At its January 2025 meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed public comments submitted on Nov. 3, 2024, Committee Restructure Amendment to the Bylaws and approved ratifying the amendment as adopted in November without changes.

Background.

At its Nov.3 meeting, the Board of Directors approved to amend Articles I and II of the ACTAA Bylaws to modernize committee structure as a strategy of the ACTAA in Action strategic plan approved at the Fall Conference.

In compliance with ACTAA By-laws, Article VII, section 2, before the amendment can be ratified and engrossed, the Board-approved amendment was published via email to the membership for thirty (30) days for members to submit comments on the amendment in the November 18 Newsletter.

If the amendment receives no comments from the membership after the thirty (30) day comment period, the amendment would have been ratified effective December 18. Since the amendment received at least one comment on the proposed changes during the thirty (30) day comment period, the Board of Directors shall review the comments at its January 5 meeting, where the Board will: "(1) approve the amendment with recommended changes; or (2) approve the amendment “as is,” with no changes, by a two-thirds vote."

Amendment Details.

This amendment removes the unnecessary references of “permanent” in committee name types (AI §1), adds language to clarify better the difference between standing and special committees (AI §7(1)), reorganizes committees in the document to better align with their appropriate committee type (AI §6(2a-j) & §7(2a-f)), moves liaison positions from Article I, [Committees] §7(2) to Article II, [Officers] (AII §7-10), and other non-substantive changes for clarification (AI §2, §5, §6(2), §6(2c), §7(2), & §7(2E).

Additionally, the amendment renames the Professional Standards Committee to the Advocacy and Public Engagement Committee (AI §6(2a)), the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to the Belonging and Inclusion Advocacy (BIA) Committee (AI §6(2d)), and the Recruitment and Mentoring Committee to the New Member Support Committee (AI §6(2g)). The purpose and function of these committees will not change.

The amendment adds a reference to the ACTAA Professional & Ethical Standards of Conduct in the purpose of the Ethical Practices Committee. (AI §6(2e))

Finally, the amendment restructures the Tournament Advisory Committee (TAC) to be a defined seven members, including the President, the ASC Permanent Director, and the Student Congress Permanent Director serving ex-officio and four general members appointed by the President. The amendment also establishes clearer committee expectations, including who TAC complaints should be reported, who should be included in conferring, and examples of potential outcomes. (AI §6(2j)).

Amendment Language.

The following document outlines the amendment in two versions.

·        The first version (pages 2-12) is in markup⎼⎼showing the changes highlighted in red text, with stricken language being removed and underlined language being added to the document.

·        The second version (pages 13-20) is a “clean” version⎼⎼showing the document as amended with the changes incorporated in the document.

Public Comment Summary.

The commenters oppose the proposed restructuring of the Tournament Advisory Committee (TAC), citing concerns about consolidating power within the Board of Directors, limiting diverse viewpoints, and creating a perception of exclusivity that may discourage broader participation. They recommend expanding TAC roles to include individuals not already in leadership positions, retaining the requirement for members to host tournaments, and ensuring leaders have substantial hands-on experience in tournament management. They propose allowing the general membership to nominate and vote for TAC members to enhance transparency and inclusivity. Additionally, they call for more straightforward guidelines on sanctions, illustrative examples for policy clarity, and the inclusion of an option to reject amendments outright, ensuring balanced and comprehensive decision-making.

Additionally, the commenters criticized the by-laws amendment process adopted by the membership at Fall Conference and the timeline and medium of the membership notice for comments.

Neither commenter referenced other structural or committee changes in the amendment.

Full comments can be reviewed here: Responses to the ACTAA Member Comment Form for Nov. 3, 2024, Committee Restructure Changes to By-laws.

Board Decision.

After reviewing the comments submitted, the Board discussed the items, including those related to the appearance of power consolidation, the roles of the proposed ex-officio members (president, ASC director, and Student Congress director), qualifications to serve on TAC and the pragmatic role of TAC over the last several years. After much discussion, the Board approved 11-1 to ratify the amendment.

