Iowa Department of Education

Summer School/Summer Sports

  20.  How is ineligibility imposed for students whose only sport is softball or baseball?

There is now no difference for students in softball or baseball.  The period of ineligibility is 30 calendar days, starting immediately upon release of the second semester (third trimester) report cards.  If the ineligibility was because of an earlier "F," the time starts with the first allowable date of competition for softball or baseball.

 
Example 1: Troy competes in baseball, but gets an "F" on his final report card for the year. The report card is issued on June 2. His ineligibility starts June 3^rd and ends July 2^nd, 30 calendar days later.

Example 2: Troy competes only in baseball.  He received an "F" on his first semester report card. His ineligibility starts on the first date on which a baseball contest is allowed to be scheduled and ends 30 calendar days later.  For the 2009 season, the first date on which a baseball contest is allowed is May 25.

Example 3: Troy competes only in baseball.  He received an "F" on his first semester report card. He also received an "F" on his second semester report card.  His ineligibility for the first semester "F" starts on the first legal playing date, May 25.  The second semester grades are issued June 2, so the period of ineligibility for this "F" starts June 3.  The two periods of ineligibility run concurrently with each other.  Troy does not have 60 days of ineligibility.  The days remaining from his first period of ineligibility run at the same time as his new 30 day period.  His total ineligibility ends July 2, 2009.

21.  May a student who received an "F" on his second semester report card re-take that class over the summer to change the grade?

Not for purposes of changing his eligibility. Students should always be encouraged to remediate subjects they did not master the first time around. If the school has a policy that it will change the student's grade on his transcript if this occurs, that does not change the fact that the student is ineligible under rule 36.15(2).  Also, note that schools are now required to report all original failing grades (even those remediated for purposes other than athletic eligibility) to any school to which the student transfers.  So, if a student's transcript does not reflect that an "F" was originally earned in a certain course (because the student remediated the grade to a passing mark), the school must still let the next secondary school know that the student originally failed the course.

22.  When is the ineligibility period for a student who participate in football and baseball and who does not pass all coursework at the end of first semester but passes all at the end of second semester?

   If the student goes out for baseball, this is the sport to which his ineligibility will apply.