The St. James School District's attendance numbers for Boys & Girls Town of Missouri's St. James campus are no longer counted for the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).
John F. Hodge High School Vice Principal and Athletic Director Phil West explained the change.
“The numbers of the ninth and tenth-graders that attend school on the campus of Boys & Girls Town will no longer count in our numbers as far as what we have to turn into MSHSAA,” West said.
West said the lower number in student attendance would affect the classification of the state and district level that students compete in athletics and for extra-curricular and co-curricular activities.
“It was a board approved proclamation at the December board meeting,” West said.
West said the new numbers would provide a better representation of students to MSHSAA. The students residing on the Boys & Girls Town campus do not participate in MSHSAA activities at the high school.
“It gives us a better representation of the schools we compete in with these activities as far as the number of students they have in their schools,” West said.
He noted most of the district assignments for schools would not be announced until later in the year.
“This could impact activities such as music, band, speech/debate and all things our students compete in at state levels,” West explained. “It puts us on a more level playing field and not just for one sport but everything we do here.”