The amendment has been engrossed and published in the ACTAA Organizational Handbook, effective Jan. 5.

The Board of Directors meets every two months to receive updates from committees/ officers and discuss association matters. In addition to the discussion on committee restructure, a Lifetime member community, and a virtual summer camp, the following outlines updates from the Board’s January 5th Winter Meeting.

Print Ballots & Event Rules

The Board discussed the recent reports of inconsistencies in NSDA event rules and community practice with the event descriptions on the print ballots published on the website. Since the pandemic, transitioning away from paper ballots, and the 2022 restructure of the website, the paper ballots have not been updated or monitored. Inconsistencies include variations in time limits, use of chairs/ costumes, etc. Jessica Skordal, as chair of the Arkansas State Championship committee, volunteered the committee to review the ballots and recommend updates for Board approval at the March board meeting.

2025 Recommended Legislation

With the start of the legislative session this spring, the Advocacy & Public Engagement Committee (formerly Professional Standards Committee), working with the president, presented to the Board several draft resolutions to recommend for members of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly, 2025 Regular Session, to promote the association's strategic goals. The three documents included a resolution recognizing March as Arkansas Theatre Education Month, November as Arkansas Speech & Debate Month, and granting Arkansas Student Congress use of the housing chambers for the upcoming competition November 9-11, 2025. The Board approved the following draft legislation, and Zackery Tucker agreed to share the documents with Representative Brian S. Evans of Cabot, who recently was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.

College Intern

Executive Director Martene Campbell presented the idea of creating a college intern position to the Board. The concept would include providing experiential learning to a college student in a potential task like social media, soliciting donations, event support, etc. Although the Board did not vote to approve the concept, the discussion ended with a consensus for Campbell to draft a written proposal for the Board to consider at its next meeting or via email if ready beforehand.

Fall Conference

First Vice President Laure Harrison reported on progress for the Fall Conference 2025, which will be held August 28-30 at The Hotel Hot Springs. The theme was presented as: “Branching Out: Cultivating Voice, Stories, Connections.” Harrison presented a draft budget and schedule for review by members post-meeting for final discussion and approval at its March meeting.

Other items

In addition to the above, the Board discussed the committee restructuring amendment, the creation of a Lifetime member community, and endorsing a virtual summer camp proposal from the Student Advisory Board. More information about each item can be reviewed in the following links:

As we approach the close of another remarkable year, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your dedication, creativity, and passion, which make our organization truly special. Your unwavering commitment to advancing communication and theatre arts across Arkansas inspires and uplifts our students and the communities we serve.

The holidays mark a midway point in the academic year and a preferential time to reflect on our progress together. At the Summer Workshop in July, ACTAA Leadership released a draft strategic plan - "ACTAA in Action Planning Document" - designed to outline a series of initiatives and action items that prioritize and guide with work of the membership on how each discipline, each community and each member can contribute to achieving our vision of a “future where every student in Arkansas has the opportunity to be transformed through participation in communication, debate, and theatre arts." At the Fall Conference, the finalized draft was adopted. Since then, you and your fellow members have been hard at work. Making progress on living out the ACTAA in Action plan.

We have worked to increase our impact. The board approved a first of its kind sponsorship program, for members to help bring private support to the table and help fund ideas and initiative that you hope ACTAA to endeavor in that will invest in our members and student programs across the state. We have developed a launched the All-state Speech & Debate program which hopes to help members highlight the success of their individual students and programs with state-wide recognition that is relatable to other activities.  The board approved a process for Arkansas to nominate educators and students for the NFHS Heart of the Arts award, through creating our own Heart of ACTAA award. This award focusing on service and "sportsmanship" in the arts, is another great opportunity to highlight the commitment of individual students and programs with state - and potential national - recognition that is relatable to other activities.  Our Lifetime Members have been reengaged and are endeavoring to host social events to support each other with our community, with the potential for supporting some key initiatives in the future. We have invested in the leadership of our students through the Student Advisory Board, and I am excited to announce next month many of the initiatives they recommend we consider as a community.

