Williamsburg sought membership in the EIHC. They have sought membership since 1996 and have been denied on each occasion. Williamsburg's enrollment was significantly larger (44%) than the next largest school and over two times larger than the smallest school in the South Iowa Cedar League (SICL), which they had joined in 1960.

In 1998, Williamsburg reinstated its request for admission to the EIHC by letter and asked to appear at an EIHC conference meeting. Both requests were denied. Williamsburg was an independent at the end of the year 2000 softball/baseball season. On February 19, 1999, Williamsburg received notification of rejection on admission.

With its then current enrollment of 238, Williamsburg would have been the fifth largest 9-11 enrollment in the EIHC. In terms of distance, the farthest school from Williamsburg is 66 miles, along Interstate 80. Most of the traveling to Williamsburg would be along Interestate 80 or Highway 380. From the evidence at the hearing, the EIHC members shared 3 objections to the admission of Williamsburg. 1)It was not an "independent" at the time it filed a complaint with the Department of Education. Williamsburg had voluntarily withdrawn from the SILC by Board action on December 17, 1998, and cannot use 281-37 provisions to seek membership in a different conference. 2)It was felt that Williamsburg was seeking more opportunities for its 7th, 8th, and 9th grade teams in various sports. 3) EIHC believed that maintainings its 10-team structure provided the best and most stable activity programs for the students.

Williamsburg responded: A school or school district that believes it has been unfairly excluded or prevented from obtaining membership in an athletic conference that would provide the opportunity for participation of its students in athletic events or contests with students from other schools or school districts of comparable size and within reasonable geographic proximity may file a complaint stating this concern with the director of the department of education. The plain language of the regulation does not restrict its applicability to so-called independent schools. The regulation clearly applies to any school or district that has been "unfairly excluded or prevented from obtaining membership in a conference that would provide the opportunity for participation of its students in athletic events or contests with students from schools of comparable size and within reasonable geographic proximity. Williamsburg didn't believe the desire of the EIHC to limit conference membership enrollment to 10 schools was a valid reason for rejection.

The confusion among members of the Mediation Team stems from a misunderstanding of the legal impact of certain language in In re Petition of Carroll Community School District, 9 DOE App. Dec. 251(1992). If the IHSAA and IGHSAU want to limit chapter 37 mediation to "independents" such a rule must be proposed. The evidence presented at the hearing, as well as documents presented for consideration by the Mediation Team, support the recommendation that EIHC provided Williamsburg with a conference that would provide the opportunity for participation of its students.

That Williamsburg be allowed membership into the EIHC as petitioned.