Iowa Department of Education

Miscellaneous

 
35.  After the student has sat out her 30 calendar days of ineligibility is there a requirement that her grades be re-checked before she may compete?

No. Absent local policy to the contrary, students are immediately eligible again after serving their full period of ineligibility.

 
36.  What does it mean that a student "receive credit" in at least four subjects?

Example 1: Troy is enrolled in only four subjects. One is physical education and his school does not award credit for P.E. Troy is not eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics until he is enrolled in and receives credit for four subjects.

Example 2: Troy is enrolled in only four subjects. All are courses for which credit is given, but Troy must pass all to remain eligible.

 
37.  If a student audits a course (doesn't receive a grade), how is the student affected by the rule?

This student is only affected if s/he otherwise does not receive credit in four other courses.

Example: Carol audits brain surgery and is enrolled in four other subjects. She gets no credit for brain surgery. To maintain eligibility, she must pass the other four subjects.

38.  If a high school has a local policy that it will check grades every two weeks and impose five days' ineligibility for not passing all courses at any checkpoint, if a student still has an "F" on the report card may the five days be subtracted from the 30?

No. Local policy may only impose a more stringent rule. This would make the state rule less stringent.  Ideally, if a school checks grades often and provides appropriate interventions (and if the parents cooperate with the school), a student's exposure to failing at the end of a grading period should be greatly reduced.

39.  Does the scholarship rule just apply to varsity sports?

      It applies to students who compete at any level.

40.  Does the scholarship rule just apply to sports? What about speech, music, drill team, etc.?

The State Board of Education, which adopts all the rules in chapter 36, only has authority from the Iowa Legislature to adopt eligibility rules for students who compete in interscholastic athletics. (See Iowa Code section 280.13.) The IHSSA (speech - www.ihssa.org ) and IHSMA (music - www.ihsma.org  ) set their own rules.

Competitive dance, drill teams, cheer squads, etc., are not "sports" sanctioned by either the IHSAA or the IGHSAU; therefore, local policy alone dictates the eligibility requirements of participants in those activities.

 
41.  Could a local requirement that a student must have a 2.0 GPA override or supersede the state rule?

Under the old "pass 4" rule, a local school could have a more stringent rule that would supersede the state rule. A 2.0 GPA rule may not be more stringent in all cases, however. For instance, a 2.0 GPA could include 4 Bs and 1 F, which is not as stringent. But, 5 Ds is eligible under the state rule, but not under a 2.0 rule. Therefore, a local 2.0 requirement would have to work in combination with the state rule of "pass all." A student must meet the stricter of the two rules to be eligible.

 
42.  What does the effective date of July 1, 2008 mean?

The new "pass all" standard goes into effect after the first grading period of the 2008-09 school year.

  * * * *

For the 2007-08 school year, students are governed by the current state rule with its penalty of 20 school days (or 4 weeks for baseball/softball).

 
Example 1: Rick attends a school that issues final grades four times a year.  He receives an "F" as a final grade on March 14, 2008.  Rick is in track.  His period of ineligibility starts immediately (because the first day for allowable competition was February 16) and runs for 20 school days.[1]

 
* * * *

For students entering the 2008-09 school year who have not served a whole period of ineligibility from a failing grade issued during the 2007-08 school year, the period of ineligibility will be the new period of 30 calendar days.

Example 2:  Same as above (Rick gets an "F" as a final grade on March 14, 2008), except Rick's only sport is football.  His period of ineligibility is 30 calendar days, to commence on the first day on which football competition is allowed.  For the 2008 season, that date is August 28.

* * * *

For students entering the 2008-09 school year who have part of a period of ineligibility yet to serve, from a failing grade issued during the 2007-08 school year, the period of ineligibility will be the number of days remaining to be served as calendar days. 

Example 3:  Carol is a diver who attends a school that issues final grades four times a year.  She received a failing grade October 12, 2007, and served a period of ineligibility of 15 school days before swimming/diving season ended, leaving 5 school days to be served.  She does not participate in any other sport.  When swimming/diving season starts in the fall of 2008, Carol will serve 5 calendar days of ineligibility, commencing on September 2, the first allowable competition date for swimming/diving.   

43.  When does the ineligibility period of 30 calendar days start for a student who is not presently in a sport when the student receives an "F?"

The period of ineligibility starts with the first day on which competition is allowed, not the first day of practice and not the first date on which the student's team has a competition.

44.  When does the ineligibility period of 30 calendar days start for a student who is presently in a sport when the student receives an "F?"

The period of ineligibility begins with the first day of the next grading period.  (See Example 2 regarding baseball/softball.)  A school may choose to withhold the student from competition the day grades are issued or anytime before the first day of the next grading period, BUT this will not make the 30 calendar day ineligibility "clock" end early.