We have expanded our voice and footprint of representation across the state. We have significantly increased our social media presence in ways that highlight the students at the focus of our work and serve. We launched Arkansas Speech & Debate Month, and continue to develop engagement to grow this opportunity to promote our disciplines and activities.

We have committed to the work of increasing our ability to adapt. The board has agreed to meet more regularly to be more responsive to the needs of our members, The membership has held the board accountable to this commitment through separating the Bylaws and Constitutions, hold the board responsible for its modernization. We created a new process for membership input on Bylaws changes that allows for more time for consideration and accountability of the board. We have continued to document practices in the ACTAA Organizational Handbook, to ensure continuity between leadership and volunteers. The membership demanded the creation of standardized tournament-shell, which the ASC committee has been working on - with plan for release for comments in January.

And, there is much more work to be done, together!

This holiday season, we have much to celebrate in ACTAA, as we accomplished a lot, and continue to collaborate on areas of growth to expand communication and theatre arts in our state. May your days be filled with warmth, laughter, and the company of loved ones, and may the new year ahead bring exciting opportunities for growth and success.

Thank you for being an essential part of our association. Together, we make a difference. Wishing you and yours a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

ACTAA is excited to announce its participation in Giving Tuesday, a global movement uniting over 35 million nonprofits to inspire generosity and drive positive change. Taking place on the Tuesday, December 3, following Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to support meaningful causes that strengthen communities.

ACTAA invites individuals and organizations to join this worldwide effort by contributing to our mission and helping us make a lasting impact. Contributions will help fund scholarships for students, professional development for teachers, and provide opportunities for Arkansas to highlight the talent of our students on stage and in the classroom.

ACTAA Leadership asks members to help amplify our Giving Tuesday campaign by sharing the campaign's social media posts throughout the next few weeks, leading up-to Giving Tuesday, December 3.

If you know of  individuals or organizations that would be interested in supporting communication and theatre education state-wide, please direct them to donate at: actaa.org/donate.

Organizations interested in making larger donations or underwriting ACTAA's activities, can review our sponsorship packet at: actaa.org/support.

The following advisory statements are shared to the Arkansas speech & debate community based on complaints and inquiries that were submitted to the Tournament Advisory Committee (TAC) Chair in the the months of September & October 2024.

Clipping Cards

“Clipping” occurs when the debater claims to have read the complete text of highlighted and/or underlined evidence when, in fact, the contestant skips or omits portions of evidence.

Complaints about "clipping" should be made in round to the judge, not held to addressed to the tournament director after the round. The current, NSDA High School Unified Manual (adopted by ACTAA membership for event rules on September 2014) states, "Judges are responsible for resolving disputes between debaters regarding oral citations (7.1.B.); written source citations (7.1.C.); distinguishing between what parts of each piece of evidence are and are not read in a particular round (7.1.G.). When the judge(s) have such a dispute in the round, they must make a written note on the ballot or inform the tabulation committee of the dispute. They must do so particularly if it impacts the decision in the debate. These decisions may not be appealed."

Novice Eligibility

Although coaches have discretion in what level of debate competition to enter their students in at an tournament (e.g., novice, junior varsity, varsity, etc.), coaches should evaluate the skill level and successful experience of a student and enter the student in the appropriate level competition.

