[LINK] Michael Marot, AP
The NCAA wants to punish nontraditional secondary schools that fail to meet academic standards and said athletes attending those schools could pay a severe penalty by losing their freshman eligibility.
A committee, impaneled by NCAA president Myles Brand in December, made draft recommendations Wednesday calling for additional scrutiny of high schools and prep schools that are not accredited or regulated by state agencies.
Kevin Lennon, the NCAA vice president for membership services, said he hoped to have the proposals completed by June. The NCAA hopes to use onsite visits and more thorough questioning to help identify "diploma.m.ills." Penalties could be imposed as early as this fall.
"Any student who is contemplating leaving high school right now to pick up core courses needs to know the NCAA will be looking at that," Lennon said during a conference call after the committee's two-day meeting in California. "We want them to take real courses, academic courses and to make sure our athletes are receiving a quality education."
The NCAA has already begun the evaluation process. Three schools, including University High School in Miami, a correspondence school, have been removed from the NCAA's list of acceptable institutions.
University High School, which had no classes or instructors and operated almost without supervision, allegedly offered high school degrees to students with poor grades for $399. The New York Times first reported the University High case. That case was cited by Diane Dickman, managing director of membership services, as helping to jump-start the reforms.
The NCAA said it has cooperated with Florida authorities, which are investigating the school.
A call Wednesday to a phone number listed for University High School said it was no longer in service. A school official in December told the Times that it was closing at the end of 2005.
Dickman did not identify the other two schools that have been sanctioned by the NCAA.
She said some nontraditional institutions have bypassed NCAA regulations with misleading or inaccurate answers on the NCAA's old questionnaire. So NCAA officials plan to ask more in-depth questions and visit potential problem schools to check their academic standards and make sure students are meeting with teachers.
"We require that interaction occurs and, in some cases, that is not occurring," Dickman said.
Lennon said the NCAA would report violators to state agencies.
If the NCAA board approves the recommendations in August, the penalties could take effect in the fall.
Lennon estimates more than 5,000 schools have no oversight but anticipates a far smaller amount will be deemed unacceptable by the NCAA.
"It's clear the vast majority high schools and preparatory schools do a good job," he said. "The vast majority have a great deal of integrity. Our goal is to look at certain institutions where, perhaps, that integrity is lacking."
All of the measures are intended to prevent athletes from rushing to complete their eligibility requirements at schools that may not be as stringent.
"Individuals who showed little preparation in grades nine through 11, and then showed a miraculous recovery, I think, that would come under greater scrutiny," Lennon said.
The NCAA plans to publicize the problem schools.
"Once an institution is removed from the list, we'll be very public about it so that students know attending that school will not help you from an academic perspective," Lennon said. "We want to focus on getting much more detail to assure the appropriate amount of academic rigor."
Comments