THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ATHLETIC LEAGUE STUDENT-ATHLETE
ELIGIBILITY RULES AND REGULATIONS MUST BE CONSIDERED WHEN REVIEWING MATTERS PERTAINING
TO A STUDENT-ATHLETE’S PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETIC EVENTS WHEN HE/SHE
REPRESENTS A NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC
SCHOOL.
THE
PRINCIPAL HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENFORCING THE RULES AND REGULATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION.
THE
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SHALL BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR REVIEWING, MAINTAINING AND
ORGANIZING IN AN AUDITABLE FASHION THE ELIGIBILITY RECORDS OF ALL PARTICIPATING
PSAL STUDENT-ATHLETES FOR THE PURPOSE OF INSURING THAT EACH STUDENT-ATHLETE IS
IN COMPLIANCE WITH THESE REQUIREMENTS.
RECRUITMENT
It is the policy of the Department of Education that no
school through any of its officers or by any other means shall directly or
indirectly induce any student to sever connections with his/her school or to
transfer schools for athletic purposes.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
1. The
Eligibility Rules and Regulations shall apply uniformly to all high school
students in the New York City Public Schools.
2. The
Principal and the Athletic Director shall be responsible for the examination of
records to determine a student’s eligibility in all sports. These records
shall be subject to an audit by the PSAL.
3. A
student is eligible to participate in the PSAL interscholastic sports program
immediately upon lawful registration and entry into a New York City Public
High School that offers
such a program, provided the student meets the standards as set forth by the
Eligibility Rules and Regulations, with the following exceptions:
3.1
Any transferring
student who was on an active roster at a public high school at any time during
the year prior to the date of transfer, shall be ineligible to represent the
school transferred to, in that sport, for a period of one year from the date of
transfer, unless the student can demonstrate that the transfer is the result of
an official change of residence by his/her parents or legal guardians or the
result of a legal change in guardians.
3.2
If a student was on a
team’s active roster in a sport in any high school (public, parochial or
private), that student may not participate in the same sport during the same
season, for any other team.
4. A student may participate on one or more teams but only
for the school in which he/she is a full-time student.
5. An
athlete may only participate on one team per sports’ season (Fall, Winter and Spring). This rule
shall not prevent a student from giving up one sport and competing in another
sport in the same season. However, the athlete must drop off the team prior to
the second scheduled PSAL contest in order to be allowed to transfer teams. If
he/she does so, he/she may not return to compete in the first sport during that
school year. When two sports are overlapping, a student may represent his/her
school in only one of the sports. If a season is lengthened due to post-season
play, a student-athlete may receive credit for 25% of the practice requirements
needed to compete in the second sport (as specified in the PSAL Sports
Standards for Interscholastic Competition).
6. Eligibility of any student to compete in a postponed game
shall be determined as of the date on which the game is actually played.
7. A student must comply with the City-wide Standards of
Disciplinary and Intervention Measures.
8. A student who is enrolled in the PSAL sports program must
comply with each of the PSAL athletic eligibility requirements with respect to
the timely submission of completed medicals and parental consent forms,
academics, age, attendance, and good citizenship.
9. Scholastic
Eligibility:
9.1. The 4+1 Rule-A student
must pass four credit bearing subjects (not four credits) and physical education,
if taken, in the most recent final marking period (January or June). An
eligible student-athlete must pass four credit bearing subjects and physical
education the marking period closest to December 1st or April 15th
to continue his/her eligibility. Schools on cycle marking systems shall use the
final grade of the cycle closest to January 31st and June 30th
for determining final grades at the end of the term. Schools on cycle marking
systems shall use the grades of the cycle closest to December 1st in the fall
term and April 15th in the spring term for gaining or maintaining
eligibility.
Entering freshmen (first year in grade
9) are academically eligible until the 2nd report card is issued.
9.2. If two Physical Education classes
are taken, at least one must be passed.
9.3. The date all report cards are
issued in a school at the end of a marking period shall be the official date
for determining eligibility.
9.4. At least two of the four
subjects passed must be major subjects (English, Mathematics, Social Studies,
Foreign Language or Science).
9.5. A student may substitute one
non-credit remedial class for which a passing grade has been given for one of
the minor subjects in the 4+1 rule
9.6.
The 8 Credit Rule-A student must accumulate a minimum of eight credits
(not including physical education) for the two semesters prior to the
eligibility period. Night School, Summer School and P.M. School
is included in this
calculation. This rule will be in effect beginning with a student’s third
semester in high school.
9.7
When evaluating athletic eligibility for 9th or 10th grade students programmed
for 90-minute double periods in Literacy and Mathematics, Athletic Directors
can count each passing double period as 2 subjects toward the 4+1 rule and 2
credits toward the 8 credit rule.
