ARKANSAS — Private schools in Arkansas won't have their own championship brackets but will have a transfer deadline.

The hot topic entering the August 4 annual meeting of the Arkansas Activities Association

Governing Body was private

schools, and members voted

247-25 to add a transfer rule

forcing students to miss a year

of eligibility if they enroll at

nonpublic schools after July 1

of their seventh grade or the

lowest grade offered.

The proposal to put any

member school that offeredneed-based financial aid to student-athletes into a separate bracket for all AAA-sponsored championships failed 114-93.

Other proposals passed last week Tuesday change sportsmanship rules to stop bands from playing at football games when the opponent is in the red zone (271-18), allow out-of

state travel within a 300-mile

radius of the individual school

(202-4) and moved the start of

the softball and baseball season

a week later and finishing two

weeks later to avoid conflicts

with testing (191-11).

A proposal to add a second

senior high preseason benefit

football game failed 175-27.

Sports, Pages 6 on 08/12/2009