or its Executive Director, or within such
further time as the Review Board may allow, the Commission or the Executive
Director shall transmit to the Review Board, the original or a certified copy
of the entire record of the proceedings under review, including a transcript of
all testimony and all papers, motions, documents, evidence, and records as were
before the Commission, all Commission staff memoranda submitted in connection
with the case, and a statement of matters officially noted; but, by stipulation
of all parties to the review proceedings, the record may be shortened. The
expense of preparing such record shall be taxed as a part of the costs of the
appeal. The appellant shall provide security for costs involved. Upon demand by
any party to the appeal, the Commission shall furnish, at the cost of the party
requesting same, a copy of such record. In the event the complete record is not
filed with the Review Board within the time provided for in this section, the
appellant may apply to the Review Board to have the case docketed, and the
Review Board shall order such record filed. Failure of the Commission to file
the record within the time stipulated shall automatically stay the enforcement
of the order or decision of the Board of Directors, in that particular case,
and such stay shall continue until such record is filed.
13.4.b. Appeals taken on questions of law,
fact, or both, shall be heard upon assignment of error filed in the case or set
out in the briefs of the appellant. Errors not argued by brief may be
disregarded, but the Review Board may consider and decide errors which are not
assigned or argued.
13.4.c. The
review shall be conducted by the Review Board without a jury and shall be upon
the records made before the Commission, except that in cases of alleged
irregularities in procedure before the Commission not shown in the record,
testimony thereon may be taken before the Review Board. The Review Board may
hear oral arguments and require written briefs.
13.5. After hearing all evidence and
arguments, the Review Board shall render a decision in one of three forms:
13.5.a. Sustaining the ruling of the Board of
Directors;
13.5.b. Reversing the
ruling of the Board of Directors; or
13.5.c. Remanding the matter to the Board of
Directors for further action.
13.5.c.1. The
Review Board shall reverse, vacate, or modify the order or decision of the
Board of Directors if the substantial rights of the petitioner or petitioners
have been prejudiced because the administrative findings, inferences,
conclusions, decisions, or orders are:
13.5.c.1.A. In violation of constitutional or
statutory provisions;
13.5.c.1.B.
In excess of the statutory authority or jurisdiction of the
Commission;
13.5.c.1.C. Made upon
unlawful procedures;
13.5.c.1.D.
Affected by other error of law;
13.5.c.1.E. Clearly wrong in view of the
reliable probative and substantial evidence on the whole record; or
13.5.c.1.F. Arbitrary or capricious, or
characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of
discretion.
13.5.c.2.
Four members, present and eligible to vote, shall constitute a quorum for the
Review Board to transact all business.
13.5.c.3. A majority vote of those members of
the Review Board in attendance at any hearing shall be required to render a
decision. Such decision shall be final and binding on all parties
concerned.
13.5.c.4. Within 30 days
from the date of any hearing, the Review Board shall make a written report of
its decision, stating briefly therein its reasons for such a decision. Copies
of the report shall be mailed to the State Superintendent, the Executive
Director of the WVSSAC and, upon written request, to other interested
parties.
13.6. Nothing in these regulations shall be
construed to limit the Board of Directors in performing its regular duties as
provided in the regulations of the WVSSAC; in making investigations and
initiating proceedings against any member of the Commission; in making
interpretations of the rules of eligibility of student athletes or band
members; or in imposing penalties for the violations of any rules, regulations,
or bylaws of the Commission.
13.6.a.
§127-1-8.5, and Rule §127CSR6, section 3.2, infer or state that
decisions of the Board of Directors are final and are hereby modified only to
the extent that such final ruling of the Board of Directors may be appealed
within the time limit in the manner prescribed elsewhere in these regulations
and affirmed, reversed, or remanded by the Review Board.