Fallbrook High School in Southern California is apparently looking at ways to jeopardize the boys rugby program.

Fallbrook plays in the Southern California Varsity Red competition, a conference that includes only single-school teams from the San Diego area. The idea was to emulate a California Interscholastic Federation-sanctioned district, following academic and eligibility rules within the CIF, the organization that oversees varsity high school sports in the region.

Fallbrook then retains most of its players to move on into the club season in SoCal. Most single-school teams send their players to a club that merges players from more than one team; Fallbrook doesn’t do that.

As a result of the two seasons, Fallbrook Rugby, a 501(c)3 organization, works with an in-school ASB (Associated Student Body) club. That club does not have to pay for field usage during the Varsity Red season. When Fallbrook Rugby starts playing HS club rugby, then the organization does pay a fee for field usage.

This fall, Fallbrook Unified High School District (FUHSD) Assistant Superintendent, Jose Iniguez has made it clear that things are likely to change. Among the changes - the school will not issue a letter listing the rugby players in good academic standing with the school to Rugby SoCal, thus ensuring eligibility to play in the Varsity Red Division.

The school is looking to charge Fallbrook Rugby for field usage through both seasons, may not issue varsity letters, and will disband the Boys Rugby ASB club.

The reasoning, from Iniguez (who was invited to speak to Goff Rugby Report but did not answer our request), is (according to sources) based on the fact that rugby is not a CIF varsity sport, and therefore Fallbrook, despite having robust insurance coverage, was open to liability, and rugby was too high-risk a sport to support. In addition, Iniguez told Fallbrook Rugby Preisdent Marc Brakebill that school by-laws prevent an association with an off-campus non-profit. Brakebill says he has found no such regulation. 

A large group of Fallbrook Rugby supporters, led by club president Marc Brakebill are protesting the move, and are meeting with the School Board on Monday. Among their contentions - the banning of a club based on liability flies in the face of the fact that Fallbrook will retain ASB clubs for girls rugby, cheerleading, and equestrian. Cheerleading and equestrian are dangerous sports in their own right, with risk of catastrophic injury.

In addition, the removal of support for the club did not go through the proper due process.

The club has some ways around these obstacles. Among them, each student’s parent has the right to request a printed transcript from the school. Fallbrook High School may find that printing one letter with a list of 40 names is a lot easier than printing and mailing 40 separate transcripts.

In addition, ASB clubs don’t discriminate based on gender, so the Girls Rugby ASB club could certainly accept male members.

Brakebill has also proposed some changed to the relationship between Fallbrook Rugby and Fallbrook High School to remove the school’s liability. These changes were apparently agreed to in writing earlier in the year, but the club remains in jeopardy.

Is this merely a power play from football, given that Fallbrook Rugby has been enormously successful these past few years? That isn’t clear. But it does seem that rugby - a sport football has been looking to in order become more safe - is getting targeted at a school where it should be celebrated.

It is also clear that Mr. Iniguez (jiniguez@fuhsd.net), by ignoring press requests to comment, doesn't want his decision-making to be brought under any scrutiny.

The Fallbrook Rugby program will attend the FUHSD Board meeting on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015 at 6:30 pm at Fallbrook High School.