Eligibility Infomation

The following eligibility information has been extracted from the current GHSA Constitution and By-Laws. Please refer to the Constitution and By-Laws for additional information.

ELIGIBILITY FORMS

Eligibility Report Instructions
Form A
Form B
Form C
Hardship Application
Hardship Application - Response From Sending School
Foreign Exchange Programs – Approved List

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ELIGIBILITY RULES

BY-LAW 1.00 - STUDENT

1.10 - CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY

1.11	Students gain eligibility to practice or compete for the school in which they are enrolled after they have been certified by the principal of that school, after the eligibility forms have been processed by the GHSA office, and after the students have met the standards of: academic requirements age semesters in high school residence in the school's service area transfer rules Note: Students establishing eligibility as entering 9th graders are automatically eligible for the first semester.
1.12	The certification of eligibility shall be submitted initially in each sport or activity no later than twenty (20) days before the date set by the GHSA for the first contest in that sport or activity. This due date does not consider the date of the first contest scheduled. EXCEPTION: Literary, One-Act Play, Debate, and Riflery certification is due twenty (20) days prior to the first scheduled contest.
1.13	If a student ruled ineligible by the GHSA, competes interscholastically due to the terms of a court restraining order or injunction against his/her school and/or the GHSA, and then has the court order vacated, stayed, reversed, or ruled unjustified; the Executive Director shall take one or more of the following actions against the school involved in the interest of restitution and fairness to the competing school(s): Require that individual and/or team records and performances achieved during participation by the ineligible student be vacated or stricken. Require that team victories be forfeited to the opponent(s). Require that team awards earned by the school or individual awards earned by the ineligible student be returned to the GHSA.

1.20 - ENROLLMENT AND TEAM MEMBERSHIP

1.21

To be eligible to participate and/or try-out for a sport or activity, a student must be enrolled full time in grades 9-12 inclusive at the school seeking eligibility for that student. Enrollment is defined as follows: Fall Semester: when the student participates in a practice or contest before classes begin, or the student attends classes. Spring Semester: when the student attends classes. A student may be enrolled in only one (1) high school at a time. The student must be in regular attendance. The student must be taking courses that total at least 2.5 Carnegie Units that count toward graduation. NOTE: If an eligible student transfers from a school that uses a block-schedule format to a school using a traditional format (or vice versa) and that student cannot get a full schedule of classes with equivalent credit, the school may petition the Executive Director for a waiver of this rule for the semester the transfer occurs. All or part of the course load of a student may be taken online through a virtual school as long as the student’s grades are being kept at the school in which the student in enrolled. Grades from virtual school courses must be on file at the school by the first day of the new semester in order for the student to be eligible.

1.22

Students enrolled in grade 9 in a middle or junior high school which is a feeder school to the high school may participate in interscholastic activities for the parent school.

1.30 - AGE

To be eligible to participate in interscholastic activities, a student must not have reached his 19th birthday prior to May 1st, preceding his year of participation.

1.40 - LIMITS OF PARTICIPATION

1.41	Students must have a certificate of an annual physical examination on file at the school prior to participating in any athletic try-outs, practices or games that indicate the students are physically approved for participation. Physical examinations will be good for twelve (12) months from the date of the exam. EXCEPTION: Any physical examination taken on or after April 1 in the preceding year will be accepted for the following GHSA school year. The physical exam must be conducted by a licensed medical physician, doctor of Osteopathic medicine, nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant. The exam must be signed by an M.D. or D.O., but the doctor's stamp is acceptable if it is in script, and if information appears elsewhere on the form identifying him/her as a medical doctor. The GHSA requires that member schools use the latest edition of the preparticipation physical evaluation form approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, et. al., found on the GHSA web site.
1.42	A student has eight (8) consecutive semesters or four (4) consecutive years of eligibility from the date of entry into the ninth grade to be eligible for interscholastic competition. A student is not considered to have entered the 9th grade when a 9th grade course is taken if: the student is regularly enrolled in a member’s feeder school in a grade below the ninth, AND the course is taken as an advanced course, AND the principal of the school attended by the student certifies to the GHSA that the subject and course(s) meet the criteria set forth above. Credits earned toward high school graduation which are taken below the ninth grade may be used when considering high school eligibility.
1.43	Sub-varsity competitors must meet all eligibility requirements with the exception of the migratory rule.
1.44	Students in grade 9 and higher may participate on both the varsity and sub-varsity teams in the same sport with the following limitations: Football – a player may not participate in interscholastic competition more than six (6) quarters per week. The week starts with the varsity game. Violations of this participation rule will result in a mandatory fine and an automatic forfeiture of the game in which the student exceeded the limit. Additional penalties may be imposed by the Executive Director in extreme circumstances. Basketball – a player may not participate in interscholastic competition more than five (5) quarters per calendar day. EXCEPTION: Subvarsity teams are allowed to play two (2) full games at the same level in tournaments on non-school days with at least a four-hour interval between games. Soccer – a player may not participate in interscholastic competition more than three (3) halves per calendar day. All other sports - the combination of games, playdays, or weigh-ins (varsity and sub-varsity) in which the student participates may not be greater than the limit allotted to the varsity in that sport.
1.45	Eighth grade students may participate on a sub-varsity team of a high school provided they attend a feeder school of that high school. Students in grade 8 are never eligible for a varsity event in any activity. Eighth grade students who play on a high school team must meet all middle school requirements as put forth by the State Department of Education. An eighth grade student who is declared ineligible at a middle school or retained for academic reasons, is considered to be ineligible for participation on a sub-varsity high school team. Eighth grade students participating on a sub-varsity team may only participate in 60% of the number of games allotted to the varsity team in that sport. Students below the eighth grade are not eligible to participate on any high school team. Students enrolled in grade 8 in a middle school or junior high school which is a feeder school to the member high school may participate in Spring football practice. These students must be pre-enrolled at that member high school, and once pre-enrolled, the student has established eligibility at that high school. Students enrolled in grade 8 in a middle school or junior high school which is a feeder school to the member high school may try out for cheerleader at the high school. Eighth grade students at a non-feeder school that has no system high school may participate in cheerleader tryouts at the member high school serving the student’s area of residence. Such a student must be pre-enrolled at that member high school, and once pre-enrolled, the student has established eligibility at that high school.
1.46	The number of contests, starting and ending dates, and the number of practice days allowed for each sport or activity can be found listed in a calendar at the front of this publication.
1.47	Girls may participate on boys’ teams when there is no girls’ team offered in that sport by the school. Boys are not allowed to play on girls’ teams even when there is no corresponding boys' sport. NOTE: Cheerleading is a co-ed sport.
1.48	Advisory Notice - Pregnant Students: In response to the increasing number of pregnant students attending member schools, and the continued participation of these students in GHSA activities, the following advisory notice is being offered: During the first 18 weeks of pregnancy, students, with written consent from a physician, may be allowed to participate in athletic activities except those activities in which a fall or other rapid deceleration is likely to occur. Pregnant students should not be allowed to participate in any athletic activities after the 18th week of pregnancy.
1.49	Schools having students participate in athletic activities with artificial limbs must certify that the artificial limb is no more dangerous to participants than a natural limb. A permission form must be filed with the GHSA office. The form may be found in the Miscellaneous section on the GHSA web site.

