School principals, superintendents and LHSAA officials told the legislative subcommittee that local school administrators carry primary responsibility for enforcing school policies and disciplining students after incidents at athletic events, while the LHSAA enforces association sportsmanship rules and handles separate investigations and eligibility rulings.

Why it matters: understanding which body carries initial authority — the local school/district or the statewide association — affects how parents and lawmakers seek remedies, how quickly students are ruled ineligible, and which appeals routes are available.

Superintendent David Claxton told the committee "anything that breaks a school policy or a school rule, we enforce," and added that if the incident also violates an LHSAA rule, the association will investigate and adjudicate its part. Principal and LHSAA executive‑committee member Tommy Byler described the process: officials submit game reports and disqualifications, schools have 48 hours to file required paperwork, and LHSAA sportsmanship penalties are applied consistently from the rulebook (examples include required online sportsmanship classes and escalating penalties for repeated offenses).

Witnesses described how schools conduct their own discipline — removal from future games, internal investigations, law‑enforcement referral where appropriate — and how that can run alongside LHSAA action. Byler said local districts sometimes impose additional discipline beyond association penalties. Several school leaders emphasized the role of official reports from game officials in triggering formal LHSAA procedures.

On appeals, speakers described a tiered path: an emergency appeal to the LHSAA office (which can be heard quickly via Zoom); a hardship or membership committee review; and, where applicable, third‑party arbitration. LHSAA staff said most eligibility complaints are resolved without extended litigation. The committee also discussed cases in which officials did not file required reports and how that can complicate enforcement.

Committee members asked LHSAA to provide clearer written guidance about timelines, appeal steps and the interaction between school discipline and association penalties so parents and legislators can more easily navigate disputes.