I guess Rufus I should never work at a all-Black school against an non-Black school as I would give them another reason to say I was bias right? I say that accusation is made often where I live and where I live means nothing as all the folks who want to claim something, claim the racial mix of the crew had something to do with our calls. Or that you are not from the inner city. Or that you are not from the suburbs. Or you went to a private school and played in that conference with a team you might not have ever liked. Fans are irrational as well as coaches. I am not saying we should willingly do this all the time and should avoid these situations as much as possible. I would not work a game where a family member attends or works at any varsity level. But if it was a freshman game, I just might under the right circumstances.

My football crew chief will not work at a school where the head coach and he played D1 college football together. They are good friends and every time the coach sees my crew chief, he gives him a big hug because they know each other well. This happened once in a playoff game so he has decided to mark off that school anytime they are in the playoffs. That is why I say this is really a personal decision and based on the teams in your area and the dynamics. This cannot be applied across the board as where I started officiating there were not many schools to avoid. But where I live now, I might not see the same team 5 years apart under the right circumstances.

Peace

I actually have worked games that my daughter played in (middle school). The only issue that came up with this was the family getting upset cause I called her for travelling and a couple fouls. This of course was in the middle of nowhere in Montana where you didnt have to be a certified official for middle school.

I hear what you're saying, but it's a bit of a straw-man argument. The OP asked about relatives at the schools regardless of the level called. I would avoid calling for those schools is all I'm saying.

As to your other points I agree you can get nuts with the exclusions and why I limit school scratches to those that involve family members.

All I really am saying is "it depends." You cannot allow fans to dictate everything we do. If the assignor has a policy then I am OK with that. But if their kid is not playing on the team, then that is another consideration. And if none of this is varsity, I say who really cares.

Peace

I could see where this is a good idea, not to protect myself from the appearance of impropriety, but to protect my kids. If I worked a more visible sport such as basketball or football, I'd consider doing this just to keep my children from being put in the middle.

While I'm professional enough to keep my officiating decisions separate from the rest of my life, I can't guarantee that the coaches, teachers, and especially other students can do the same.

I don't give a rats a$$ about perception. People will perceive whatever the hell they want to. Facts and reality are all that I care about. If we don't care about what fans, coaches, the world think about our calls during a game. Why the heck do we all of a sudden start caring after the fact.

Just do your job. People will perceive and think whatever they want to. It's out of your control.

Excellent point.....one I've thought of in the past but was not currently on my mind.

You make a big call (correct or not) that causes your kid's school to lose. Other kids are going to know who ref is and who your child is. It only takes one knucklehead to cause your child trouble that they don't deserve. I wouldn't want my kid to be faced with that situation.

We've all heard that perception is reality. It's the reason we try not to appear overly buddy buddy with one coach over the other...cause the perception can come across as if you're favoring that coach if a tight call goes in his favor even if that had nothing to do with it. Perception does matter in this work of ours.

I think this whole issue comes down to what one is personally comfortable working and especially your assignor is comfortable with it.

I couldn't agree more.

From Our New Professional Standards Code Of Ethics ...
 

Officials recognize that anything which may lead to a conflict of interest either real or
apparent must be avoided. Gifts, favors, special treatment, privileges, employment or personal
relationship with a school or team which can compromise the perceived impartiality of officiating must be
avoided.