BOISE, ID — Even though schools traditionally have gone up and down in division every two years, it has been a very long time since there has been a complete change to the system of how schools are classified.
Mike Federico, the assistant director of the Idaho High School Activities Association, explained, “I think change has gotten everybody up in arms in the sense that it’s different than what we have done for the last 20 years.”
Starting next school year, Idaho schools will now be classified based on school population. However, many parents and coaches disagree with the idea because some of the population gaps are a little larger than others. Federico wants those who are worried to know that the board's best interest is never to outmatch any school.
“We still don't have schools playing anyone twice their size. That's the philosophy of the board of directors. It’s always been and still is the case,” said Federico.
Although these reclassifications have been set, they haven't been set in stone. Schools with larger populations, like Caldwell High School, can petition to move certain teams down a level.
Caldwell High School athletic director Jon Hallock said, “ It will be beneficial for some of our programs to petition. We are in the process of finalizing that paperwork for us now.”
“The athletic director and the principal will work with their school board. We do require that the school board is in support of these petitions,” said Federico.
According to Hallock, petitioning is quite the task.
“It’s very hard,” Hallock said. “It's a lot of work. Collecting a lot of data. Talking to other schools and getting support from them.”
One of the main reasons Hallock is looking to petition for Caldwell to move up is, what he calls, the eligibility verification numbers.
Hallock explained, “Basically the number of kids who are participating in sports in that school. The percentages at Caldwell are smaller than those at other schools. We don't have the luxury of having as many kids come out for sports as other schools do. That's why traditionally you may see us struggle in some sports."
