Overview

Overview

• The failure of school personnel, parents or a student-athlete to be aware of a rule is not sufficient cause to set aside the application of the rule.

• Only student-athletes in grades 7-12 may participate in interscholastic competition (State Board of Education/CMS Regulation)

• Student-athletes must be legally enrolled in a CMS school. (Students in private schools, charter schools and/or who are home schooled are not eligible to participate in athletics at a CMS school.)

• A student shall not participate in interscholastic athletics if convicted of a crime classified as a felony under North Carolina or federal law.

• Student-athletes must receive a medical examination each year (395 days) by a duly licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.

• Student-athletes and parents, legal custodians and/or legal guardians must attend a pre-season sport meeting at their school – in each sport season.

• Student-athletes and parents, legal custodians and/or legal guardians must accurately complete all required paperwork and forms in each sport season.

• Student-athletes and parents, legal custodians and/or legal guardians must accurately complete and sign the Student-Parent Honor Code.

• A student-athlete must be in attendance at school for at least one-half of the instructional day to practice or participate in a contest that day.

Specific to High School

• A student-athlete shall not participate if he/she becomes 19 years of age on or before August 31 of the said school year.

• A student has eight (8) consecutive semesters of possible athletic eligibility. The eight (8) semester clock begins with the student’s first entry into the ninth grade or participation on a high school team, whichever occurs first. For students who skip the ninth grade and advance directly to the 10th from the eighth, the year prior to entering the 10th grade is considered the first year of entry into ninth grade for athletics. The student must be promoted from the grade attended the previous year. The principal shall have evidence of the date of each player’s first entry into the ninth grade and monitor the eight (8) consecutive semesters.

• A student-athlete who is promoted from the eighth to the ninth grade automatically meets the academic requirements for the first semester of eligibility. (GPA, minimum load requirement)

• Grades (letter/numeric) received in summer school that are repeated from failed year courses may be substituted for 2nd semester grades when computing the athletic grade point average (GPA) and the NCHSAA minimum load of work eligibility requirement for fall semester.
  **Note: A Pass/Fail received in summer school that is repeated from a failed year course may only be substituted for 2nd semester grades when computing the NCHSAA minimum load of work eligibility requirement for fall semester. A Pass/Fail cannot impact the GPA calculation.

• Senior student-athletes not enrolled in a full load during a semester must meet minimum load requirements to be eligible to participate in the following semester. (A student-athlete must be enrolled in and pass the minimum load requirement from fall semester to be eligible to compete in a winter and/or spring sport.)

Specific to Middle School

• A student-athlete shall not participate if he/she becomes 15 years of age on or before August 31 of the said school year.
• A student has four (4) consecutive semesters of possible athletic eligibility. The four (4) semester clock begins with the student’s first entry into the seventh grade. The principal shall have evidence of the date of each player’s first entry into the seventh grade and monitor the four (4) consecutive semesters.
• From a residency standpoint, a middle school student (7th – 8th grade) is eligible to participate in athletics at the school where he/she is legally assigned.

• A student-athlete who is promoted from the sixth to the seventh grade automatically meets the academic requirements for the first semester of eligibility. (GPA, minimum load requirement)

Academic Requirements

• Must meet local promotion standards.

• Must have earned a 2.0 from the previous semester.

The 2.0 eligibility rule may be waived for EC students if (1) I.E.P. goals are being met; (2) satisfactory progress is being made in mainstreamed classes; (3) has the principal’s recommendation.

• Must have passed a minimum load of work during the previous semester.

For athletic eligibility purposes, a minimum load is defined as passing a minimum of three out of four on a 4 x 4 format (or six out of 8 courses in the A/B format) of block scheduling during the traditional school day. NOTE: Seniors who do not take a full load must still meet minimum load requirements for athletic eligibility.

• Must be in attendance at school for one-half of the instructional day to be eligible to practice or compete in a contest that day.

Residency Requirements

• The residence of the biological parent(s) is considered the address of record (home school) for a student in determining athletic eligibility. The home school is the school that serves the area where the student legally lives.

• A middle school student who is properly enrolled in a CMS middle school is eligible to participate at that middle school if they meet all other state and local eligibility requirements.

• The parent / legal custodian must present two (2) valid residency documentations to establish a home school. (for high school athletic eligibility)

• If the parents do not reside together, and in the absence of court ordered parental custody, where both parents agree on joint custody of the student, the parents must designate the parental address of record/residency for the student. Signed documentation (of the address of record) by both parents must be in the student’s athletic file.

• A court order is required to establish legal custodianship. A letter from a parent or attorney, even if notarized, does not confer custody or guardianship.

• A student who does not live with biological parent(s) or legal custodian because of serious hardship can apply, through Student Placement, for hardship caregiver status and request to live with another adult and enroll in the school that serves this address. Strict documentation of the family situation is required to determine hardship status. Hardship caregiver status must be renewed annually. NOTE: Students who live with a non-parent, non-custodial, non-guardian adult (student hardship status) meet the residential eligibility requirements for interscholastic athletics if they have been enrolled in a CMS school for the previous two (2) semesters.

• A student who resides with biological parent(s) who cannot produce a property deed or lease can apply for a Residency Affidavit at the school. (Landlord Shared Tenancies) Must be renewed annually.

• Student-athletes who do not attend their home school on the first day of school in the 9th grade establish a “sports school” at which they are eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics if they meet all other state and local eligibility requirements.

• Tuition paying student-athletes are not eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics in a CMS school.

Change of Residence and/or Change of School – Impact on Athletic Eligibility

• A student who physically moves and changes addresses during the school year can either remain at the current school to finish the school year or attend the school in their new home area. In either case, they are eligible to participate in athletics for the remainder of the year if they meet all other state and local eligibility requirements. The student will be assigned to their new home school for the following school year. (Exception: A student who moves to a new address after the beginning of their junior (11th grader) year, can remain as a senior (12th grader) and be eligible for athletic participation if they meet all other state and local eligibility requirements.)

• A transfer is defined as a student who does not move/change address, but requests and is granted a different school assignment. A transfer high school student-athlete must sit 365 days to become athletically eligible at the transfer school. (Exception: a student whose new school assignment is to his/her home school is immediately eligible to participate at their home school if they meet all state and local eligibility requirements.)

• A student who requests and is granted a transfer from a magnet program on one high school campus (not their home school campus) to the non-magnet program on the same high school campus must sit 365 days to become athletically eligible.

• A student is prohibited from playing the same sport at two schools during the same sport season, even if the second school is the student’s home school.

• NCHSAA regulations require a 365-day sit-out for students who transfer from a NCHSAA member high school in one LEA to a NCHSAA member high school in another LEA. (www.nchsaa.org)                                                                                    

Note

• See CMS board policies JJJ and JFACA, and regulation JFACA-R.

            March 2018