1.50 - SCHOLASTIC STANDING / SCHOLARSHIP

1.51	To be eligible to participate, practice, and/or try out in interscholastic activities, a student must be academically eligible. A student is required to pass classes that carry at least 2.5 Carnegie Units counting toward graduation the semester immediately preceding participation. Exception: First semester ninth grade students. Passing in all GHSA member schools is a grade of seventy (70). If a student is taking a multiple-period subject such as a vocational course for a full morning or afternoon it may be counted for more than one subject. The number of subjects counted will be equivalent to the number of units given. Students participating in junior varsity or “B” team competition must meet all scholastic requirements. If an eligible student transfers from a school that uses a block-schedule format to a school using a traditional format (or vice versa) and that student cannot get a full schedule of classes with equivalent credit in the semester of the transfer, the school may petition the Executive Director for a waiver of this rule for the first semester after the transfer occurs. For schools offering courses with yearlong grading, eligibility must be computed for each semester. At the end of the first semester, the school must determine that the student has a grade of 70% or higher in classes carrying at least 2.5 Carnegie Units. The second semester grade will be the grade given for the entire course and shall include the endof-course test grade. Remediation programs designed to bring the student’s first semester grade up to 70% or higher may be used (in accordance with GHSA guidelines) if the school allows such programs for all students.
1.52	Students gain or lose eligibility on the first day of the subsequent semester. The first day of the Fall semester shall be interpreted as the first date of practice for the first sport. Exception: Students who successfully complete summer school to maintain eligibility become eligible the last day of summer school. Summer school is an extension of the previous semester and courses may be: remedial in nature where a previously-taken course is repeated in its entirety with a new grade being given. enrichment in nature where a new course is taken that results in new credit being earned. A maximum of two (2) Carnegie unit credits earned in summer school may be counted for eligibility purposes. NOTE: Additional credits may be earned in credit recovery programs or make-up programs. Summer school credits earned in non-accredited home study programs or non-accredited private schools may not be used to gain eligibility. Accreditation recognized under the rule shall be from the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC) or a regional accreditation agency (such as SACS) or the Georgia Private School Accreditation Council (GAPSAC). An independent study course taken in summer school must be regionally accredited and accepted by the school system for graduation credit. Courses completed after the beginning of a new semester may not be used to gain eligibility for that semester. Example: night school classes, correspondence courses, etc. Independent study courses taken during the school year must meet the criteria of 1.52 (a) 4.
1.53	Students must accumulate Carnegie units towards graduation according to the following criteria: First-year students (entering 9th grade) are eligible academically. Second semester first-year students must have passed courses carrying at least 2.5 Carnegie Units the previous semester in order to participate. Second-year students must have accumulated four (4) total Carnegie units in the first year, AND passed courses carrying at least 2.5 Carnegie Units in the previous semester. Third-year students must have accumulated ten (10) Carnegie units in the first and second years, AND passed courses carrying at least 2.5 Carnegie Units in the previous semester. Fourth-year students must have accumulated sixteen (16) Carnegie units in the first three years, AND passed courses carrying at least 2.5 Carnegie Units in the previous semester. Students may accumulate the required Carnegie units for participation during the school year and eligibility will be reinstated at the beginning of the next semester. ADVISORY NOTICE: CURRICULAR INNOVATIONS BLOCK FOUR PROGRAMS: The student takes four courses that are worth one (1) Carnegie unit each and the classes meet twice the number of hours per week as in the standard curricular programs. When submitting eligibility reports to the GHSA, the number of courses passed must be doubled. (For Example: A student passing all four courses will be reported as passing eight courses.) To be eligible, a student must pass three (3) courses and these will be reported as six (6) courses on the eligibility report. Carnegie unit requirements are the same in all curricular programs. BLOCK EIGHT PROGRAMS: The student takes eight courses at some time during the term, and each course is worth one-half Carnegie unit. li>To be eligible, a student must pass at least five (5) courses during the term. Carnegie unit requirements are the same in all curricular programs. HYBRID SCHEDULING: Definition: A student takes a combination of courses scheduled as block courses, yearlong courses and/ or traditional courses. To be eligible, a student must be enrolled in a combination of courses that carry at least 2.5 Carnegie units. To be eligible, a student must have passed a combination of courses the previous semester that carries at least 2.5 Carnegie Units.
