Arbitration Policy

Arbitration During the Tournament

1. Only the Head Coach may request an appeal.
2. Students are strongly encouraged to ask questions of Event Leaders and to work to resolve a problem or issue with the Event Leader during the Event Period. If the event is a building event, Students must respectfully inform the Event Leader, before leaving the Event Area, that they intend to discuss a possible appeal with their Head Coach and will leave their device with the Event Leader.
3. If Students have reason to believe that there is cause for arbitration, then the Students must speak with their Head Coach as soon as possible. The Head Coach must first attempt to resolve the dispute directly with the Event Supervisor.
4. If the Head Coach remains genuinely dissatisfied with the outcome after discussing it with the Event Supervisor, then the Head Coach may complete a written Arbitration Form to the Regional/State Director that must be signed by the Event Supervisor and the Head Coach.
5. The Appeal form must be turned in to the Regional/State Director within 1 hour after the completion of the event or, in the case of building events, within 1 hour after teams complete testing their device. If circumstances prevent filing within this time limit, the Regional/State Director may, at their discretion, accept a late appeal.
6. Using the Arbitration Form, the Head Coach must:
   1. Identify the specific rule, clarification, or procedure that is believed to have been misinterpreted or misapplied, including the specific page number and section from the rule’s manual (or the date of the clarification);
   2. Describe how the rule or procedure was violated and not followed and how the event results were impacted;
   3. Provide any documents or other evidence to support the appeal; and
   4. A requested solution to rectify the problem.
7. The Arbitration Committee will consider the appeal and make a ruling on the appeal before event scoring is finalized. The Regional/State Director will inform the Head Coach once the ruling is made.
8. The decision of the Arbitration Committee is final, and no other arbitration or discussion related to the ruling is allowed.