 
Example 1: Troy is a wrestler who does not pass all coursework at the end of first semester. Grades are issued January 10, a Friday.  There is no school on Monday, January 13;  second semester starts Tuesday, January 14.  Troy's period of ineligibility starts Tuesday, January 14, and ends at 12:01 a.m. on February 14, which is the 31^st calendar day.  If there is a wrestling meet Saturday, January 11, and Troy's school makes him ineligible for that meet, the period of ineligibility under the state rule still does not end until 12:01 a.m. on February 14.

 
Example 2:  Rick is a baseball player who does not pass all coursework at the end of second semester. Obviously, the next grading period is not until the fall.  Rick's period of ineligibility starts the day after grades are issued.  In Rick's case, the school made final report cards available June 2;  his period of ineligibility begins June 3.

45.  If a fall sport student does not pass all coursework in the first grading period of a school year, but does not compete in any sports the rest of that school year and all next school year - and passes all coursework in all other grading periods - will the student be ineligible in his or her fall sport two years (or more later)?

No. The guidance here is that a student who has a full academic year in which the student did not fail any coursework is eligible. The "look back" period is one full academic year only.

Example 1:  Rick, a cross-country runner who competes in nothing else, fails a course first semester. He passes all his courses second semester. If he goes out for cross country again the next year, he is ineligible for the first 30 consecutive calendar days of competition in cross country.

Example 2:  Rick, a cross-country runner who competes in nothing else, fails a course first semester. He passes all of his courses second semester. He does not go out for any sports the next year, and he continues to pass all of his courses. If he goes out for cross country after taking a year off from the sport, he is immediately eligible.

46.  Does the period of ineligibility include intrasquad scrimmages?

       No.  The period of ineligibility does not include an intrasquad scrimmage.

 Example:  Rick is a football player who does not pass all coursework at the end of second semester. The first day on which football competition is allowed is August 28. Rick's football team starts practice on August 11, has its "soap game" (intrasquad meet) on August 20, and has an interscholastic scrimmage with a neighboring school on August 31. Rick's period of ineligibility starts August 28. He may play in the soap game per the state rule (local policy could dictate otherwise).

 
47.  What is the penalty if a school allows an ineligible contestant to compete?

If a school permits or allows participation in any event by a person in violation of the eligibility rules, the penalties may include, but are not limited to, the following:  forfeiture of contests or events or both, involving any ineligible student(s); adjustment or relinquishment of conference/district/tournament standings; and return of team awards or individual awards or both.

48.  If a student's 30^th day is on Friday, may the student participate on Friday night?  What if the 30^th day is a Saturday and there is a competition that day?  That night?

Ineligibility under this rule terminates at 12:01 a.m. on the 31^st calendar day, whether that day is or is not a school day.   This interpretation is different from that given a transfer student who is sitting out 90 school days from varsity competition.  The transfer student is eligible at the conclusion of the afternoon of the 90^th school day because all transfer students are impacted equally.  The 90th day for transfer students is always a school day.  However, because the period of ineligibility under the "pass all" rule is measured in calendar days, for some students the 30^th day is a school day and others not, it is necessary to wait until the next (31^st) calendar day before the student is eligible.  Therefore, if the 30th day is a Friday, the student does NOT participate Friday night, but may participate the next day.  If the 30th day is a Saturday, the student does NOT participate at any time that Saturday, but may participate the next day.

49.  Appeals - what may be appealed and to whom?

Any ruling of ineligibility (except for good conduct rulings) made by the IHSAA or IGHSAU executive director may be appealed to the governing board of the IHSAA or IGHSAU.  This will be rare because many, if not most, rulings may be appealed to the student's local school board (and eventually to the State Board of Education per Iowa Code chapter 290).

Example 1:  Rick receives an "F" in physics, but is sure that the grade is a mistake.  He must appeal to his local school administrators and then to his local school board.  Local administrators and board have authority to change a grade under any of the following circumstances:

a.       The grade was the result and a clerical, mathematic, or mechanical mistake.

b.      The grade was the result of incompetence by the teacher.

c.       The grade was the result of bad faith on the part of the teacher.

d.      The grade was the result of fraud on the part of the teacher.

 Example 2:  Carol fails French I, the successful completion of which is a prerequisite to taking French II.  Her school allows her to enroll in French II, which she also fails.  Her claim that she should not have been enrolled in French II must start with the local school, which may allow her to withdraw with no adverse consequences (assuming she received credit for four courses) if the school officials or board finds that Carol indeed should not have been enrolled in French II.

Example 3:  Troy must sit out 30 calendar days in golf, but on day 15 he breaks his pitching wedge and his left ankle.  His golf season is over.  He goes out for cross country the next fall to strengthen the ankle and believes that he should not be ineligible for 15 calendar days for cross country because the broken ankle was outside of his control.  He is not disputing any action taken by any school official.  His appeal goes to the IHSAA for initial ruling, then to the IHSAA Board of Control, and finally to the Director of the Department of Education.

[1] Remember, indoor track means an early start date.  But there is nothing to prohibit a school with no indoor track season from having a local policy that starts the period of ineligibility on the first date of that school's outdoor season, as long as the ineligibility period runs for the full 30 calendar days.