1.54	A student enrolled in a joint-enrollment program between his parent school and a vocational-technical school, an alternative school, or a college, shall be eligible to represent the parent school in interscholastic activities provided he: is enrolled at the parent school and that school received state funds based on his enrollment. If enrolled in a private school, he must be a full tuition-paying student. is carrying work in the school which he is attending equivalent to at least 2.5 Carnegie Units, and has passed coursework carrying at least 2.5 Carnegie Units the preceding semester. is a student in a state-approved joint enrollment program in which he will receive credit at the parent school for high school courses carrying at least 2.5 Carnegie Units during the high school semester. must receive credit at the parent school for work done at the alternative school, vocational-technical school, or college. must not have participated in interscholastic activities in the vocational-technical school, alternative school, or college.
1.55	Students participating in post-secondary options programs shall be eligible to participate at the parent school provided academic eligibility is maintained. Students shall receive credits at the parent school based on the following: 7.5 quarter hours at the college level = 1 Carnegie Unit 5.0 semester hours at the college level = 1 Carnegie Unit NOTE: To participate, a student must be enrolled at a college for at least 18.75 quarter hours or 12.5semester hours. Students in post-secondary options programs will gain or lose eligibility on the first day of the subsequent semester of the parent school. Questions arising from this program should be referred to the GHSA Executive Director.
1.56	Loss of Eligibility: Students assigned to an alternative school or on out-of-school suspension for disciplinary reasons, or adjudicated to YDC, lose their eligibility. Suspension is considered to have ended when the student is physically readmitted to the classroom.
1.57	Failure to Meet Academic Standards: When a school administrator believes that the student has failed to meet the academic eligibility requirements due to conditions that were beyond the control of the school, the student, and/or his parents, and such that none of them could have been expected reasonably to comply with the rule, he may request that the student's case be put on the agenda of the Appeal Board. Ignorance of the rule(s) on the part of any individual is not sufficient cause to set aside the rule(s). Schools must supply all the materials requested on the Hardship Application Form on the GHSA web site.
1.58	Credit Recovery/Make-up Work: Students who have academic deficiencies at the end of a semester may make up those deficiencies in programs that are available to any student in the school. Credit recovery programs are short-term programs that involve a course that has been completed and a grade given. The student is given the opportunity to work on areas of deficiency. Make-up programs occur when a course has not been completed and an “Incomplete” grade has been given. The student is given the opportunity to work on areas of deficiency. Credit recovery and make-up work must be completed within fourteen (14) school days after the start of the next semester. The student is ineligible until such time as the work is completed and the required passing grade has been recorded. Exception: If the end-of-course test is not offered within 14 days of the beginning of the next semester, the student may be granted a reasonable extension by the GHSA. The GHSA Executive Director shall be authorized to approve credit recovery or make-up work completed later than fourteen days after the start of the next semester if he finds that the: timeframe was not met due to circumstances outside the control of the student, his parent(s), and the school, AND work was completed as soon as reasonably possible, AND allowance for such a delay is offered on the same basis to all students in the school. Credit recovery programs operated during the summer or in intersessions shall be completed within fourteen days of the beginning of the new semester. Students using those credits to gain eligibility are ineligible until the course is completed successfully. Credit recovery is used for remedial work only, and no new credit courses may be applied under this provision. Students using credit recovery or make-up programs must have their eligibility submitted to the GHSA office on a “Form C.”
1.59	Students with disabilities: A student with disabilities who is enrolled in a special education program which is not physically located at the parent school (example: psycho-education center, regional occupation center, community-based instruction class, etc.) shall be eligible to participate, practice, and/or try out in interscholastic activities at the parent school if IEP (Individual Education Program) requirements are met. Schools with students having to meet only IEP requirements for course credit must establish an accounting process for the number of courses passed each semester, and for the awarding of Carnegie units. Requirements for the date of entry into the ninth grade and for age apply to students with IEPs without variation. Competitive interscholastic activities administered through local special education programs shall follow Georgia Department of Education guidelines and procedures for special education, and are exempt from GHSA requirements.

