It's that time of year again where we are back to attending meetings. This e-mail is being sent to avoid any confusion with members on how meeting attendance credit is given, especially since remote attendance is now an option. This below should hopefully clarify things based on feedback and inquiries we have received.

ALL MEMBERS (MANDATORY INTERPRETATION MEETING ONLY):

• If you attended the clinic in Sayreville on Saturday, August 3rd and checked in successfully on RefSec while there, you DO NOT need to attend or watch the NJFOA North's Interpretation Meeting on Tuesday, August 15th.
   

IN PERSON ATTENDEES:

• When attending in person, you MUST use the RefSec App on your phone/device to check in for attendance credit.
• You and your phone/device MUST be on-site with internet service to check in - otherwise RefSec will not allow you to do so.
• You MUST check in to the meeting no later than fifteen minutes after it begins, otherwise you will be locked out and will not be able to get credit - because the app will think you are late to the meeting.
• If presented with a Checkout option on your phone/device - use it; otherwise if it does not show up, do not worry about it. You will still get credit if it does not show up.

ZOOM ATTENDEES:

• NJFOA North's attendance policy currently allows members who missed the live stream or did not attend in person to watch a recording of the meeting on Zoom for up to seven days after the meeting has concluded. You will still need to register to watch the recording after the meeting, if you did not originally register for attending the live stream.
• You will NEVER use RefSec to check in, because you are not on site. RefSec requires you to be on-site for the check-in function to work.
• Attendance credit is a manual reporting process between Zoom and RefSec done by both the Technology and Attendance Committees. Because of this, credits are given only AFTER the seven day recording expiration window for that meeting has expired. DO NOT E-MAIL US ASKING IF WE HAVE YOUR ATTENDANCE BEFORE THAT TIME HAS EXPIRED.
• You MUST use the same e-mail address as what RefSec has on file when registering to watch on Zoom to ensure you get the proper credit.
• Zoom reports for both Live and Recording attendees how long you have watched. It is solely the discretion of the Attendance Committee to approve or deny member credit if a member does not watch the meeting in its entirety.

Live Zoom registrants who signed in should receive an e-mail from Zoom one day after the meeting as a confirmation, thanking them for attending. Hold onto this e-mail as confirmation, just in case there are any discrepancies down the road.

Also - Live Zoom registrants who missed the meeting will also receive an e-mail from Zoom, but will have instructions on how to get information for watching the recorded meeting sent instead.

Hope this clears things up - and if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact me and/or Joe Re by e-mail, or by posting a comment onto this article thread.

Members:

This year's test is now available on our website to download, print and answer OFFLINE for review and studying purposes.

The test opens up online at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Website on Monday July 1, 2024, and must be completed and submitted by 11:59 PM on Monday, August 12, 2024.

In order to be certified for the coming season, all members must take and pass this test. The test must be passed with a minimum score of 80%, but each member is allowed two attempts to attain a passing grade. This test is offered ‘open book’ and members are encouraged to meet in groups/crews to discuss and complete the test.

In addition - as of July 1st, all concussion certificates for the 2023 season will no longer be valid; each member will need to go and recertify their concussion certificate and upload them to the NJFOA-North RefSec portal before the beginning of the season.

DO NOT TAKE THE CONCUSSION COURSE PRIOR TO JULY 1ST.

The link to the concussion course on NFHSLearn.com is here:

https://nfhslearn.com/courses/concussion-in-sports-2.

Registration and login is required on there before you are able to watch the videos and take the test for certification.

REPUBLISHED FROM REFEREE MAGAZINE - 4/9/2021

Putting fouls such as holding and pass interference into categories can help officials recognize and call them. Here are six depictions of defensive pass interference.

1. Playing Through the Back

A defender cannot come over a receiver’s back to try to play a pass. Be careful not to penalize a defender who actually gets around the side of the receiver to bat down or perhaps even intercept a pass. From the wrong vantage point, it can look like early contact from behind and the official can improperly penalize a good defensive play. Also, don’t throw the flag when the contact by the defender and the touching of the pass by the receiver occur so closely together in terms of timing that one needs a slow-motion replay to see which really occurred first.