Iowa Department of Education

9^TH Graders

1.  Is an incoming 9^th grader affected by the rule if s/he did not pass all credit coursework on his/her final 8^th grade report card?

Not under the state rule. Unless the local policy states otherwise, all incoming 9^th graders have immediate eligibility, at least under the scholarship rule.

  
2.  What is the result for a 9^th grader who did not play softball/baseball and does not pass all after the first grading period as a 9^th grader?

The student is ineligible for the first 30 calendar days of competition of the next sport (or current sport if in season) s/he competes in. This is the same result as for any other secondary student. 

3.  What is the result for a 9^th grader who played softball/baseball immediately after 8^th grade and does not pass all after the first grading period as a 9^th grader?

Again, this is now the same result as for any other secondary student.  The student is ineligible for the next 30 calendar days of competition of the next sport (or current sport if in season) s/he competes in. If the student is participating in basketball at the time, s/he sits out the first 30 calendar days of basketball. If the student is not in basketball, but goes out for track, the 30 days applies to track. If the student competes solely in softball or baseball, that is the season affected, and the period of ineligibility is 30 calendar days.

4.  If a 9^th grader does not go out for any sports and does not pass all at the end of a final grading period during the student's freshman year, what is the period of ineligibility if that student wants to go out for one or more sports sophomore year?  Junior or senior year?

The student is ineligible for the first 30 calendar days of the first sport s/he goes out for in the student's sophomore year.  If the student passes all during sophomore year, and does not compete in any athletics until the student's junior or senior year, the student may participate with no period of ineligibility (unless local rule provides some ineligibility).  This is because the student will have satisfied the one full year "look back" period of time (having a full academic year of all passing grades during which time the student does not compete in any interscholastic athletics).