1.60 - SCHOOL SERVICE AREAS / TRANSFER / MIGRANT STUDENTS / MIGRATORY WAIVER

1.61	School service areas for member public schools are those attendance boundaries established by local boards of education from which a school normally draws its students. The school service area for a member private school is the county in which the private school is located. The school service area for a startup or converted charter school will be the same as the school from which the charter school draws its students.
1.62	A transfer student who has established eligibility at a former school in grades 9-12 shall be immediately eligible at the new school if: The student moved simultaneously with the entire parental unit or persons he/she resided with at the former school, and the student and parent(s) or persons residing with the student live in the service area of the new school This is known as a “bona fide move.” The student may choose the public or private school serving that area. It must be apparent that the parent(s) or the persons residing with the student and the student have relinquished the residence in the former service area and have occupied a residence in the new service area. Relinquishment of the former residence may be met by one of the following procedures: selling the residence; having the residence listed with a real estate agent for sale at a fair market value; having a contract with a buyer; having a lease agreement at a fair market value; or abandoning the house and shutting off unnecessary utilities. When a family claims multiple residences, the residence for which they apply for a homestead exemption will be declared the primary residence. The bona fide move is validated when the student’s family maintains the new residence for at least one calendar year. A return to the previous residence within that year renders the student to be a migrant student. All hardship appeal processes are available. The student was enrolled in a private school or a magnet school and has a bona fide move from one public school service area to another public school service area. A student in this situation may attend either the public school or a private school serving his area of residence. The student was enrolled in a non-member private school in Georgia or was boarded at a school out of state and, without a bona fide move, transferred to a GHSA-member school that serves his area of residence as long as: The student was enrolled at the high school serving his/her area of residence in grades 9-12 before attending the non-member school, OR The student has not yet established eligibility at grades 9-12 at a member school serving his area of residence, OR the student has previously established his attendance at a school other than the school serving his area of residence, and chooses to return to that school, AND it is the initial move of the student from a non-member school to a member school serving his area of residence. The student transfers from a non-member home school and the receiving school grants credit so that the student has accumulated sufficient Carnegie units. At the time such credit is given, the student must also have passed a minimum of five (5) courses the previous semester. The student becomes eligible when credit is awarded officially. The student is involved in a foreign exchange program that is approved and published on the “Advisory List of International Educational Travel and Exchange Programs” published by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). This list is found on the GHSA web site. The student shall be considered eligible for a maximum period of one calendar year. The student shall not be a graduate of a secondary school in his home country. The student must maintain eligibility requirements at the member school. The foreign exchange program must assign students to schools by a method that insures that no student, school, or other interested party may influence the assignment for athletic purposes. If one of his/her parents or the custodial parent is a certified teacher or administrator teaching at the receiving school. This opportunity is available one time only at any given school. The student has one of the following family-related situations that produces a waiver of the bona fide move rule: There is a Superior Court awarded change of permanent custody and the student moves to the residence of the parent receiving custody. The student must attend the member school serving that area of residence. A copy of the court order must accompany the eligibility forms. NOTE: Temporary guardianship papers issued by a Probate Court are not valid for eligibility. There is a Superior Court final order awarding permanent joint custody to the parents and the student moves to a residence of his or her parent outside the service area of the previous school. This waiver may be made one time during a calendar year. A copy of the court order must accompany the eligibility forms. There is a death of a custodial parent and the student moves to live with the other natural parent in a new school service area. NOTE: A copy of the death certificate shall be submitted with the eligibility papers. There is a military transfer of one or both custodial parents that creates a change of residence that is not a bona fide move. NOTE: A copy of the deployment order shall be submitted with the eligibility form. Students who are U.S. citizens returning from a foreign country shall be eligible as long as they meet all other requirements of eligibility. Students who are transferred from one school attendance area to another school attendance area by a mandate of the local board of education maintain their eligibility. Married students setting up a household (domicile) shall be eligible in the school of their residence provided they meet all other requirements of eligibility. Students at the Atlanta School for the Deaf will be eligible at the school serving their area of residence provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. The migratory rule (See 1.63) will be waived one time for students entering the following boarding schools: Ben Franklin Academy, Rabun Gap School, Tallulah Falls School, Georgia Military College, Riverside Military Academy. Exception: Students from foreign countries not on an approved foreign exchange program are not eligible.
1.63	A “migrant student” is a student who transfers into a GHSA school without a bona fide move or without one of the exceptions listed in by-law 1.62. The student may practice or compete at the sub-varsity level, but may not compete at the varsity level for one calendar year from the date of his entry into the new school.
1.64	A student who is not eligible because of GHSA rules at the former school, and then transfers to a new school, cannot regain eligibility by the transfer. Ineligible students cannot gain eligibility by being adjudicated to YDC and subsequently returning to their resident school with earned credit.
1.65	Students whose transfers from member school to member school have been approved by the GHSA office after the end of regular season play or during post-season play are not eligible for participation in GHSA sponsored tournaments and/or playoffs in that particular sport for the school year of transfer.
1.66	A student who is not eligible at one school because of suspension or expulsion and then transfers to a member school cannot regain eligibility by such a transfer, for the length of the suspension or one calendar year, whichever is less.
1.67	A permissive transfer is defined as an allowance by a local board of education for students and/or their parents to choose a school to attend without regard to the location of residence. A student transferring from member school to member school on a permissive transfer is considered a migrant student. A student transferring to or from a school housing a system-wide, singular academic or vocation program or a magnet program on a permissive transfer is considered a migrant student. Students transferring under the provisions of “No Child Left Behind” and the failure to make “Adequate Yearly Progress” must be processed through the normal Hardship Appeal procedures. Such students must demonstrate that they have been materially affected by the issue(s) that caused the former school to be placed on the “Need to Improve” list.
1.68	Hardship Applications may be filed to attempt to establish eligibility in the following situations: A student who changes schools because of a temporary custody transfer from a parent to a guardian, or from one guardian to another (See Article IV, Section 5, in the GHSA Constitution). A student whose transfer is based upon his being emancipated, homeless, a child from a broken home, a ward of the DFACS, or a ward of a Court (See Article IV, Section 5, in the GHSA Constitution).
1.69	When a new school opens, student eligibility shall be determined as follows: When a school district mandates an attendance area for a new school for all grades enrolled at the new school, all students living within the mandated attendance area in those grades are immediately eligible. All students living outside the mandated attendance area who desire to attend the new school are considered migrant students and are ineligible for one year. Hardship appeals may be filed if conditions warrant. When a school district mandates some students to attend the new school, allows some students to stay at their present school, and permits some students to transfer to the new school, the school shall set a deadline for students living in the attendance area of the new school to decide whether they will move to the new school, or stay at the present school. The decisions exercised at the deadline date are binding. Subsequent changes render the student to be a migrant student with the one-year period of ineligibility. Students who are granted permissive transfers to enroll at the new school from other schools within the system are considered to be migrant students. Hardship appeals may be filed if conditions warrant.

INTERPRETATIONS, 1.00 SECTION

BY-LAW 1.10 - CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY

SITUATION: A student athlete and his parents move from the service area of School A to School B, and meet all eligibility requirements. When may he participate in interscholastic activities at School B?

INTERPRETATION The student is eligible as soon as he is enrolled at School B and certified as being eligible by the GHSA. Academic eligibility must be certified before the student may try out or practice.

BY-LAW 1.20 - ENROLLMENT AND TEAM MEMBERSHIP

8TH GRADE PARTICIPATION

SITUATION May eighth-grade students participate on sub-varsity teams at a member school?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Eighth-grade students in a feeder school for a member school may participate on any sub-varsity team, but never on a varsity team.

SITUATION An eighth-grade student desires to try out in the Spring for the cheerleading team at a member school. Is this legal if the school the student is attending is a feeder school for the member school?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Also, an eighth grade student in a private school that does not offer classes at the ninth grade level and above may try out for cheerleading at the public or private school serving that student's area of residence. Such a tryout must be preceded by a pre-enrollment at that GHSA school. The tryout establishes the student's eligibility at that school. NOTE: This procedure also applies to participation in spring football practice.

