2012-13 TSSAA Handbook

2012-13 TSSAA Handbook
Article II
Eligibility
Preamble
Enrollment - Section 1
Academic Rules - Sections 2, 3, and 4
High School Graduate - Section 5
Eight Semester Rule - Section 6
Repeating Rule – Section 7
Eighth Grade Participation - Section 8
Age Limit - Section 9
Phys. Exam and Parental Consent - Section 10
Students Changing Schools - Sections 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15
Tuition and Financial Aid - Section 16
Recruiting Rule - Section 17
Amateur Rule - Section 18
Award Rule - Sections 19 and 20
Independent-Game Participation - Section 21
Specialized Camps - Section 22
All-Star Games - Section 23
Special Cases Involving Hardship - Section 24
Home School Rule – Section 25
Preamble
The member high schools of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association have adopted, through their
elected representatives, an essential inter-related group of minimum eligibility requirements which establish the
threshold for participation for all students within the interscholastic program and which work together to define and
preserve the fundamental nature of the program.
At the junior varsity or B-Team level, the only eligibility rules that apply are those in Sections 1 (Enrollment), 2
through 4 (Academic Rules), 5 (High School Graduate), 6 (Eight-Semester Rule), 7 (Repeating Rule), 8 (Eighth
Grade Participation), 9 (Age Limit), and 10 (Physical Examination and Parental Consent). At the varsity level, all
eligibility rules apply.
Enrollment and Attendance
Section 1. To be eligible, students shall be regularly enrolled, in regular attendance, and carrying at least five full
courses or the equivalent. A student is eligible to participate in football, volleyball, cross country, golf, and girls’
soccer prior to the beginning of school if the student is enrolled at the school and meets all other eligibility
requirements.
A student shall not participate in athletics during any semester unless he/she is duly enrolled on or before the
20th day of the semester. This rule shall not apply to transfer students who have met the attendance
requirements in the school last attended.
Please see FAQ’s on Pages 40-57.
Academic Rules
Section 2. To be eligible to participate in athletic contests during any school year, the student must earn five
credits the preceding school year if less than 24 credits are required for graduation or six credits the preceding
school year if 24 or more credits are required for graduation. All credits must be earned by the first day of the
beginning of the school year. Academic eligibility for a student is based on the requirements of the school the
student was attending at the conclusion of the previous school year.
Students who are ineligible the first semester may gain eligibility the second semester by passing five subjects
(1/2 credit) or three blocks (one credit per block) or the equivalent.
Students on trimesters who are ineligible at the beginning of the school year may gain eligibility by passing five
subjects (1/2 credit) or three blocks (one credit per block) or the equivalent the first trimester. Those students will
be eligible to participate in athletics when school resumes on or after January 1 of that school year.
Page 11 July 18, 2012