The following are questions and answers pertaining to the MSHSAA Constitution and By-Laws and/or MSHSAA Board of Directors policy. These are provided as an aid in interpreting the rules and regulations which MSHSAA member schools have adopted. If you have a specific area and/or question which you would like explained, contact Dr. Kerwin Urhahn, MSHSAA executive director. Your attention is called to the fact questions and answers regarding interpretations of the MSHSAA Constitution and By-Laws appear on pages 64-86 of the MSHSAA Official Handbook.
Question 1: We have a family in our district whose children are being taught in their home. They would like their daughter to participate in our high school volleyball program. (a) Is she eligible and (b) could she become eligible after being ineligible for one year? Answer: (a) No. (b) No. The requirements of eligibility are specific in their stipulation that “. . . Any student who represents his/her school in interscholastic activities shall be a bona fide student and enrolled as an undergraduate student of the school . . .” (By-Law 210) In addition, all students in order to have the privilege to participate shall be enrolled in classes which allow them to earn 2.5 units of credit or 70 percent of the maximum allowable credit whichever is greater and must have earned 2.5 units of credit or 70 percent of the maximum allowable credit whichever is greater the previous semester (By-Law 213). Credit is recognized by the credits issued on the student’s transcript at the member school. A home schooled student is eligible just as any other student providing these same essential eligibility requirements for all students are met.
Question 2: In an effort to comply with provisions of Public Law 94-142 for inclusion we have “mainstreamed” several students who have learning disabilities. In some classes, they are not able to meet the same academic standards as their classmates. How is their eligibility determined? Answer: In order for these students to be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics, music, speech, cheerleading, academic competition, and pom pons, they must receive passing grades in courses offering a minimum of 2.50 units of credit or 70% of the maximum allowable credit whichever is greater for the semester. Each school is responsible for establishing academic requirements and grading policies to effectively accommodate students who have been identified with having a disability in accordance with provisions of P.L. 94-142. The school district has two options with respect to grading policies. First, the IEP committee may determine that the student will be required to meet the same academic requirements and grading policies as any other student in the class. When such a determination has been made, no modifications to grading will be made, and the student will be expected to maintain academic eligibility for interscholastic sports, music, cheerleading, pom pons, academic competition, and speech as any other student. The second option is for the IEP committee to determine that a modification of the academic requirements or grading policies is necessary to reflect the needs of the student and his/her disability. In this situation, the modifications may include alterations in the type of assessments to be given the student, the number of such assessments given a student, the number of items upon assessments given a student, the amount of time the student will be allowed to take the assessment, etc. The IEP committee may also determine that grades will be determined on the basis of the student’s progress towards achieving specific goals and objectives from the IEP rather than standard assessments given other students. If this type of modification is made, the IEP committee is responsible to specify the amount of progress which will be necessary to document that standard progress is being made by the student.
If these students are placed in a combination of one or more mainstreamed classes and are in a resource center for one or more classes, then they must be either receiving passing grades in their mainstreamed classes and/or be making standard progress in the self-contained classes taken in a resource room which would be the equivalent of five courses offering a total of 2.50 units of credit or 70% of the maximum allowable credit whichever is greater. Note: Inclusion of activities on the IEP as an educational service is not appropriate. (By-Law 213)
Question 3: We have a student in our school who has been invited to attend a softball evaluation event in late August. Our school classes will not start until the Monday after the event, however, the event is being conducted one week into our school softball season after starting the required 10 days of conditioning. May the student attend? Answer: No. By-Law 242 clearly states that a student representing his/her school in a specific sport may not attend an evaluation event for the same school sport during the designated school sport season. The season begins with the first day of practice with all or part of the school sport squad. Thus, the student in question would be in season since practice has begun for the school team.
Question 4: We have a French teacher who lives in another district and is going to serve as a host family for a foreign exchange student participating in a CSIET listed program. If the teacher brings this student to our school will she be eligible for varsity competition in all sports? Answer: No. The residence requirement for eligibility applies to the foreign exchange student the same as all other students being that a student is eligible with no restrictions only at the school where the parents residence is located with the school’s established geographic attendance are. In this case the host family serves as “parents.” Application for hardship could be made providing it can be documented there is an unavoidable hardship making it necessary to transfer. (By-Law 236 and 238)
Question 5: One of the coaches in our high school would like to serve as a host family for a foreign exchange student on a CSIET listed program. The student is an athlete. Will the student be eligible at our school? Answer: No. A member of the school coaching staff may not serve as a host family to a student athlete attending your school through a foreign exchange program.
Question 6: Our high school wants to enter into a cooperative sponsorship with another high school in softball and baseball. Can we participate with each other this year (2007-08)? Answer: No. This year, the schools will fill out the necessary application. The physical sponsoring of the program always coincides with the first year of the MSHSAA two-year classification cycle. Thus, physical participation as one team would begin with the 2008-09 school year.