eligibility PMT1

(For 2015-16 School Term)

This summary is for the purpose of assisting

in the understanding of IHSA By-laws and

Policies. In case of a conflict between this

publication and the constitution and by-laws

of the IHSA, the constitution and by-laws

shall control.

Key Provisions Regarding IHSA Rules

Eligibility Rules

When you become a member of an

interscholastic team at your high school, you

will find that both your school and the IHSA

will have rules you must follow in order to be

eligible for interscholastic participation. The

IHSA’s rules have been adopted by the high

schools which are members of IHSA as part of

the Association’s constitution and by-laws.

They must be followed as minimum standards

for all interscholastic athletic competition in any

member high school. Your high school may

have additional requirements, but they may not

be less stringent than these statewide minimums.

The principal/official representative of

your school is responsible to see that only

eligible students represent the school in

interscholastic competition. Any question

concerning your eligibility should be referred to

your principal/official representative, who has a

complete copy of all IHSA eligibility rules,

including the Association’s due process

procedure. Only the IHSA Executive Director is

authorized to make formal rulings on eligibility,

so if your principal/official representative has

questions or wishes assistance in answering your

questions, the principal/official representative

should contact the IHSA Office.

Information contained here highlights

some of the most important features of the IHSA

by-laws regarding interscholastic eligibility. It is

designed to make you aware of major

requirements you must meet to be eligible to

compete in interscholastic competition. The

information here is only a general description of

major by-law provisions and does not contain

the statement of the by-laws in their entirety.

You can review the by-laws at www.ihsa.org.

You may lose eligibility for interscholastic

competition if you are not in compliance with

IHSA by-laws. Remember, if you have any

questions regarding IHSA rules, please contact

your principal/official representative.

1. Attendance

A. You may represent only the school you

attend. Participation on a cooperative team

of which your school is a member is

acceptable.

B. You must be enrolled and attending classes

in your high school no later than the

beginning of the 11th school day of the

semester.

C. If you attend school for ten (10) or more

days during any one semester, it will count

as one of the eight (8) semesters of high

school attendance during which you may

possibly have eligibility.

D. If you have a lapse in school connection

for ten (10) or more consecutive school

days during a semester, you are subject to

ineligibility for the rest of the semester.

The specific terms of your extended

absence must be reviewed by the Executive

Director to determine if it is “lapse in

school connection” or not.

2. Scholastic Standing

A. You must pass twenty-five (25) credit

hours of high school work per week.

Generally, twenty-five (25) credit hours is

the equivalent of five (5) .5 credit courses

(2.5 full credits).

B. You must have passed and received credit

toward graduation for twenty-five (25)

credit hours of high school work for the

entire previous semester to be eligible at all

during the ensuing semester.

3. Residence

Your eligibility is dependent on the

location of the residence where you live

full time with your parents, parent who has

been assigned custody by the court, or

court appointed legal guardian.

You may be eligible if you are entering

high school as a freshman and:

A. You attend the public high school in the

district in which you live full time with

both of your parents, custodial parent or

court appointed guardian; or

B. In the case of a multiple school district,

you attend the public high school in the

attendance area where you live full time

with your parents, custodial parent or court

appointed guardian; or

C. You have paid tuition to attend a public

school for a minimum of 7th and 8th

grades in a district other than the one

where you live with your parents, custodial

parent or court appointed guardian and you

continue to pay tuition as a high school

student in that same district; or

D. You attend a private/parochial school

located within the boundaries of the public

school district where you live with your

parents, custodial parent or court appointed

guardian; or

E. You attend a private/parochial high school

and have attended a private/parochial

school for 7th and 8th grades, or for any

four (4) grades from kindergarten through

eighth grades; or

F. You attend the private/parochial high

school which one or both of your parents

attended; or

G. You attend a private/parochial high school

located within a thirty (30) mile radius of

the residence where you live with your

parents, custodial parent or court appointed

guardian.

4. Transfer

A. In all transfer cases, both the principal of

the school from which you transfer and the

principal of the school into which you

transfer must concur with the transfer in

writing on a form provided by the IHSA

Office. You cannot be eligible when you

transfer until this form is fully executed

and on file in the school office.

B. If you transfer after classes begin for the

current school term, you will definitely be

ineligible for thirty days from the date you

start attending classes at the new high

school. In addition, you will be ineligible

for that entire school term in any sport in

which you engaged in any team activity,

including but not limited to tryouts, drills,

physical practice sessions, team meetings,

playing in a contest, etc. at the school from

which you transferred. For example, if you

were out for cross country at the school

from which you transfer and transfer after

the IHSA sport season has begun, you

will be ineligible for cross country that

entire school term at the new school.

C. If you transfer attendance from one high

school to another high school, you will be

ineligible unless:

1. Your transfer is in conjunction with a

change in residence by both you and

your parents, custodial parent or court

appointed guardian from one public

school district to a different public

school district;

2. Your transfer is between high schools

within a public school district and both

you and your parents, custodial parent

or court appointed guardian change

residence to the district attendance area

for the school to which you transfer;

3. Your parents are divorced or legally

separated; you transfer to a new school

in conjunction with a modification or

other change in legal custody between

your parents by action of a judge; and

required court documents are on file at

the school into which you transfer;

D. If you transfer in conjunction with a

change in legal guardianship, a ruling on

your eligibility must be obtained from the

IHSA Office.

