Guidelines to Consider for Blocking Schools

NHVOA ​

NHIAA: Guidelines and Conflict of Interest

The NHVOA Executive Committee recently established these guidelines to consider when deciding whether an official should block a school from their schedule. Here are the guidelines:
Officials should block themselves from schools under the following situations:

• You are a current employee for the high school or the school district.
• You have children that attend or attended the school within five years.
• You have relatives that play on the school team.
• You are related to any of the coaches at the school.
• You have immediate relatives who work at the school
• You are friends/socialize with any of the coaching staff from the school.

Officials who accept/work matches that violate the spirit of these guidelines could face sanctions.

If an official is assigned to a game (regular season or tournament) there are times when the assignor may not be aware of potential conflicts of interest and we must rely on athletic directors and the officials themselves to call this to the assignor’s and the NHIAA’s attention. This is not an indictment on the professionalism or integrity of any official but rather about perception. If there is an honest mistake made or a questionable call it is impossible for many people to not feel that the call was the result of inherent bias. And this cuts both ways, for the home crowd could feel betrayed by the call and of course the other side will cry conflict of interest. If you are an official and could be perceived, rightfully or wrongly, to carry a bias you should remove yourself from the game. Some examples of such conflicts are listed below and this is not all inclusive: 

• Live in the community of one of the teams  
• Work in the school or school district  
• Have an immediate relative who works at the school or in the district  
• Attended the school or once lived there (had children who played there)  
• Own a business in the community in question  
• Have been asked not to officiate there by the school administration 

Hopefully you get the idea. If there is any connection that could possibly be construed as a conflict of interest you have an obligation to let the appropriate people know. Again this does not suggest that a professional official would allow any of the factors to impact his or her calls but clearly it puts the official, school, and the NHIAA in a position of charges of conflict of interest. The above listed criteria are far from inclusive and there clearly are other possible situations, i.e. an ex-spouse is the principal of the school. In the end it is about again perception and common sense as to how to avoid such a situation.