A note from CHSAA By Ernie Derrera~ CHSAA Assistant Commissioner, CHSCA Liaison 
 Good day, coaches.  As we approach the end of the fall sports season, start the fall playoffs and transition to the winter sports season, I felt it would be a good time to reach out and update you on where we stand with regards to recent changes in coaching bylaws in the CHSAA Constitution & Bylaws.   In the spring of 2018, the CHSAA Legislative Council passed new legislation on coaching high school sports in Colorado.  Based on the recommendations of the Coaching Education & Registration Committee, all high school coaches, regardless of compensation, will fall into one of two categories: permanent or 1st-year coaches.   Permanent coaches are defined as any coach who has previously been a certified teacher in a Colorado high school and has actively coached a CHSAA sanctioned activity sometime during the last three years or a coach who was permanently certified by the CHSAA prior to July 1, 2018. Permanent coaches shall be listed as such in the Arbiter system and have only to complete the standard courses that you have been accustomed to: the annual CHSAA Bylaws test, the annual concussion training, and be currently certified in First Aid/CPR/AED training.   1st-year coaches are all other coaches, including certified teachers who have not coached a CHSAA- sanctioned activity in a member school with the last three years.  This also includes volunteer coaches.  In addition to the standard courses that are required of permanent coaches, 1st-year coaches shall also be registered with the CHSAA via the Arbiter system and shall complete the CHSAA 1st-year coaches course.  These are both available via the Arbiter system once your AD enters you into the system.   The Coaches Education Committee felt that coaching is a profession and, as such, there should be a minimum level of education and professional development for all coaches in CO high school sports. With that in mind, all volunteer coaches are to be registered just as all other coaches.  As mentioned earlier, that means they will have to pay the registration fee, unless that fee is waived by the coach’s AD.  That fee can be waived if two conditions are met: 1) the volunteer coach does not have sole supervisory for any team at any level, and 2) the coach, in the opinion of the school AD, does not play a significant coaching role for the team (i.e. is limited in the number of days that are coached, is not required to coach during competitions, etc) Hopefully, that explains recent changes in coaching education and registration. If you should have any questions concerning coaching education and registration, please reach out to your AD.