900 Ky. coaches complete heat-safety course

This from C-J:

Nearly 900 high school coaches in Kentucky have completed an online sports safety course in advance of a deadline next week that could prevent them from holding summer practices.

Julian Tackett, assistant commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, told a sports safety work group established by the Kentucky General Assembly, that 1,637 coaches had signed up to take the course, and that as of Thursday, 878 had completed all four hours of the training.

Tackett said the course, required by the General Assembly after the Aug. 23 death of 15-year-old Max Gilpin, who collapsed at a Pleasure Ridge Park High School football practice from heat stroke, has been set up so that high school principals and state officials can track the progress of each coach...

Fayette County Public, Private Share Peace Pipe

This from the H-L:

Fayette Co., LCA unveil agreement to prevent boycott

Mike FieldsLexington Christian Academy will avoid a lot of the fallout from the "schedule reduction plan" proposed by the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents last week. And it appears most of the 50 or so private schools across the state won't be affected much by the boycott.

Long before the KASS unveiled its plan before the Kentucky High School Association's Board of Control last week, LCA had been working with Fayette County public school officials to work out a compromise so they could keep playing each other.

They came to an agreement this week. LCA will self-impose tough restrictions, and Fayette County will do likewise. Any student who transfers to LCA from a Lexington public school after the seventh grade will be ineligible to play athletics for a year. In turn, Fayette County will impose the same rule on students transferring from LCA to any of its schools.

Don Adkins, athletic director of Fayette County schools, said that his boss, superintendent Stu Silberman, informed other superintendents of the agreement, and they didn't have a problem with it. Adkins said it is intended to do "what's best for the kids" and to "develop a good relationship between everybody so we can all sit down and work this out." ...

In Athletics: Publics to Give Privates the Cold Shoulder

This from the Courier-Journal:

Superintendents discourage public schools from playing private schools

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, which represents 174 public-school districts in the state, endorsed a plan today that would eventually mean fewer sports contests against private schools.

Kentucky’s public and private high schools have been at odds over athletics for at least three years; public schools contend that private schools have an advantage because they can draw their students – and athletes – from large geographic areas, and public schools are much more restricted.

The KASS revealed its “schedule reduction” plan today, and their executive director, Blake Haselton, paid a courtesy call on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s board of control in the morning to provide details.

The wording of the plan:

“KASS has endorsed a proposal that would encourage all Kentucky public high schools to no longer enter into any contract to participate in any sports event with any Kentucky non-public high school. Exceptions:“

(1) Existing contracts will be honored;“

(2) Games that must be played in order to qualify for championship play;“

(3) Due to community pressure, continuance of contracts with in-county/close proximity non-publics with long standing positive relationships;“

(4) Public schools are encouraged not to invite but may participate in
multi-school events that include non-public schools.”

Jefferson County Public Schools superintendent Sheldon Berman said that the
concerns are "viable and serious" but he said Louisville public schools aren't
participating.“At this point we’re not specifically going to do anything other
than what we’re doing,” he said.

Haselton appeared before the KHSAA board about an hour. Afterward, he
said:“Yes, they just won’t be playing private and parochials unless they have
one of those exclusions…. They’ll be playing them in district games that count
toward seeding or if it’s required to eligible for district (tournament)
play.”Haselton added that many schools already have scheduled football and
basketball games for next season and the impact would be greater the following
year.