Rugby style punt

Question
QUESTION: In high school football when does the punter lose his protection and become a runner while doing a rugby style punt

ANSWER: When the kicker is in the act of kicking he is a kicker; however, when he is running with the ball he is a runner.  NFHS Rule 9-4-5 gives the kicker protection only when he is a kicker.  So in your question if you assume the kicker is in a scrimmage kick formation  and he receives the snap - at that point he is a kicker with protection under 9-4-5.  Once he tucks the ball and begins to rune, he becomes a runner and loses the 9-4-5 protection.  when he stops to kick, he does not get the protection until in the act of kicking.  He will not get running into the kicker protection.  The punter in your play situation when he runs always has protection for personal fouls and unnecessary roughness fouls that any player would have.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: In our situation the defense was in the act of tackling the punter, the punter dropped the ball and pitched kicked it as being tackled the officials stated he had protection till he crosses the line of scrimmage?

Answer
Tom
As you describe your follow up play situation, it does not sound like a personal foul and to not allow the defense to tackle a running player with the ball who is not in an obvious scrimmage kick formation puts the defense at a disadvantage.  If in your play the Referee had reasoned that the punter was unnecessarily roughed or that it was a personal foul for hitting a defenseless player then it would sounds as though the Referee's judgement was at issue.  However you indicate the Referee reasoned it was a foul because "the kicker gets protection until he crosses the line of scrimmage - This is not the rule under NCAA rules.  It sounds as though the referee was weak in his understanding of the rule.  In the rugby style punt plays where the kicker has carried the ball outside the tackle box he gets no protection for roughing or running into, and only gets normal protection from unnecessary roughnesses or other personal fouls.  The line of scrimmage has nothing to do with the protection rule under NCAA rules.

Tom
Here is an officiating video link from th eNCAA and CFO to help explain the rule.  I hope it gives you some guidence.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/ncaa/web_video/football/2009FootballRules.html