In the latest segment of School Leader Up Close, the companion video feature of School Leader, the quarterly magazine of the New Jersey School Boards Association, Colleen Maguire, executive director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association; and Kimberly A. Gatti, director of policy at the NJSBA, talk about a new spectator code of conduct policy that all NJSIAA members will be required to adopt in time for the 2025-2026 school year.
The topic is the subject of an article in the fall 2024 issue of the magazine.
In the segment, Maguire notes that the NJSIAA is a voluntary, nonprofit organization comprised of approximately 440 accredited public and non-public high schools. It belongs to the National Federation of State High School Associations, conducting tournaments and crowning champions in 33 sports.
The NJSIAA began exploring adopting a spectator code of conduct after an increase in disruptions at events that coincided with the 2022-2023 school year, Maguire said. Athletic directors came to the NJSIAA’s Executive Committee and raised their ideas surrounding such a policy, which began a conversation, she said.
The NJSBA has issued a sample model policy on a spectator code of conduct, Gatti said. She added that she’s heard from individual board members who appreciate that school districts are given a certain level of discretion in determining what the consequences are for violating the spectator code of conduct.
In the segment, Gatti explains how individual boards may want to approach crafting such a policy. Maguire spoke about the role that NJSBA members who belong to the NJSIAA Executive Committee played in making the spectator code of conduct a reality.
Watch the full segment of School Leader Up Close.