TRYOUT REQUIREMENTS

SITUATION A tenth-grade student who is on a cheerleading team at a member school anticipates moving to another part of the state over the Summer. May the student try out for the new school before the move is made?

INTERPRETATION No. A student may not practice or try out at a member school until that student is properly enrolled at the new school. A student may be enrolled in only one school at a time.

BY-LAW 1.30 - AGE

SITUATION A student becomes 19 years of age on April 30, prior to his fourth year in high school. May the student participate in the fourth year?

INTERPRETATION No. May 1 is the cut-off date.

BY-LAW 1.40 - LIMITS OF PARTICIPATION

EIGHT SEMESTER RULE

SITUATION A student entered a member school eight (8) semesters ago. He was injured and missed one-half of the first semester of his senior year (7th semester). During the first six semesters, he has accumulated seventeen (17) units, and in the 8th semester he passed five courses and gained an additional 2.5 units. Is he eligible to participate the following Fall in his 9th semester?

INTERPRETATION No. There are no provisions to allow for a student to participate beyond eight (8) semesters. His case could be presented to the GHSA Executive Committee for request to waive the eight semester rule (By- Law #1.42) by Hardship application.

NON-SCHOOL PARTICIPATION

SITUATION A student is a member of a high school soccer team and a club soccer team whose seasons run concurrently. Is this permissible?

INTERPRETATION Yes. There is no state regulation prohibiting “dual participation” on the part of a student. The high school coach may not be involved in the non-school program, however. A local school may impose a rule prohibiting dual participation.

GIRLS ON BOYS TEAMS

SITUATION A girl wants to be on the high school wrestling team made up of boys. If she meets eligibility requirements, may she do so?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Girls may participate on boys teams when there is no girls team in that sport at that school.

SITUATION A female student desires to try out for the boys’ baseball team. May she do this?

INTERPRETATION Yes, she is allowed to try out since there is no girls’ baseball team.

SITUATION A male student desires to play on a girls volleyball team. Is this legal?

INTERPRETATION No. The Federal Title IX legislation and the Georgia Equity in Sports Act both specify that the traditionally represented gender in athletics (males) may not play on teams designed for the traditionally under-represented gender (females).

SUB-VARSITY AND VARSITY PARTICIPATION

SITUATION A junior varsity basketball player participates in a JV game on Tuesday afternoon. May he also participate in the varsity game that night?

INTERPRETATION Yes, but the student may not participate in more than five (5) quarters that day.

SITUATION A junior varsity football player plays in a JV game on Thursday. May he also play in the varsity game on Friday?

INTERPRETATION Yes, but the student may not participate in more than six (6) quarters in a calendar week. The week begins with the day of the varsity game.

QUESTION In sports other than football, basketball, and soccer, what are the restrictions on students participating on both sub-varsity and varsity teams?

ANSWER The total number of regular-season games and tournaments a student participates in on a subvarsity team and the varsity team may not exceed the number of games and tournaments allotted to the varsity team in that sport. Example: A sport allows 18 varsity games plus two tournaments. A student could legally play in 10 JV games, 8 varsity games, 1 JV tournament, and 1 varsity tournament.

SITUATION At an invitational cheerleading tournament, a AAAAA school enters its varsity team in the competition for its classification, and enters its JV team in the competition for varsity teams of smaller schools? Is this legal?

RULING No. Varsity teams must compete against varsity teams and non-varsity against non-varsity teams in all GHSA activities. The eligibility conditions are different in the two levels of competition, and it is possible to manipulate the limits on competition by allowing this to occur. New schools and schools just beginning a sport may petition the Executive Director for a waiver of this rule.

BY-LAW 1.50 - SCHOLASTIC STANDING/SCHOLARSHIP

POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS

SITUATION During the first semester of his senior year, a student is enrolled for three traditional courses (subjects) leading toward graduation at a member school, and one course for 5 hours of credit at a local college that will be accepted by his home school for graduation credit. If the student passes all the courses for which he is enrolled and has accumulated the proper number of Carnegie units, is he eligible to participate in golf during the second semester?

INTERPRETATION Yes. If the student is enrolled in post-secondary options, the course at the college level is equated at 7.5 quarter hours equals 1 Carnegie unit or 5 semester hours equals 1 Carnegie unit. The student must earn 2.5 Carnegie units or more each semester.

VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOL OPTIONS

SITUATION A senior is enrolled at a member school, but is attending a vocational-technical school for five hours each day, and is receiving credit for those courses at the member school. Is he eligible to participate in athletics at the home school?

INTERPRETATION Yes. A student enrolled at a member school and attending a vocational-technical school taking courses carrying a minimum of 2.5 Carnegie Units may participate if the member school accepts the credit earned toward graduation at the vocational-technical school.

ADVANCE PLACEMENT

SITUATION May a student take a college or junior college class and receive credit for this work which may be counted toward scholastic eligibility?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Such a class may be counted toward academic eligibility, provided that the student's high school accepts the credit and counts it toward graduation. The student still must pass a minimum of 2.5 Carnegie units at the end of the semester. College credits are equated as 7.5 quarter hours equal 1 Carnegie unit or 5 semester hours equal 1 Carnegie unit.

ELIGIBILITY ENDS

SITUATION A student who is eligible at the beginning of basketball season only passes four (4) traditional classes in the first semester which ends on December 17th. Is this student eligible to play in a basketball tournament December 20-23?

INTERPRETATION The student loses eligibility on the first day of the second semester. If the tournament is played before the start of the new semester, he is eligible to play by GHSA standards.

ELIGIBILITY BEGINS

SITUATION A student who is academically ineligible for the second semester passes all courses that semester and has accumulated the proper number of units. May this student participate in practices that occur before the beginning of classes in the Fall?