The current Arkansas State Championship (ASC) Qualifying Tournament Guidelines (adopted by ACTAA membership for event rules in September 2024) states. “a “novice” debater is one who is in their first year of competition…who compete in one debate event for more than one year and then compete in a different debate event in the same or subsequent years should enter the APPROPRIATE level of competition for their experience level, competitiveness, and skill. It is the affirmative responsibility of coaches to make ethically sound decisions about competitor placement." (ACTAA Handbook, pg. 81)

Successful participation in multiple tournaments or advancing to out rounds in highly competitive fields (i.e., larger competition field, State Tournament, etc.), generally should be considered as appropriate experience, competitiveness, and skill level to be considered for varsity competition. As shared in the ASC Qualifying Tournament Guidelines, if coaches have questions about how to enter their students “coaches may seek guidance about how to place students from TAC, ASC Committee, or Qualifying Tournament Directors.” (ACTAA Handbook, pg. 82)

Finally, member are reminded that “coaches who wish to challenge a competitor’s placement should do so respectfully and discretely before competition begins to the tournament director and the chair of the TAC committee.” (ACTAA Handbook, pg. 82)

Communication during Tournament 

With often 100+ student entries in 20+ events and 30+ judges & coaches at a given tournament, changes in schedules, room assignments, judge assignments, break thresholds are inevitable. Participants, judges, and coaches should proactively recognize changes will happen, and be understanding of tournament administration when they do occur.

In turn, tournament directors and tabroom staff, should ensure changes of expectations (i.e., postings, invitation, previous communication, etc.) are clearly communicated in a medium that can be equitably received by all parties impacted by the change. 

Sending a person to a room to communicate the same message to all parties and/or a group text message directly to the coaches of the students/ judges impacted, are best practices to ensure the change is communicated quickly and equitably to all parties. 

With this in light, it is recommended tournament directors collect coaches' cell phone numbers and ensure said numbers are added to the phones of all tabulation staff ahead of the tournament. Having number pre-programed in phone before the tournament, would allow for ease of messaging updates during the busyness of a tournament. 

Tournament Decorum & Student Behavior

As coaches, your leadership plays a vital role in setting the tone for students' behavior and decorum at tournaments. Encourage your students to exemplify professionalism, respect, and sportsmanship, both during and outside their rounds. Remind students that tournaments are not only a platform for intellectual growth but also an opportunity to build positive relationships with peers and adjudicators. Behavior such as interrupting, disparaging remarks, disrespecting adult-tournament staff, or any form of misconduct reflects poorly on both the individual and their team, and should be actively discouraged.

Additionally, ensure students are aware of tournament rules and expectations, emphasizing punctuality, preparedness, and adherence to guidelines. All participants of speech & debate tournaments in Arkansas, should be reminded frequently of ACTAA's Professional & Ethical Standards of Conduct and the collective expectation of civility, ethical behavior, inclusion, and respect. (ACTAA Handbook, pg. 68)

Addressing any concerns or issues with feudality, reinforcing the importance of accountability and mutual respect, should foster a culture of integrity and decorum. As adult-educators we should collectively uphold and actively coach these high standards that make speech & debate a meaningful and enriching experience for all participants.

The following postings have been shared with ACTAA or recommended by Google Alerts. Please check the referenced school district's website for the most up-to-date and accurate information.

Middle School Drama Teacher

The Texarkana Arkansas School District is seeking a Middle School Drama Teacher for the Arkansas Middle School. Apply at: https://tasd7.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=1397

The National Federation of State High School Associations' (NFHS) Performing Arts Division is seeking to survey all K-12 Speech, Debate, and Theatre coaches and educators in an effort to develop resources to recruit the next generation of teachers in our fields. 

Please take time to complete the appropriate surveys provided to ACTAA Leadership by the NFHS Performing Arts Directors. 

• Speech and Debate Coach Satisfaction Survey

• Theatre Educator Satisfaction Survey

At its November meeting, the Board of Directors approved to amend Articles I and II of the ACTAA Bylaws to modernize committee structure as a strategy of the ACTAA in Action strategic plan approved at Fall Conference. 

Amendment Details.