9.8.
When a student has completed the requirements for graduation, the student may
substitute any credit-bearing course offered by the school in place of the
subjects listed in 9.4.
9.9. A student in his/her final year
may take fewer than four classes and physical education provided that the
classes taken are the only ones needed to fulfill graduation requirements.
9.10. Requirements for
credit-bearing coursework are waived for special education students
participating in alternate assessments. All other eligibility requirements
apply.
9.11. Scholastic eligibility at the
beginning of each term shall be determined by the final grades of the previous
term. Grades that are earned in summer school, and accepted by the home school,
shall be counted as grades for the previous June. If a student is registered in a PM school or evening school, only
the final grade is used for eligibility.
9.12. A student who is ineligible
may become scholastically eligible by passing four credit bearing subjects (not
4 credits) and physical education during the marking period closest to December
1st and April 15th, exclusive of the first marking period
in the fall and spring terms when three marking periods are used per term,
provided a student fulfills the 8 credit rule requirements listed in 9.6.
9.13. In non-traditional high
schools, a student must pass subjects equated to Math, English, Social Studies,
Science, Foreign Language and Physical Education (4 academic subjects plus 1
Physical Education). These requirements are needed in order to maintain and/or
establish eligibility for participation on a PSAL interscholastic team.
Evidence of meeting these requirements must be shown on the report cards issued
closest to the following dates: December 1st, January 31st,
April 15th and June 30th. The date the evaluations are
issued in the schools shall be the official date for determining eligibility.
9.14. A scholastically ineligible
student may practice with the team as an incentive for him/her to establish
eligibility. Any student who is scholastically ineligible at the start of the
season, or becomes scholastically ineligible, may practice with the team
provided the student is on the roster as “Inactive.” If a student
cannot reestablish eligibility during the next marking period, the student is
not permitted to practice with the team during the remainder of that season.
10. Attendance
Requirements:
10.1. At the end of each marking
period a student must achieve, at a minimum, 80% attendance for that marking
period in order to be considered for athletic eligibility. The 80% minimum
attendance requirement refers to attendance in school and not to attendance in
specific classes. The 80% attendance requirement is not
cumulative.
10.2. A student must be present in
school and must attend all assigned classes in order to participate in any team
practice, scrimmage, league or non-league game, meet, contest or try-out on
that day. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the school Principal on a
case by case basis. Bona fide medical
absence documented by a physician’s statement is an exception. Absence
due to the death of a father, mother, grandparent or sibling may be approved to
a maximum of five school days based upon the submission of documentation to the
school Principal. Absences due to court appearances may be approved upon
submission of documentation to the school Principal.
10.3. A student with less than 80%
attendance at the end of the term or at the end of any marking period is
ineligible, but can establish attendance eligibility when the next report card
or evaluation is issued.
10.4. A student who has been
declared ineligible for failure to meet the 80% minimum attendance requirement
and who establishes eligibility when the next report card is issued must
maintain a minimum of 80% attendance for every consecutive ten-day period of
required school attendance following the issuance of said report card for the
duration of the term. When a student fails to meet this requirement, he/she
immediately becomes ineligible for the remainder of the term. Eligibility for
the subsequent term is based on the 80% minimum attendance requirement set
forth in section 10.1.
11. Suspended
Students:
Suspended students
are not eligible to participate in any team practice, scrimmage, league or
non-league game, meet, contest or try-out during the period of their
suspension.
12. Age/Grade
Eligibility:
12.1. A student shall be eligible
for high school athletic competition in a sport for up to four consecutive
seasons beginning with his/her entry into the 9th grade.
12.2. A student shall be eligible
for varsity competition in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 until his/her 19th
birthday. A student who attains the age of 19 on or after July 1 may continue
to participate during that school year in all varsity sports.
12.3. A student shall only be
eligible for junior varsity competition in grades 9 and 10 until his/her 17th
birthday. A student who attains the age of 17 on or after July 1 may continue
to participate during that school year in all sports.
12.4. A student may not represent a
high school as a freshman in athletics later than one year from the date he/she
enters high school; as a sophomore later than two years from the date he/she
enters; and as a junior later than three years from the date he/she enters.
12.5. The date a student is enrolled
in the ninth grade is used for the purpose of determining athletic eligibility.
Enrollment for any part of a semester counts as a full semester of athletic
eligibility.
12.6. If a student has graduated
from any high school, or equivalent thereof, he/she may not represent any New York City Public School at any time.
13. Ineligible Student
Penalties:
13.1
For team sports, if an
ineligible student is listed on the roster as active, and/or participates in any interscholastic contest, the
team with the ineligible player shall forfeit the contest with the following exceptions:
13.1.1 When an
ineligible student is discovered after the terminal date of scheduled league
competition (regular season), the student shall be removed from the team
without forfeiture of the contest.
