CIF Section Governance

2026-27 CIF Constitution and Bylaws

Note: For information on CIF Section bylaws, please contact each Section directly. CIF Section bylaws can vary from the state bylaws.

The CIF is a Grass Roots Organization - Schools to Leagues to Sections to Federated Council

The CIF is a bottom up organization and its functions are designed to ensure that new rules only come into being after having been examined and voted upon by CIF representatives throughout the state of California. Each CIF member school is assigned to a local league. The school is represented at the league level by the person designated by the governing board to do so. At the league level, the designees enact a league constitution and bylaws, elect league officers and select from among themselves a league representative to the section governing board. The section governing board is usually referred to as the Board of Managers, but there are some section governing boards which have a different name. The section governing boards, in turn, enact their own constitutions and bylaws, their own officers, and establish section policies and rules which, along with league policies and rules, may be stricter than but may not conflict with, CIF rules. Section governing boards select from their membership their representatives to the CIF Federated Council.

The Federated Council Meets Three Times per Year -- Only the Federated Council can Enact or Amend State Rules

It is the CIF Federated Council which enacts CIF rules. Those rules are contained in a State CIF Constitution and Bylaws. In addition to the section representatives, the Federated Council also consists of a superintendents' representative, delegates from the California Coaches Association, California State Athletic Directors Association, the California School Boards Association, the State Department of Education, and the California Association of Private School organizations.

Schools, Leagues and Sections--more than One Thousand Educators and Designees--approve State Rules Before They Are Enacted by the Federated Council

Here's how it works...

(1) a rule change or addition is proposed at a Federated Council meeting as a first reading

(2) the rule change is then referred to sections which, in turn, refer it to their leagues for review and vote

(3) the leagues vote on the proposal and instruct their representatives to the Federated Council how to vote

(4) The league representatives meet as a section governing body and instruct their representatives to the Federated Council how to vote

(5) the matter is agenized for the next Federated Council meeting and, at that time, is voted upon by the section representatives

Handling the matter from the bottom up, as described above, ensures the broadest possible participation by the educators and designee's of the governing boards throughout the state. Every school principal/designee knows of prospective actions by the CIF. The system is designed to permit the superintendents to agendize CIF matters for their Superintendent Cabinet meetings and to use the information imparted there to keep the boards informed of ongoing CIF issues.