This amendment removes the unnecessary references of “permanent” in committee name types (AI §1), adds language to clarify better the difference between standing and special committees (AI §7(1)), reorganizes committees in the document to better align with their appropriate committee type (AI §6(2a-j) & §7(2a-f)), moves liaison positions from Article I, [Committees] §7(2) to Article II, [Officers] (AII §7-10), and other non-substantive changes for clarification (AI §2, §5, §6(2), §6(2c), §7(2), & §7(2E).

Additionally, the amendment renames the Professional Standards Committee to the Advocacy and Public Engagement Committee (AI §6(2a)), the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to the Belonging and Inclusion Advocacy (BIA) Committee (AI §6(2d)), and the Recruitment and Mentoring Committee to the New Member Support Committee (AI §6(2g)). The purpose and function of these committees will not change.

The amendment adds a reference to the ACTAA Professional & Ethical Standards of Conduct in the purpose of the Ethical Practices Committee. (AI §6(2e))

Finally, the amendment restructures the Tournament Advisory Committee (TAC) to be a defined seven members, including the President, the ASC Permanent Director, and the Student Congress Permanent Director serving ex-officio and four general members appointed by the President. The amendment also establishes clearer committee expectations, including who TAC complaints should be reported, who should be included in conferring, and examples of potential outcomes. (AI §6(2j))

Amendment Language.

The following document outlines the amendment in two versions.

• The first version (pages 2-12) is in markup⎼⎼showing the changes highlighted in red text, with stricken language being removed and underlined language being added to the document.
• The second version (pages 13-20) is a “clean” version⎼⎼showing the document as amended with the changes incorporated in the document.

Membership Comment Period.

In compliance with ACTAA By-laws, Article VII, section 2, before the amendment can be ratified and engrossed, the Board approved amendment will be published via email to the membership for a thirty (30) day period for members to submit comments on the amendment. 

Members can submit comments using the following form:  https://forms.gle/PwSf6oukTBMeCCGu9

If the amendment receives no comments from the membership after the thirty (30) day comment period, the amendment will be ratified effective December 18. If the amendment receives any comments for proposed changes during the thirty (30) day comment period, the Board of Directors shall review the comments at its January 5 meeting, where the Board will: "(1) approve the amendment with recommended changes; or (2) approve the amendment “as is,” with no changes, by two-thirds vote."

At its October 21 meeting, the  National Federation of State High School Associations' (NFHS) Speech, Debate & Theatre Advisory Committee adopted the following items as Points of Emphasis for the 2024-25 academic year.

Implicit Bias

Every person is influenced by implicit biases, which can affect our interactions with others. It is the right of every student to compete free from discrimination. It is, therefore, also the responsibility of every coach, judge and peer to acknowledge and resist their own biases. Participating in pre-tournament training can help everyone consider their own assumptions about others and make the choice to abandon them prior to competition. Students should be judged solely on their competitive merit. https://nfhslearn.com/courses/implicit-bias

Artificial Intelligence

AI has become an invaluable tool in professional and educational spaces to make certain tasks more efficient. At their best, these tools should be used to grow student skillsets (i.e., research, brainstorming and practice). The expectation is that AI may assist in, but not replace, a student’s work. It can help students learn and understand information and apply that knowledge to their original work.

Access

Speech, debate and theatre are powerful activities that have the potential to impact and transform lives. Every student has the right to access these programs, and a lack of resources should never be a hindrance to participation. Coaches and directors should work to provide equal access to ​​electronic resources, supplies, attire, etc. and reasonably provide accommodation for those members of our community who lack access. The focus of the performing arts competition should be on commending and improving the student’s content instead of shutting down points of view or being critical of that which is outside of the student’s control.

Support

Speech, debate and theatre are a community. Though students may perform on the stage alone, they do so with a team cheering them on, coaches guiding them, and parents encouraging them all the way through. That community is our most vital resource and should be available for individual members to lean on. Coaches are encouraged to aid their colleagues and competitors; students are encouraged to build personal connections beyond the boundaries of their team; and parents shall remember that every child deserves the dignity of a respectful community.