INTERPRETATION Yes. The beginning of the first semester is interpreted as the first day of the first sport, or the first day of classes – whichever comes first.

SITUATION A student passes four (4) courses the last semester of the eighth grade. Is this student eligible the first semester of the ninth-grade year?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Every student entering the ninth grade for the first time begins with a “clean slate.”

WITHDRAWN PASSING

SITUATION A student withdrew, passing, from school after 65 days of attendance in the Fall semester. He did not attend school again until the first day of the succeeding Spring semester. Is he academically eligible?

INTERPRETATION No. “Withdrawn Passing” is not considered to be passing work for the semester, therefore, this student is ineligible.

SUMMER SCHOOL RULES

SITUATION A student needs a science course for graduation purposes that is not taught during Summer School. The student and principal agree on an independent study course monitored by a coach. May this course be used for eligibility purposes?

INTERPRETATION Yes, as long as the course is regionally accredited and accepted by the school district for graduation credit.

SITUATION How many units may a student earn in Summer School for the purpose of gaining academic eligibility for the Fall?

INTERPRETATION A maximum of two (2) Carnegie units of credit earned in Summer School may be counted for eligibility purposes.

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL RULES

SITUATION The principal of a member school assigned a student to attend an alternative school for the next six (6) weeks for disciplinary reasons. May the student participate on the football team during the six weeks he will be attending the alternative school?

INTERPRETATION No. Students assigned to an alternative school for reasons of misconduct or who are in out-of-school suspension may not participate until they have returned physically to the regular classroom. The school may appeal to the Executive Director if a school holiday prevents the student from physically returning to the classroom at the end of the penalty.

OUT-OF-STATE RULES

SITUATION A student transfers to a member school from another state where scholastic eligibility rules are less restrictive than Georgia. The student is academically eligible by the standards of the state from which he transfers, but lacks sufficient credits to be eligible by GHSA standards. As a transfer student, is he eligible academically?

INTERPRETATION No.

ANNUAL GRADING

SITUATION Since GHSA eligibility rules are written to apply to schools with semester grading, do schools that have yearlong classes with one grade given at the end of the year have to monitor eligibility for the first half of the year?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Schools must determine that each student-athlete has a grade of 70% or higher in at least five courses at the end of the first semester. Any student not meeting that standard is academically ineligible.

MULTI-UNIT COURSES

SITUATION A student is enrolled for four (4) regular courses, and one vocational course that carries the equivalent of two (2) Carnegie units. If the student fails the vocational course, is the student eligible the next semester?

INTERPRETATION No. Since the vocational course carries the equivalent of two (2) Carnegie units and since the student passed only four subjects, he would not be eligible for the next semester.

MAKE-UP WORK

SITUATION A student taking five (5) subjects leading toward graduation receives an “Incomplete” in one of those courses. When the student returns to class on the first day of the next semester, is he eligible to practice or play?

INTERPRETATION No. If the school allows make-up work for all students and the student makes up the “Incomplete” to a passing grade within fourteen (14) days of the beginning of the new semester, the student could become eligible. The student is not eligible while the work is being made up.

TRYOUT ELIGIBILITY

SITUATION Cheerleader tryouts for the following year are to be held in the Spring (second semester). A student who passes only four (4) subjects during the first semester would like to try out. Is this permissible?

INTERPRETATION No. Students who are academically ineligible are not allowed to practice or try out. This also applies to Spring football practices.

ACCUMULATING UNITS

SITUATION A 9th-grade student passes four (4) traditional subjects in the first semester and is ineligible for second semester. The student passes five subjects in the second semester, giving him an accumulation of 4.5 Carnegie units for the year. Is the student eligible to participate in the Fall semester?

INTERPRETATION Yes. The student must have accumulated the proper number of Carnegie units at the endof the 9th grade year (first year), which means he must have accumulated four (4) units.

SITUATION At the beginning of the 11th-grade year (third year of eligibility), a student has only accumulated8 Carnegie units and is declared ineligible for the first semester. If the student passes all six (6) courses, andaccumulates 3 units during the first semester, is the student eligible at the beginning of the second semester?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Since the student has accumulated 11 Carnegie units at the beginning of the second semester of the third year of eligibility, he is eligible. A student may gain the units during the school year, and becomes eligible the first day of the next semester.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES

SITUATION A student is enrolled for three (3) Advanced Placement courses and two regular classes in the first semester, and all courses are counted toward graduation. If the student fails one of the AP courses, is he eligible to participate second semester?

INTERPRETATION No. There are no allowances made for course difficulty in the rule of passing five (5) courses the previous semester.

BLOCK-FOUR PROGRAMS

SITUATION A member school has adopted the Block-Four Program in which students take four (4) courses each semester and receive 1 Carnegie unit for each course passed. How many courses does a student in this school have to pass in order to be eligible for interscholastic activities?

INTERPRETATION The students will have to pass three (3) courses each semester to be eligible. Since each course meets twice the required time, each course should be doubled when reported on the eligibility form. EXAMPLE: A student passing 3 out of 4 courses will be recorded on the eligibility form as passing six (6) courses. The unit requirements remain the same as with any system of courses.

SITUATION A school is on the Block-Four Program and, additionally, requires a student to take a Physical Education course that earns .5 Carnegie unit. A student passes two (2) courses in the Block-Four setup plus the PE class. Is the student eligible?

INTERPRETATION Yes. The two courses in the Block-Four setup count as four (4) 1/2 unit courses, and the PE class gives the student the fifth course needed to be eligible.

SITUATION A student in a Block-Four setting only passes one class in the Spring Semester. The student passes three (3) classes in a traditional Summer School Program. Is the student eligible for Fall participation?

INTERPRETATION Yes. The one Block-Four class counts as two (2) 1/2 unit courses and the three (3) in Summer School gives the five (5) courses needed to be eligible.

