AAA Governing Body to Vote on 13 Proposals at Annual Meeting
Eligibility rules, football classification, sportsmanship penalties and a complete rewrite of the Arkansas Activities Association handbook are among the issues that will come before member schools when the AAA Governing Body convenes for its annual meeting Monday.
The meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. July 27 at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Representatives from member schools across Arkansas will vote on 13 proposals that could affect student-athletes beginning with the 2026-27 school year, while several football-related measures would not take effect until future classification cycles.
Among the most notable proposals are a simplified eligibility rule for junior high and high school students, increased penalties for fighting, revisions to the state’s football competitive equity model and a comprehensive modernization of the AAA Constitution and Bylaws.
The proposals are as follows:
Proposal No. 1 — Intradistrict Participation
The first proposal would create a new rule allowing seventh- and eighth-grade students to participate in classes, academic programs or extracurricular activities at another school within the same district if those opportunities are not available at the school they attend.
The proposal gives local administrators discretion to approve participation as long as the activity is offered at the same competitive level.
Supporters say the change provides flexibility for districts with multiple campuses, allowing students greater access to academic and extracurricular opportunities without transferring schools.
The proposal requires a majority vote, would take effect during the 2026-27 school year and is open to voting by all junior high and middle schools. The AAA Board of Directors unanimously recommended approval on an 18-0 vote.
Proposal No. 2 — Years of Eligibility
One of the most significant proposals would simplify eligibility rules by tying participation directly to a student’s first enrollment in grades seven, eight and nine.
Under the proposal, students would receive one calendar year of eligibility after initially enrolling in seventh grade, one calendar year after initially enrolling in eighth grade and four consecutive calendar years beginning with their first enrollment in ninth grade.
Students repeating seventh or eighth grade would become ineligible until advancing to the next grade level.
According to the proposal, the change eliminates complicated interpretations involving semesters, participation opportunities and previous eligibility determinations by replacing them with clearly defined eligibility periods.
The measure requires a majority vote, applies to all schools and received unanimous support from the Board of Directors.
Proposal No. 3 — Athletic Dead Periods
The AAA is also proposing revisions clarifying both its summer and Christmas athletic dead periods.
Schools would continue observing the mandatory two-week summer dead period during the week before July 4 and the week of July 4, when coaches would be prohibited from conducting practices, workouts, training sessions, competitions or travel with student-athletes. Athletic facilities would remain closed during that period.
The proposal also clarifies that schools possessing the only baseball or softball fields or track facilities within their communities could allow public use during the dead period, provided school teams are not participating and school coaches are not involved.
The proposal also formalizes a three-day Christmas dead period. Schools would choose three consecutive days between Dec. 23-27 during which coaches could not conduct athletic activities and school athletic facilities would be closed.
The Board unanimously recommends approval.
Proposal No. 4 — Junior Varsity Volleyball Limits
Another volleyball proposal would increase scheduling opportunities for junior varsity programs.
Currently, varsity teams are limited to 30 regular-season matches. Under the proposal, junior varsity teams would be permitted to play up to 20 matches.
Junior high varsity teams would remain limited to either 20 matches and two invitational tournaments or 18 matches and three tournaments, while middle schools would continue to be limited to 18 matches.
Supporters say the proposal would improve player development while giving schools additional opportunities to schedule nonconference competition.
The proposal requires a majority vote from high schools and would take effect during the 2026-27 school year.
Proposal No. 5 — Volleyball Benefit Events
A companion volleyball proposal would move the start date for benefit events supporting the AAA Catastrophe Insurance Fund.
Rather than limiting benefit matches to earlier portions of the season, schools would be allowed to hold one varsity-only benefit event between Weeks 6 and 16.
Supporters say the adjustment reflects changes to the volleyball calendar, including expanded regional competition, while providing additional scheduling flexibility and helping reduce player fatigue.
If approved, the change would take effect during the 2027-28 school year and requires a two-thirds constitutional vote.
Proposal No. 6 — AAA Handbook Rewrite (Bylaws)
Member schools will also consider approving an extensive rewrite of the AAA Bylaws.
Association officials say the rewrite modernizes the handbook by updating outdated language, aligning policies with current laws and practices, simplifying rules, improving organization, protecting against litigation and making the handbook easier to understand and reference.
Although the rewrite does not necessarily create sweeping policy changes, it represents one of the most comprehensive organizational updates to the governing document in recent years.
The proposal requires a majority vote and received unanimous approval from the Board of Directors.