13.1.2 If the offending
team has gone on to compete in the playoffs they will forfeit their last
playoff contest (including the championship).
13.2 For
individual sports (Swimming, Track & Field, Gymnastics, Wrestling and
Fencing), if an ineligible student is listed on the roster as active, and/or participates in any
interscholastic contest, only the score(s) of the ineligible student will be
disallowed.
AMATEUR STATUS
A student who represents a school in
an interscholastic sport shall be an amateur in that sport. An amateur is one who
engages in athletic competition solely for the physical, mental and social
benefits. A student shall forfeit amateur status by:
1. i) Competing for money or other compensation. Allowable
travel, meals and lodging expenses may be approved.
2. ii) Receiving an award or prize of monetary value as a result of
participation in an event that has not been sanctioned by the New York State Public High Schools Athletic
Association.
3. iii) Capitalizing on athletic fame by
receiving gifts of monetary value. Scholarships to institutes of higher
learning are specifically exempted.
4. iv) Signing a professional playing contract in
a sport.
14. Eligibility Review
Committee:
14.1. The Eligibility Review
Committee (The Committee) is empowered to act on questions regarding
eligibility except where a PSAL sport
specific rule may apply. The Committee shall be made up of The PSAL
Director, the PSAL Eligibility advisor, and a Senior PSAL Coordinator.
14.2. Any coach, athletic director, or parent, with the
consent of the Principal, may appeal an eligibility decision in writing by
submitting a Request For An
Eligibility Review of a Student Athlete along with supporting documentation to
the Committee. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to request the assistance of
the school’s Principal and athletic director when requesting an
eligibility review from the Committee.
Click here for: Request For
an Eligibility Review of a Student-Athlete, form "A"
14.3. When a student’s
eligibility is questioned, the school’s Principal shall be requested to
verify the student’s record. All evidence prepared by the Principal in
regard to the student shall be submitted to the Committee, which shall have
full power to make a decision in regard to the student’s eligibility for
participation in the New York City Public Schools Athletic League program.
14.4. If sufficient evidence is
presented by a school Principal to the Committee to show that a student’s
failure to enter competition in a sport during one or more seasons due to
illness, accident, or other such circumstance beyond the control of the
student, the student’s eligibility may be considered for extension provided
that the student meets the age and academic requirements for participation. Academic failures that result in a
student’s need for a 5th year in school may not be beyond the
student’s control and
therefore may not be grounds for eligibility.
14.5. The Committee’s decision
may be appealed. (See Procedures for
Requesting an Appeal of the Eligibility Review of a Student-Athlete.)
PROCEDURES FOR REQUESTING AN APPEAL
OF THE ELIGIBILITY REVIEW OF A STUDENT-ATHLETE
All
appeals and requests for information should be sent to:
Arnold H. Nager, Hearing Officer,
44-36 Vernon Boulevard, 4th Floor,
Long Island City, NY
11101.
Applications may be sent by fax,
718-707-4224.
A. Those
appealing the Committee’s decision must submit a Request for
an Appeal of the Eligibility Review of a Student-Athlete form. Applications for an appeal must include
all pertinent documentation.
Click here
for: Request For an Appeal of the Eligibility Review of a
Student-Athlete, form "B"
B. The
Hearing Officer will inform the parties if testimony will be necessary, or
whether he will make his decision based on the record alone.
C. If
the Hearing Officer requires testimony, a hearing shall be convened within
seven days from receipt of the written application unless the Hearing Officer
determines that extenuating circumstances exist and the appeal will be heard on
more than seven days notice.
D. If
a hearing is required, each party shall be accorded an opportunity to make
written and/or oral presentations on all appropriate issues, to present
relevant documents and to call and question witnesses. A list of witnesses
shall be supplied to the Hearing Officer at least two days prior to the hearing
in order to arrange for their appearance.
E. At
the request of one of the parties, a witness may be sworn in or asked to affirm
that he/she will testify truthfully before presenting information to the
Hearing Officer.
F. The
Hearing Officer may utilize electronic or other recording procedures for the
preservation of oral testimony.
G. The
parties to an appeal shall be forwarded a copy of the initial determination rendered
by the Hearing Officer within five school days of the submission of the appeal
if there is no hearing, or within two school days of the hearing. Thereafter, a
formal decision letter shall be issued within five school days of the issuance
of the decision. Complete case reports will only be issued in the event that
the appellant informs the Hearing Officer, within fifteen calendar days from
the date of the decision letter that it wishes to pursue litigation.
H. The
decision of the Hearing Officer is final and constitutes the administrative
action of the Chancellor.