BLOCK-EIGHT PROGRAMS

SITUATION A member school has adopted the Block-Eight Program in which students take eight courses over the semester and each one passed accumulates one-half Carnegie unit. How many courses do students at this school have to pass in order to be eligible for interscholastic activities?

INTERPRETATION The students will have to pass five (5) courses each semester to be eligible. The unit requirements remain the same as with any system of courses.

HYBRID SCHEDULING

SITUATION A student is taking two yearlong courses, two Block 4 courses and one traditional course during the semester. If the student failed one of the Block 4 courses, is he academically eligible for the next semester?

INTERPRETATION Yes. The two yearlong courses and the one traditional course carry 1.5 Carnegie Units, and the Block 4 course he passed carried one (1) unit. This gives the student the 2.5 units he needs to be eligible.

BY-LAW 1.60 - SCHOOL SERVICE AREAS/TRANSFER STUDENTS/MIGRANT STUDENTS/MIGRATORY RULE WAIVERS

SCHOOL SERVICE AREAS

QUESTION What is a public school’s service area?

ANSWER A school service area is the geographic boundary established by local boards of education that determine the public school a student must attend. NOTE: The service area is also referred to in this book as the “attendance area” and “area of residence.”

QUESTION What is the service area designation for private schools?

ANSWER The service area for a private school is the county in which the campus is physically located. This restriction only affects students who transfer into the school after beginning their high school careers at other schools.

SITUATION A 10th grade student moves to a county that has four school service areas (A, B, C, and D), and a city school system (service area E). The student and his parents reside in the service area of School “A,” but the student decides to enter School “E.” Is the student eligible in the new school?

INTERPRETATION No. When a student and his parents move to a new service area, the student established eligibility at the school that serves his area of residence. When the student and his parents “elected” to attend a school outside his area of residence, the student became a migrant student.

FIRST-TIME ENROLLMENT

SITUATION A county has a school for students living in the county, and a separate school for students living in the city. The local boards of education allow students to choose whichever school they wish to attend (with or without tuition payments). A student and his parents live in the city, and the student is enrolled for the first time in ninth grade at the county school. Will he be able to participate in interscholastic activities?

INTERPRETATION Yes. On a first-time entrance into the ninth grade, a student may enroll in the school of his choice if the local board of education gives approval. Once that choice is made, any other transfers must be accompanied by a corresponding move by the student and his parents. If the student transferred back to the school that serves his area of residence, the student would be ineligible for varsity competition for one year.

BONA FIDE MOVE DEFINED

QUESTION What is meant by the term “bona fide move?”

ANSWER A “bona fide move” is defined as the actual physical relocation of all immediate family members residing in the previous residence, with the intent to reside indefinitely, and to relinquish the previous residence.

THE TRANSFER RULE

SITUATION A student attends School “A” while living in that school's attendance area. He and his parents move into the service area of public School “B,” and the student enrolls in School “B.” Is the student eligible to participate in interscholastic activities?

INTERPRETATION Yes. This is a classic example of a bona fide move.

SITUATION A student and his parents reside in the service area for a county school. The student enters the ninth grade at a non-member private school. At the end of the ninth-grade year, the student wishes to transfer from the non-member school to the high school that serves his area of residence. Will the student be eligible at the member school?

INTERPRETATION Yes. A student may transfer from a non-member school to a member school serving his area of residence one time in his high school career as long as all other eligibility criteria are met.

SITUATION A student begins ninth grade at the school that serves his area of residence. With one month to go in the school year, the student transfers to a non-member private school. At the beginning of the tenth-grade year, the student enrolls at a member school that does not serve his area of residence. Is this student immediately eligible at the new school?

INTERPRETATION No. The student is now a migrant student because he transferred to a school without living in that service area. If the student had transferred back to the member school at which he began the ninth-grade, he would have been eligible.

SITUATION A student who attended ninth and tenth grade in a non-member home school enrolls at the public school that serves his area of residence. That school specifies that students from home schools must be tested in order for the course work to be accepted. May this student participate in athletics before the testing is done?

INTERPRETATION No, because eligibility cannot be determined until the course work is accepted.

CHOICE OF PUBLIC OR PRIVATE MEMBER SCHOOLS

SITUATION A tenth-grade student and his parents reside in the service area of School “A” and attends that school. The parents and the student have a bona fide move into the service area of public School “B” and private School “C.” Does the student have a choice about which school he may attend and remain eligible?

INTERPRETATION Yes. When a student (attending any member school) moves into a new service area, he may choose to attend the public school that serves his new area of residence, or a private school that has been assigned his new area of residence.

SITUATION A tenth-grade student at member private School “C” resides in the service area of public School “A,” and then moves into the service area of public School “B,” which is still in the service area of School “C.” Does the student have a choice in attending public School “B” or selecting a new private school that includes the service area of School “B” in its service area?

INTERPRETATION Yes. When a student (attending any member school) moves into a new service area, he may choose to attend the public school that serves his new area of residence, or any private school that has been assigned his new area of residence.

SITUATION A twelfth-grade student has been at a member school since entering the ninth-grade. When his parents move into the service area of another school, the student wants to stay at his original school. May he remain at the school and retain his eligibility?

INTERPRETATION Yes. Once a student has established eligibility at a school, he retains eligibility at that school as long as he is allowed by the local board of education to attend that school, and as long as he meets academic requirements.

SITUATION A school system grants a permissive transfer for a student to leave the school that serves his area of residence to go to a school that offers a course he cannot get at his home school. Is this a mandated transfer, and is the student eligible at the new school?

RULING This is a permissive transfer and does not carry GHSA eligibility. The receiving school would have to file for a hardship in order for this student to have any chance of being eligible immediately.

SITUATION A student begins ninth grade at a magnet school, and (a) does not make grades high enough to stay in the magnet program and returns to his home school, or (b) decides to return to a regular study program at the school that serves his area of residence. Is the student eligible?

