AB 1572: California Interscholastic Federation: officials: registration, certification, and eligibility verification.

Existing law describes the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) as a voluntary organization that consists of school and school-related personnel with responsibility for administering interscholastic athletic activities in secondary schools, and sets forth the Legislature’s intent regarding the CIF’s implementation of certain policies. Existing law requires the CIF, on or before January 1, 2023, and on or before January 1 every 7 years thereafter, to report to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature and the Governor on its evaluation and accountability activities undertaken pursuant to specified provisions. Existing law requires the report to include the goals and objectives of the CIF with regard to, and the status of, among other things, the quality of coaching and officiating, as provided.

Existing law requires all noncertificated candidates, prior to assuming a paid or volunteer position to work with pupils in a pupil activity program sponsored by a school district, including an interscholastic program, to obtain an Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Existing law requires the commission, upon verification of a candidate’s personal identification and verification that the candidate meets specified requirements, to initially issue an Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate to the candidate for a 5-year period and authorizes the certificate to be renewed, as provided.

This bill would require the CIF to verify the eligibility of its officials to officiate CIF contests by requiring those officials to annually register through a platform, as provided. The bill would require the platform to consist of (1), until July 1, 2028, a statewide and standardized background screening, (2), commencing July 1, 2028, a record of a valid Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate issued by the commission, including the applicable expiration date, (3) a record of rules tests, online training modules, sport-specific annual certification, and continuing education requirements, and (4) a record of liability insurance coverage. The bill would require the CIF to verify, as specified, that all components of the platform are complete before an official is deemed and marked as eligible to receive an assignment to officiate. The bill would require the CIF to ensure that its participating member schools, school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools can access the platform to verify the eligibility of an official, as specified. The bill, commencing July 1, 2028, would require the commission to regularly publish a list on its internet website of Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate holders who have their certificate suspended or revoked by the commission and would require the CIF to ensure that the platform selected by the CIF regularly reviews the list published by the commission in order to update the eligibility of the officials whose Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate has been suspended or revoked.