Subchapters A-C

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Subchapters A-C

Subchapter A. NAME OF ORGANIZATION

Section 1: NAME

The name of the organization shall be University Interscholastic League (UIL).

Subchapter B. OBJECTIVES

Section 2: OBJECTIVES OF THE UIL

The objectives of the UIL are:

(a) to enhance students’ educational experience;

(b) to prepare them for citizenship by providing interschool competition among the public elementary and secondary schools of Texas; and

(c) to establish rules and procedures for sanctioning and conducting interscholastic competition, including rules providing penalties for rules violations by school district personnel, that are consistent with rules of the State Board of Education.

Subchapter C. DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 5: DEFINITIONS

In the Constitution and Contest Rules, unless the context requires otherwise:

(a) Academy: two-year school for academically gifted and talented; created by the state legislature, under the management and control of the board of regents of the Texas State University System. Examples: Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities, Lamar University, Beaumont, and Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, University of North Texas, Denton.

(b) Alternative’ School: generally alternative schools are schools without defined attendance zones. Alternative schools include (but may not be limited to): discipline alternative education programs, juvenile justice alternative education programs, juvenile detention centers, county jails, drop-out prevention and drop-out recovery schools, credit recovery schools, schools of choice, ISD charters, high school equivalency (GED) programs, career and technical education campuses, early college campuses, T-STEM campuses, men’s/women’s leadership academies, multiple school district cooperative schools, or other ISD schools that do not have defined attendance zones from which they draw their students.

(c) Calendar week: 12:01 a.m. on Sunday through midnight on Saturday.

(d) Charter school: an open enrollment school approved by the State Board of Education.

(e) Constitution: the Constitution of the UIL.

(f) Contest: includes competition.

(g) Contest Rules: the rules governing UIL contests and competitions adopted by the UIL.

(h) Director: the Executive Director of the UIL.

(i) District: a grouping of member schools within an established conference that is determined to facilitate reasonable competition among the schools in UIL contests for a two year period (designated as region in music competition).

(j) District Executive Committee: the committee of superintendents or designated representatives of member schools within an assigned district.

(k) Divorced parents: parents whose divorce has been declared final. Parents who are separated or who have filed for a divorce are not divorced.

(l) Elementary school: a school that is a unit of a school district and offers instruction in kindergarten through the sixth grade, regardless of whether all of the grades are offered instruction in the same building.

(m) Enrollment: begins the day of a student’s registration and attendance in a full class period and ceases with the last day of attendance.

(n) Fan(s): devotees of a germane activity, e.g., spectators at a sporting event or a performance involving school students.

(o) High school: a school that is a unit of a school district and offers instruction in the ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth grades, or any combination thereof, whether all of the grades are offered instruction in the same building. A school also fits this definition if it has: 

1). only one ninth grade, one tenth grade, one eleventh grade and one twelfth grade;
2). with one principal in charge of all four grades;
3). if all grades have the same school colors, the same school song and the same school paper; and
4). school is on an established campus with permanent classrooms.

That school would be eligible for UIL membership as one four-year (grades nine through twelve) high school unit, even though all grades are not on the same campus or in the same building.

(p) Intersession: that period of time during a non-traditional school year when school is not in session or when a particular group of students is not required to attend school.

(q) Junior high school: a school that is a unit of a school district and offers instruction in the seventh and eighth grades, whether it also offers instruction in the sixth or ninth grade, and whether it occupies a building separate from an elementary or high school.

(r) League: The University Interscholastic League.

(s) Legislative Council: The Legislative Council of the UIL.

(t) Magnet program: curriculum offered within a high school that also serves students in a regular high school setting.

(u) Magnet school: a high school within a multiple high school district where all students participate in the magnet curriculum.

(v) Member school: a public elementary or secondary school that is part of a member school district and for which the annual participation fee has been paid

(w) Non-participating school: a public secondary school that is part of a member school district that is classified as a member or non-member and has not elected to participate in the germane activity.

(x) Non-traditional school year: any school year based on a system other than an approximate nine consecutive month instructional period with an approximate three month vacation during the summer months.

(y) Optional attendance area: a policy created by school board in a multiple high school district that permits students within that ISD to select the high school they wish to attend. Examples: school board policy allows students the option to transfer to a school outside their attendance zone to enroll in a magnet program; court mandated majority to minority transfers.

(z) Patron(s): person(s) who reside in the germane school district.

(aa) Postsecondary institution: a public or private educational institution that offers education and training beyond the high school, whether it requires graduation from high school for admission to its program.

(bb) Radio Broadcast: any live or delayed audio only broadcast of a contest regardless of the means or medium of transmission.

(cc) Recruit: to encourage a student in any way to change schools for the purpose of participating in UIL activities at any grade level. It could include offering a student or the student’s parent cash, waiver of tuition, board or lodging, transportation, promise of better conditions at the participant school or on its team, a job or other valuable consideration to induce the student to enroll in a participant school.

(dd) Region: a grouping of districts of member schools that is determined to facilitate reasonable competition among schools certified to represent their districts in UIL contests (designated as area in music competition).

(ee) School district: an independent school district, a city or municipal school district, and common school district.

(ff) School week: the week beginning at 12:01 a.m. on the first instructional day of a calendar week and ends at the close of instruction on the last instructional day of the calendar week, excluding holidays.

(gg) Sponsor: any person who is principally responsible, or responsible by delegation, for directing or coaching any student in UIL contests.

(hh) State Board of Education: reference to rules of the State Board of Education including rules of the Commissioner of Education.

(ii) State Executive Committee: the State Executive Committee of the UIL.

(jj) Summer months or summer vacation: the approximately three consecutive month period of time during the summer when schools using a traditional school year are closed.

(kk) Superintendent: the superintendent of an independent school district and/or a superintendent’s counterpart in a charter school or in those private schools eligible for UIL membership.

(ll) Telecast: any live or tape-delayed video footage of a contest in its entirety regardless of the means of transmission.

(mm) Traditional school year: an approximate nine consecutive month instructional period with an approximate three month vacation during the summer months.

(nn) Transfer student: a student who changes school without a corresponding change of residence by the student’s parents into the new school attendance zone.

(oo) UIL contest: interschool competition in any contest listed in Section 380.

(pp) Valuable consideration: any tangible or intangible property or service that has any value, including anything that is wearable, usable or salable.

(qq) Varsity: a contest entry level as provided for in academic, music and athletic plans at which the team, team member or individual student is designated by the school to represent it in UIL district, region, zone, area, state or non-conference contests.

(rr) Vocational high school: a high school within a multiple high school district where all students participate in the vocational curriculum.

Section 6: COMPUTATION OF TIME TO ACT

(a) COUNTING AFTER AN EVENT. When action is required within a specified period of time after a specific act or occurrence, counting starts the day after the act or occurrence. Do not count Saturday, Sunday, or federal or state holidays.

(b) COUNTING BEFORE AN EVENT. When action is required within a specified period of time before a specific occurrence, counting ends the day before the act or occurrence. Count backwards beginning with the day prior to the event to find the date action should be taken. Do not count Saturday, Sunday, or federal or state holidays.