Byrd, Southwood Fined, Huntington High School Is off the Hook

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has reversed course and changed the penalties against three local high schools.

Byrd and Southwood will now have to pay $1,000 fines for rules violations, but all teams are now eligible for the postseason. Huntington will face no penalty.

The LHSAA handed down a more lenient sentence after hearing from Caddo Parish school leaders during an appeal hearing.

Byrd, Southwood, and Huntington were issued sanctions this past Friday by the LHSAA finding those schools in violation of the prohibition of multiple athletic practices. The LHSAA handbook states that any school in violation of that rule will immediately be ruled ineligible for the playoffs.

Caddo Parish Public Schools released the following statement:

Caddo Parish Public Schools appreciates the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and its Executive Committee for agreeing to listen to the district’s appeal on Wednesday and for amending its ruling in a manner which limits its impact on students. The district looks forward to its continued collaboration with the LHSAA and is grateful to its staff members in working alongside Caddo Schools to ensure all schools maintain the highest level of integrity in play.

Byrd Principal Jerry Badgley tells KEEL News "in our case, what the actual ruling is is that the punishment did not fit the rule infraction." Badgley and the other principals took responsibility, "all three of us took responsibility for the issues that we had. That's the only way this could go. This is certainly not a student's issue."

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