E. If you transfer attendance from one school

to another while you are ineligible for any

reason, the period of ineligibility imposed

prior to your transfer or the period of

ineligibility that would have been imposed

had you stayed at the school, will be

enforced at the school to which you

transfer, even if you are otherwise in

compliance with the by-laws.

F. Any questions about your eligibility in any

of these instances must be resolved by a

formal ruling from the IHSA Executive

Director.

Illinois High School Association

G. In all other transfer situations, a ruling by

the IHSA Executive Director is necessary

to determine your eligibility. This ruling

must be obtained in writing by the

principal/official representative of the

school into which you transfer before you

participate in an interscholastic athletic

contest.

5. Age

You will become ineligible on the date you

become twenty (20) years of age, unless

your twentieth (20th) birthday occurs

during a sport season. In that case, you

will become ineligible in regard to age at

the beginning of the sport season during

which your twentieth (20th) birthday

occurs.

6. Physical Examination

You must have placed on file with your

principal/official representative a

certificate of physical fitness, signed by a

licensed physician, physician’s assistant or

nurse practioner in order to practice or

participate. Your physical examination is

good for 395 days from the date of the

exam. The physician’s report must be on

file with your high school principal/official

representative.

7. Amateur Status

A. If you win or place in actual competition,

you may accept a medal or trophy for that

accomplishment, without limit to its cost.

Your school may provide IHSA state

champions with championship

rings/mementoes.

B. For participating in competition in an

interscholastic sport, or for athletic honors

or recognition in a sport, you may receive

any type of award (except cash, check or

legal tender) that does not exceed $75 fair

market value. There is no limitation on the

value of your school letter.

C. The amateur rule does not prohibit you

from being paid to referee, receiving pay

for teaching lessons or coaching in a little

kids league, etc. It only applies to your

own competition in an athletic contest.

D. If you violate the amateur rule, you

become ineligible in the sport in which you

violate. You must be reinstated by the

Executive Director before you may

compete again.

8. Recruiting of Athletes

A. The by-laws prohibit recruiting of high

school students for athletics. If you are

solicited to enroll in or transfer to a school

to participate in athletics, you are being

illegally recruited and your eligibility is in

jeopardy.

B. You will lose your eligibility if you enroll

in or transfer to a school in response to

recruiting efforts by any person or group of

persons, connected with or not connected

with the school, related to athletic

participation.

C. You will lose your eligibility if you receive

pecial benefits or privileges as a

prospective student-athlete which are not

uniformly made available to all students

who attend your school.

D. You may not receive an “athletic

scholarship” or any other special benefit

from your school because you participate

in athletics.

E. It is a violation for any student-athlete to

receive or be offered remuneration or any

special inducement which is not made

available to all applicants who apply to or

enroll in the school.

F. It is also a violation to induce or attempt to

induce or encourage any prospective

student to attend any member school for

the purpose of participating in athletics,

even when special remuneration or

inducement is not given. Please remember

that you may not be offered or receive any

benefit, service, privilege or opportunity

which is not also provided or made

available to all prospective students at that

school.

Note: If you are interested in finding out

more information about a school, contact

the principal/official representative or an

administrator at the school, not a member

of the coaching staff.

9. School Team Sports Seasons

A. Each sport conducted by IHSA member

schools has a starting and ending date.

Your school may not organize a team,

begin practice or participate in contests in a

given sport until the authorized starting

date. Your school may not continue to

practice or participate in contests after the

authorized ending date. This means that:

1. During the school year, you may not

participate on a non-school team

coached by any member of your

school’s coaching staff unless it meets

specific criteria established by the by-

laws.

2. No school coach may require you to

participate in an out-of-season sport

program as a requirement for being a

member of a school team.

B. Violation of the sport season by-laws will

result in penalty to you and/or to your

school’s coaching personnel.

10. Playing in Non-School Competition

A. During the time you are participating on a

school team in a sport at your high school,

you may neither play on a non-school team

nor compete in non-school competition as

an individual in that same sport or in any

skill of that sport.

B. If you participate in non-school

competition during a sport season and

subsequently wish to join the school team

in the same sport, you will not be eligible.

C. If you wish to participate in a competition

sanctioned by the National Governing

Body, or its official Illinois affiliate for the

sport, your principal/official representative

must request approval in writing from the

IHSA Office prior to any such

participation.

D. You may try out for a non-school team

while you are on your school’s team in that

same sport, but you may not practice,

receive instruction, participate in workouts,

or participate in competition with a non-

school team in that same sport until you

cease being a member of your school’s

team. You cease being a member of your

school’s team when the team(s) of which

you are a member terminates for the school

term.

E. You will become ineligible if you

participate on, practice with or compete

against any junior college, college or

university team during your high school

career.

11. All-Star Participation

A. After you have completed your high school

eligibility in the sport of football,

basketball, soccer or volleyball, you may

participate in three (3) all-star contests in

any of these sports and still play for other

school teams, provided the high school

season in that sport has been completed.

You may lose your eligibility for other

interscholastic sports if you play in all-star

competition in any of these sports under

any other conditions.

B. You are not restricted from participating in

all-star competition in sports other than

football, basketball soccer or volleyball,

except that you may not do so during the

school season for the sport.

12. Misbehavior During Contests

A. If you violate the ethics of competition or

the principles of good sportsmanship, you

may be barred from interscholastic athletic

contests, either as a participant or spectator

or both.

B. If you are ejected from a contest for

unsportsmanlike conduct, you will be

ineligible for your team’s next contest.

You are also subject to other penalties.

Athletic Eligibility Rules—Page 2