GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Hall County School District, with seven high schools, makes up just 1.5% of the entire stable of Georgia High School Association member schools (466 to be exact).
Yet, those seven schools accounted for more than 2.4% of the overall fines incurred by schools from the GHSA for coaches missing mandatory online rules clinics for the 2023-24 school year. In all, GHSA schools were hit with more than $120,000 in fines for that fiscal year. That would put the average at $261.80 per member school.
The total amount for Hall County schools was $3,000, with North Hall making up one-third of that alone. Johnson was the only school out of the seven not to be fined for that school year. The other six were all hit with varying fines.
Of the 23 northeast Georgia area schools covered by AccessWDUN Sports, North Hall piled up the largest amount ($1,000) with Gainesville at $900 right behind. Only five area schools -- Johnson, Buford, Lakeview Academy, Rabun County, and Riverside Prep -- did not rack up any fines for that period. For the area, $8,300 in fines (6.80%) across 20 schools in 13 different school districts were handed down by the GHSA for that period.
On the surface, the $3,000 total for Hall County schools doesn’t sound like much to make a big deal about. However, on Tuesday, the GHSA Board of Trustees amended GHSA by-law 2.54 Appendix P (see below) to double fines and also revoke a coach’s GHSA pass, saying “...the coach cannot coach that sport and their GHSA pass will remain revoked for the duration of the time until the clinic is completed.”
And apparently, they seem to mean business this time.
Hall County Schools Director of Communications and Athletics Stan Lewis said he hopes ADs and coaches get the message.
“We knew this was coming down the pike. We heard about it at the Georgia athletic directors conference in Athens about a month ago,” Lewis said. “These clinics are designed to provide coaches with important information regarding rules and rule changes. And you know, the GHSA has expectations.
“We'll see if the extra consequences (by the GHSA) have an impact statewide. I would think that they would. I would be shocked if it got to the point of taking away a coach's pass. I can see an athletic director stepping in and saying, ‘Hey, you missed this. You've got 10 days to get it done, or you're not coaching.”
But is it about the money or the fact that coaches, who are charged with making sure the student-athletes remain current on school work and practice, seem not to be practicing what they preach?
The five area schools that did not get fines are part of 109 schools (just under one-fourth of all GHSA members) listed by the GHSA that did not incur any penalties, so it can be done.
Buford Athletic Director Tom Beuglas simply called it “a waste of money.”
“Wasting money on ridiculous stuff that can be controlled doesn't go over well with me,” Beuglas said. “The GHSA likes to fine people, so we try not to give them a reason to. Most of (the clinics) only take like 15 minutes. There’s no excuse for not getting them done.”
Beuglas, also the head wrestling coach for the Wolves, agreed that coaches should be the first to set an example. But he wondered about the enforcement by the GHSA.
“This kind of thing is part of that process. If you tell your student-athletes not to be late for meetings or practice, you shouldn’t be either as a coach,” he said. “And getting these clinics done on time is the same thing to me. Setting that example is important. And these clinics are important because there are always things you need to know for your sport.
“I don't know who's going to enforce it. The schools themselves are going to have to continue to do that. If I think we’re about to get fined, I'm going to go down there and tell that coach, you're going to do it today, and you're not coaching until you do it. It’s a waste of money to me, no matter how much it is.”
Lewis agreed about setting the example for players. But he also said Hall County would not add any additional consequences if it came down to a fine or loss of a coaching pass, even if briefly. Five of the seven schools in the district exceeded the $261 statewide average in fines.
“Look, these days, every dollar counts,” Lewis said. “And setting that example for your program of doing things right is important. But I feel like what the GHSA has put in place as far as consequences is adequate.
“We're not going to put anything extra on top of that. But I will be here as support to help our ADs make sure everyone complies and gets them done on time.”
GHSA by-law 2.54 Appendix P:
“Proposal to increase the fine for missing deadlines for rules clinic, from $100 to $200 and revoke the coach’s GHSA pass deadline. (Fall deadline August 15th, Winter deadline November 10th, Spring deadline February 9th) When a coach misses a deadline, they have until midnight on the 10th day following the rules clinic to complete the clinic. If rules clinic is not completed by the deadline, the coach cannot coach that sport and their GHSA pass will remain revoked for the duration of the time until the clinic is completed. If any school is found to be allowing a coach to coach without completing the clinic after the deadline, the school will be issued a lack of institutional control fine per case.”
NEGa area schools with clinic fines by school in 2023-24:
(** -- Hall County schools)
$1,000 - North Hall**
$900 - Gainesville
$700 - Flowery Branch**
$700 - Jackson County
$700 - North Forsyth
$600 - Jefferson
$500 - Habersham Central
$400 - East Hall**
$400 - Lumpkin County
$400 - West Hall**
$300 - Cherokee Bluff**
$300 - Commerce
$300 - Dawson County
$200 - Banks County
$200 - Chestatee**
$200 - East Forsyth
$200 - East Jackson
$100 - Towns County
$100 - Union County
$100 - White County
$0 - Buford
$0 - Johnson, Gainesville**
$0 - Lakeview Academy
$0 - Rabun County
$0 - Riverside Prep
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/4/1290396/ghsa-fines-story