RULING In both cases, the student is not eligible. Decisions to enter into or exit from a magnet school involve personal choices and/or permissive transfers, and do not carry GHSA eligibility. The inability of the student to meet the achievement standard was under the control of the student.

SITUATION A school district opens a new school and (a) mandates a service area for students going to the new school, or (b) gives students options about where they may attend. How does this affect eligibility for athletes?

RULING In (a), students mandated to attend the new school are immediately eligible. In (b), the system should set up a deadline date for students to make their choices. Students may either stay or move to the mandated school and have eligibility if the deadline is met. Any decisions made after the deadline renders the student to be a migrant student.

MIGRANT STUDENT RULE

SITUATION A student enrolls in School “A,” is certified eligible, and participates in athletic contests. Then it is discovered that the student's parents do not live in the service area of School “A.” After the school forfeits all contests it won when the student played, what is the status of this student's eligibility if:

1. the student remains in School “A,” and the parents do not move into the service area of School “A?”
2. The student remains in School “A,” and the parents move into the service area of School “A?”
3. the student transfers to the school that serves his area of residence?

INTERPRETATION

1. The student is ineligible for a period of one (1) year from the date of entry to School “A.”
2. The student becomes eligible on the date the parents move into the service area of School “A.”
3. The student is ineligible for one (1) year from the date of entry to the school of his service area.

SITUATION A student who has been living with his mother in another state moves in with his grandparents and enters a member school. The grandparents go to a Probate Court and get a Letter of Temporary Guardianship. Will this student be eligible for interscholastic activities?

INTERPRETATION No. This student is considered a migrant student. The student may practice and may play in sub-varsity contests if academic requirements are met, but he will be ineligible for varsity competition for one calendar year. Guardianship is not recognized for eligibility purposes.

SITUATION A school system has a policy that the children of teachers may attend the school where the parent teaches regardless of where the family lives. A teacher is hired who has a tenth-grade student and the family lives outside the service area of that school. If the student attends the school where the parent teaches, will he be immediately eligible?

INTERPRETATION Yes, as long as the parent is a certified teacher or administrator at the receiving school.

SITUATION A ninth-grade student transfers from one member school to another member school without a bona fide move. May he participate on the JV basketball team if he has met all academic requirements?

INTERPRETATION Yes. The student is a migrant student and migrant students may practice and may play on a sub-varsity team during the year that he is ineligible for varsity competition.

SUSPENDED OR EXPELLED STUDENT

SITUATION A student is expelled from a member private school for behavioral problems. The student and his parents move to a different service area and the student enrolls in a member public school. Is the student eligible to participate in interscholastic activities?

INTERPRETATION No. The student will not be eligible until the time frame of the suspension at the first school is complete or one calendar year – whichever is shorter.

UNFINISHED HOME

SITUATION A family has purchased a new home in a school district other than the one where the student has been attending school. However, the new home will not be available for occupancy until six weeks after the start of the semester. In the meantime, the new local board of education allows the student to begin attendance in anticipation of the family move when the home is available. When will the student be eligible at the new school.

INTERPRETATION The student will be eligible immediately upon the date the parents physically occupy the residence in the new district.

SITUATION A family has purchased a new home in a school district other than the one where the student has been attending school. However, the new home will not be available for occupancy until six weeks after the start of the semester. The parents desire the student to begin and complete the semester at the original school, before transferring to the new school. How will this affect the student's eligibility?

INTERPRETATION The GHSA By-Laws permit students to complete the current semester in a given district if their parents move from that district after school has commenced. Therefore, the student in this case may remain in his original district for the remainder of the semester and be eligible in respect to residence. If the student continues to attend school in that district in the succeeding semesters, he will continue eligibility. If he begins the next semester and then decides to transfer to the school in his area of residence, he would be ineligible for varsity competition for one (1) year.

BY-LAW 2.00 - SCHOOL

2.30 - ELIGIBILITY REPORTS FILED BY THE SCHOOL

2.31	Eligibility reports are required for all contestants in any GHSA activity twenty (20) days prior to the date allowed for the first contest in each activity. Students are not allowed to participate in academic, athletic, or literary competitions until their eligibility reports have been received and processed by the GHSA Office. Failure to meet the eligibility deadline may lead the GHSA Executive Director to: Assess a fine to the school that is delinquent. Suspend the membership of a school that does not file eligibility reports. Reports not filed properly will be returned to the school for resubmission.
2.32	Schools playing interscholastic contests before the filing of an eligibility report on one or more participating students may be subject to one or more of the following penalties imposed by the GHSA Executive Director: a fine per game or contest in which one or more participants had no eligibility report filed. forfeiture of any game in which one or more participants did not have eligibility report filed. restriction from competition in any sport if the fines assessed are not paid within ten (10) days of notification.
2.33	Supplementary eligibility reports may be submitted at any time on transfer students, students coming out for the team after the initial report, and/or those students who gain eligibility at the beginning of a semester.
2.34	Once a student has been certified eligible by the school and has been processed by the GHSA, eligibility is assumed to be continuing, and no further eligibility report is necessary for that student during the school year.
2.35	If a student loses eligibility and regains it during the school year, a new eligibility report should be filed for that student.
2.36	Changes of Eligibility Records: When a school discovers that incorrect information has been given on an eligibility report, the following procedures shall be followed: To change the date of ninth grade entry: Submit a new eligibility report form on which you have written “Corrected Copy” AND a certified copy of the student's transcript NOTE: a visiting examiner may be used to verify the data To change the date of birth: Submit a new eligibility report form on which you have written “Corrected Copy” AND a certified copy of the student's birth certificate NOTE: a visiting examiner may be used to verify the data To correct other errors: Submit a new eligibility report form on which you have written “Corrected Copy” Give the date of the original eligibility submission
2.37	Requests to investigate a student’s eligibility in regard to the transfer rule must be filed with the GHSA office at least twenty (20) calendar days before the end of the regular season in order for any penalties to be applied before the end of the playoffs.