Proposal No. 7 — AAA Constitution Rewrite
Closely related to Proposal No. 6, this measure would modernize the AAA Constitution using many of the same objectives.
Association officials say the constitutional rewrite is intended to improve consistency, reflect current practices, simplify administration and provide clearer references throughout the handbook.
Because it amends the Constitution, the proposal requires approval by two-thirds of the voting membership.
The Board unanimously recommends passage.
Proposal No. 8 — Increased Fighting Penalties
The AAA is proposing tougher consequences for fighting by athletes, coaches, administrators and spectators.
Under current rules, most ejections result in missing the next comparable contest.
If approved, anyone ejected for fighting would receive enhanced penalties. A first offense would result in suspension for the next two comparable contests or eight football quarters. A second fighting ejection during the same season would result in suspension for four comparable contests or 16 football quarters.
The proposal also expands the handbook’s definition of fighting to include attempted punches, kicks or strikes regardless of whether contact occurs, as well as unsporting conduct intended to provoke another individual into fighting.
Association officials say the proposal is intended to strengthen sportsmanship and discourage violent conduct.
The Board voted 17-0 to recommend approval.
Proposal No. 9 — Senior Accountability for Fighting
A related proposal would eliminate what some schools view as a loophole for graduating seniors.
Under the proposed rule, seniors ejected for fighting during the final contest of a sport would be required to serve the suspension in the next sport they participate in during the same school year.
Supporters say the proposal ensures seniors remain accountable rather than avoiding penalties simply because their season has ended.
The Board unanimously recommends passage.
Proposal No. 10 — Public School Football Competitive Equity
Perhaps the most debated proposal would create an optional classification adjustment for struggling public-school football programs.
Schools winning 20% or fewer of their conference games in three of the previous four seasons could choose to move down one classification.
To remain in the lower classification, those schools would have to maintain a conference winning percentage below 30% during the following two-year cycle and could not win a state playoff game.
The proposal also limits schools to one classification reduction, applies only to public schools and would not force another school to move up if conferences become larger than eight teams.
Supporters argue some football programs struggle because actual participation numbers are significantly lower than student enrollment figures used for classification.
The AAA Board of Directors, however, voted 18-1 to recommend defeating the proposal, saying schools should compete in the classification assigned by average membership.
If approved, the measure would begin with the 2028-30 classification cycle.
Proposal No. 11 — Act 91 Participation
This proposal addresses students affected by unusual district reorganizations.
The amendment would allow participation opportunities created under Act 91 to continue following Act 919 of the 2025 Regular Session, which allows formation of an isolated school district.
Students whose schools become separated through the legislative process could continue participating with their previously consolidated district when their assigned school does not offer the same academic or extracurricular opportunities.
The Board of Directors issued no recommendation, instead allowing member schools to decide the issue.
Proposal No. 12 — 6A Conference Certification
The proposal would revise postseason qualification procedures for 6A baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball.
Rather than automatically advancing a fixed number of teams from conferences with uneven membership, the proposal would determine state tournament qualifiers using a percentage-based formula designed to keep postseason access relatively equal.
For example, under the proposal, a nine-team conference would qualify seven teams while a seven-team conference would qualify five teams, creating similar qualification percentages.
Supporters say the change promotes competitive equity, transparency and consistency as conference membership fluctuates.
The proposal affects only 6A schools, requires a two-thirds vote and received no recommendation from the Board of Directors.
Proposal No. 13 — Competitive Equity Football Point System
The final proposal would significantly revise the competitive equity model used for non-public school football programs.
The proposal resets current football competitive equity placements before implementing a new point system beginning with the 2028-30 classification cycle.
Rather than accumulating multiple categories of points, schools would receive only the highest point value earned each season. Programs would receive one point for winning or receiving a bye in a state playoff game, two points for reaching the semifinals, three points for advancing to the state championship game and four points for winning a state title.
Programs earning zero or one point could potentially move down one classification, provided they also meet additional competitive requirements. Schools earning between two and five points would remain in their current classification, while programs accumulating six or more points over the two-year evaluation period would move up one classification.
The proposal also limits classification adjustments to one level per cycle and includes transition provisions for schools currently classified more than one level above their enrollment-based placement.
AAA officials say the revised model creates a more balanced method of determining whether non-public football programs should move between classifications based on competitive success rather than enrollment alone.
The Board of Directors voted unanimously to recommend approval.
If adopted, several of the proposals would take effect immediately for the 2026-27 school year, while the football classification changes would be phased in during future competitive cycles. Member schools will decide the fate of all 13 proposals during Monday’s annual Governing Body meeting.