Reform CT CIAC offseason rules for fair competition
The Issue
Right now, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) is holding our public high school student-athletes back. Under outdated out-of-season coaching regulations, our certified, trusted high school coaches are legally banned from training their own players during the school year outside of the short official season.
This rule does not protect kids—it punishes them. It forces families to pay thousands of dollars to private clubs and elite travel teams just to keep their children competitive. It drives a massive socioeconomic wedge through our communities, compromises athlete safety, and places Connecticut students at a severe competitive disadvantage compared to neighboring states.
We are calling on our school district’s administration to sponsor a legislative amendment to the CIAC to completely repeal this ban and adopt the successful "Rhode Island Model."
The Financial Penalty on Connecticut Families
Under the current system, athletic development has become a luxury. If a student wants to improve, stay conditioned, or prepare for college recruiting in the offseason, they cannot do it for free at their local public high school.
Instead, parents are forced to write massive checks to private clubs, AAU teams, and private sports trainers. This creates an unacceptable socioeconomic divide:
Families who can afford it bypass the CIAC’s rules by paying for elite private training.
Families who cannot afford it are left with no offseason support, watching their children fall behind simply because of their financial situation. Our public schools should be engines of opportunity, not systems that gatekeep athletic development behind a paywall.
The Competitive Disadvantage: CT is Falling Behind
Our kids are competing on an uneven playing field. In 2019, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) voted unanimously (13-0) to repeal its out-of-season coaching bans. They realized that restricting public school coaches only hurt public school kids.
As a result, Rhode Island public school athletes can train, develop, and build chemistry with their high school coaches year-round. Meanwhile, Connecticut athletes are locked out of their own school gyms and fields, falling further behind their regional peers every single day.
The Threat of Enrollment Loss: Prep Schools and Transfers
Because the CIAC refuses to modernize, dedicated athletic families are being forced to make heartbreaking choices. To protect their children’s athletic and collegiate recruiting aspirations, parents are actively:
Transferring out of Connecticut public school districts to neighboring Rhode Island.
Withdrawing their children from public schools to enroll them in New England Prep Schools (NEPSAC), where out-of-season coaching is fully permitted.
When our public schools fail to provide a competitive pathway, they lose top-tier student-athletes, parent leaders, and critical state educational funding. Our public schools must remain viable, competitive options for our children.
Student Safety and Trusted Mentorship
Our high school coaches are certified educators. They are fully vetted, background-checked, and strictly trained in CPR, first aid, and concussion protocols. They care about our children's academic success, character development, and physical well-being.
By banning these trusted mentors from coaching in the offseason, the CIAC forces kids into unregulated private facilities with uncertified trainers who may not have the same safety standards or care for the student’s overall development.
Our Demand: Adopt the "Rhode Island Model"
We, the undersigned parents, taxpayers, and community members, demand that our school administration and Board of Education take immediate action. We ask our leaders to:
Sponsor a CIAC Amendment: Formally draft and submit a legislative proposal to the CIAC to completely repeal the out-of-season coaching ban during the academic school year.
Establish Local District Control: Return the authority to regulate, schedule, and oversee offseason workouts directly to our local athletic directors and school boards, allowing our community to decide what is best for our kids.
Protect Voluntary Participation: Ensure all offseason workouts are strictly voluntary, with absolutely zero impact on regular-season tryouts, rosters, or playing time.
It is time to stand up for our kids, our coaches, and our public schools.
Sign and share this petition today!
436
The Issue
Right now, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) is holding our public high school student-athletes back. Under outdated out-of-season coaching regulations, our certified, trusted high school coaches are legally banned from training their own players during the school year outside of the short official season.
This rule does not protect kids—it punishes them. It forces families to pay thousands of dollars to private clubs and elite travel teams just to keep their children competitive. It drives a massive socioeconomic wedge through our communities, compromises athlete safety, and places Connecticut students at a severe competitive disadvantage compared to neighboring states.
We are calling on our school district’s administration to sponsor a legislative amendment to the CIAC to completely repeal this ban and adopt the successful "Rhode Island Model."
The Financial Penalty on Connecticut Families
Under the current system, athletic development has become a luxury. If a student wants to improve, stay conditioned, or prepare for college recruiting in the offseason, they cannot do it for free at their local public high school.
Instead, parents are forced to write massive checks to private clubs, AAU teams, and private sports trainers. This creates an unacceptable socioeconomic divide:
Families who can afford it bypass the CIAC’s rules by paying for elite private training.
Families who cannot afford it are left with no offseason support, watching their children fall behind simply because of their financial situation. Our public schools should be engines of opportunity, not systems that gatekeep athletic development behind a paywall.
The Competitive Disadvantage: CT is Falling Behind
Our kids are competing on an uneven playing field. In 2019, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) voted unanimously (13-0) to repeal its out-of-season coaching bans. They realized that restricting public school coaches only hurt public school kids.
As a result, Rhode Island public school athletes can train, develop, and build chemistry with their high school coaches year-round. Meanwhile, Connecticut athletes are locked out of their own school gyms and fields, falling further behind their regional peers every single day.
The Threat of Enrollment Loss: Prep Schools and Transfers
Because the CIAC refuses to modernize, dedicated athletic families are being forced to make heartbreaking choices. To protect their children’s athletic and collegiate recruiting aspirations, parents are actively:
Transferring out of Connecticut public school districts to neighboring Rhode Island.
Withdrawing their children from public schools to enroll them in New England Prep Schools (NEPSAC), where out-of-season coaching is fully permitted.
When our public schools fail to provide a competitive pathway, they lose top-tier student-athletes, parent leaders, and critical state educational funding. Our public schools must remain viable, competitive options for our children.
Student Safety and Trusted Mentorship
Our high school coaches are certified educators. They are fully vetted, background-checked, and strictly trained in CPR, first aid, and concussion protocols. They care about our children's academic success, character development, and physical well-being.
By banning these trusted mentors from coaching in the offseason, the CIAC forces kids into unregulated private facilities with uncertified trainers who may not have the same safety standards or care for the student’s overall development.
Our Demand: Adopt the "Rhode Island Model"
We, the undersigned parents, taxpayers, and community members, demand that our school administration and Board of Education take immediate action. We ask our leaders to:
Sponsor a CIAC Amendment: Formally draft and submit a legislative proposal to the CIAC to completely repeal the out-of-season coaching ban during the academic school year.
Establish Local District Control: Return the authority to regulate, schedule, and oversee offseason workouts directly to our local athletic directors and school boards, allowing our community to decide what is best for our kids.
Protect Voluntary Participation: Ensure all offseason workouts are strictly voluntary, with absolutely zero impact on regular-season tryouts, rosters, or playing time.
It is time to stand up for our kids, our coaches, and our public schools.
Sign and share this petition today!
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Petition created on October 20, 2026