IA Code, Rules & Legal Info. Legal Lessons Athletic Eligibility | Athletic Eligibility |
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Athletic Eligibility Rules
The language of the new "scholarship" rule, as adopted by the State Board on March 2, is (new language is in italics):
36.15(2) Scholarship rules. ... a. All contestants must be enrolled and in good standing in a school that is a member or associate member in good standing of the organization sponsoring the event.
b. All contestants must be under 20 years of age.
c. All contestants shall be enrolled students of the school in good standing. They shall receive credit in at least four subjects, each of one period or "hour" or the equivalent thereof, at all time. To qualify under this rule, a "subject" must meet the requirements of 281-Chapter 12. Coursework taken from a postsecondary institution and for which a school district or accredited nonpublic school grants academic credit toward high school graduation shall be used in determining eligibility. No student shall be denied eligibility if the student's school program deviates from the traditional two-semester school year.
d. A student with a disability who has an individualized education program shall not be denied eligibility on the basis of scholarship if the student is making adequate progress, as determined by school officials, towards the goals and objectives on the student’s individualized education program.
e. A student who meets all other qualifications may be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics for a maximum of eight consecutive semesters upon entering the ninth grade for the first time. However, a student who engages in athletics during the summer following eighth grade is also eligible to compete during the summer following twelfth grade. Extenuating circumstances such as health, may be the basis for an appeal to the executive board which may extend the eligibility of a student when the executive board finds that the interest of the student and interscholastic athletics will be benefited.
f. All member schools shall provide appropriate interventions and necessary academic support for students who fail, and shall report to the department regarding those interventions on the comprehensive school improvement plan.
g. A student is academically eligible upon entering the ninth grade.
h. A student is not eligible to participate in an interscholastic sport if the student has, in that same sport, participated in a contest with or against, or trained with, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), or other collegiate governing organization's sanctioned team. A student may not participate with or against high school graduates if the graduates represent a collegiate institution or if the event is sanctioned or sponsored by a collegiate institution. Nothing in this subrule shall preclude a student from participating in a one-time tryout with or against members of a college team with permission from the member school's administration and the respective collegiate institution's athletic administration. [This is NOT a substantive change; it clarifies the "college squad" rule].
i. No student shall be eligible to participate in any given interscholastic athletic sport if the student has engaged in that sport professionally.
j. The local superintendent of schools, with the approval of the local board of education, may give permission to a dropout student to participate in athletics upon return to school if the student is otherwise eligible under these rules.
k. Remediation of a failing grade by way of summer school or other means shall not affect the student's ineligibility. All failing grades shall be reported to any school to which the student transfers
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitions
What is passing? There is no statewide definition of passing; this is a locally controlled decision. In the absence of a local rule to address this, passing means any grade that is other than "F."
If a school has an option whereby students may take a course "pass or no pass," a grade of "no pass" is a failing grade.
How about Incompletes? Withdrawals? Again, this is left to local control. But, LOCAL CONTROL means taking affirmative action to clarify for students just what an "I" or "W" means. In the absence of a local rule to address this, an "I" or "W" will be considered failure.
May an Incomplete be changed to a passing grade? Depends on local policy. If a school has a policy that an "I" is failure, the "I" may not be changed to a passing grade for purposes of avoiding ineligibility.
What is a grading period? A "grading period" is the period of time at the end of which a student receives a final grade and course credit is awarded for passing grades. Each school determines its own grading periods.
What is a final grade? A final grade is that grade that goes on the student's transcript. If a school offers block scheduling, a final grade might occur at the end of nine weeks if the grade is recorded on the student's transcript. A final grade is NOT the grade on the progress report that goes to students and their families.
What is credit coursework or a credit subject? If the student's transcript includes a letter grade (other than "F," "I," or "W") for the subject or course, this is credit coursework. The most typical example of non-credit coursework is Driver Education. It is a local decision (to be made about the course as a whole, and not to be made on an individual student basis) whether a certain subject or course is one for which credit is awarded.
Why is a definition of "compete" now included in the rules? There have been instances where member and associate member schools inadvertently played ineligible students, forcing the executive board to determine an appropriate penalty to impose against the school. For instance, in one case, a transfer student (ineligible for 90 consecutive school days from varsity competition) played J.V. football and practiced with the varsity as a member of the scout team. No problem so far. Unfortunately, he was allowed to dress in full pads and uniform and to be on the sidelines with the rest of the varsity team on game nights. During one game, his team had enough of a lead that the coach yelled "scout team go in." You guessed it; the ineligible player ran in with the rest of the scout team and played a couple of downs before the error was caught. Adding a definition of "compete" and including dressing in full uniform and taking part in pre-game warm-ups is meant to assist member and associate member schools to know what is and is not acceptable.
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 14 July 2008 ) |
April 2008 Guidance on Scholarship Rule