LHSAA

Basic Guidelines for Eligibility

BONA FIDE STUDENT
Student must be counted on the daily attendance records at your school. He/she is considered a student at your school after attending one class.

ENROLLMENT
Student must attend class during the first 11 school days of the first semester or he/she will be ineligible for the first 30 school days.

AGE
Student cannot become 19 years of age prior to August 1 of the current school year.

PROOF OF AGE
Student must provide legal proof of age, which meets the provisions of the LHSAA Handbook, to the school administrator to be kept of file.

CONSECUTIVE SEMESTERS
Once a student enters the ninth grade, he/she has eight consecutive semesters to play athletics.

SCHOLASTIC

To be eligible for the first semester of a school year, a student shall have earned at least six (6) units from the previous school year which shall be listed on the student’s transcript, including any special education subject(s) and shall have at least a “C “ average as determined by the Local Education Authority when considering all “graded” subjects.
To be eligible for the second semester of the school year, a student shall pass any combination of at least six (6) half (.5) units from the first semester.

RESIDENCE AND TRANSFER
If student attends a school outside of his/her "Home Attendance Zone," he/she is automatically ineligible for one year unless he/she meets the provisions of the Residence and Transfer Rule.

UNDUE INFLUENCE
If student has been recruited to your school for athletic purposes, the student will remain ineligible as long as he/she attends your school.

AMATEUR
Student cannot play high school athletics if he/she loses amateur status

INDEPENDENT TEAM
In certain sports student cannot play on a school team and an independent team during the same sport season.

MEDICAL EXAMINATION
Student must pass a physical examination administered by a licensed physician, a licensed nurse practitioner that is in collaboration with a licensed physician, or a licensed physician’s assistant under the supervision of a licensed physician and complete an LHSAA medical history evaluation form or the Louisiana School Entrance and General Health Exam Form prior to participating. (See Rule: 1.8 of the LHSAA Handbook). This form must be kept on file with the school and is subject to inspection by the LHSAA Rules Compliance Team.

ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION FORM
A school is required to complete and sign this form every year that a student participates in LHSAA athletics at the school. This form must be kept on file with the school and is subject to inspection by the LHSAA Rules Compliance Team.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE/MISUSE CONTRACT
A school shall only be required to complete and sign this form the first time a student participates in LHSAA athletics at the school. This form must be kept on file with the school and is subject to inspection by the LHSAA Rules Compliance Team.

SUSPENDED AND INELIGIBLE STUDENTS
Suspended and ineligible students cannot participate in any interscholastic contest on any team at any school at any level until he/she presents written clearance from the school he/she has been suspended/expelled.

NOTE: All Official Ruling request are completed on the member site only by the Principal.

District Chair Representatives

Important How-To's For Principals

REQUESTING AN OFFICIAL ELIGIBILITY RULING

If a school has concerns about whether a student-athlete is eligible at his/her school, it can request an official ruling from the Executive Director by online submission detailing the student-athlete's situation, the school's principal must complete and submit an Eligibility Ruling Request form through the LHSAA Members' Only website; any applicable documentation requested on the Ruling Request form must be emailed to the LHSAA office. From this, the Executive Director will issue a written ruling on the status of the student-athlete's eligibility. Under LHSAA rules:

Only a principal can request an official eligibility ruling.
Only rulings from the Executive Director are official. No verbal information given is official and binding.
Once a ruling on a student-athlete is requested, the student-athlete is ineligible until the official ruling is received by the school.

HAVING A BONA FIDE CHANGE OF RESIDENCE INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED

When a school would like the LHSAA office to send a representative to check if a student-athlete and his/her parents or guardian's change of residence is within the requirements of LHSAA rules, it would request a bona fide change of residence investigation. To accomplish this, the school must complete and submit a Bona Change of Residence form through the LHSAA Members' Only website; any applicable documentation requested on the form must be uploaded online. When received, an LHSAA official will be assigned to the investigation, and he/she will then contact the school to set up the appropriate meetings to conduct the move check. Upon completion of the investigation, the Executive Director will issue a written ruling on the student-athlete's eligibility based on the findings of the move check. Once again, only an LHSAA principal can request a bona fide change of residence investigation, and the student is ineligible until an official ruling is issued on the student-athlete's eligibility.

PURSUING A HARDSHIP

If a student-athlete is found ineligible under the LHSAA's basic eligibility requirements, in certain circumstances, an LHSAA principal can request that a hardship be consider in the student-athlete's situation. By LHSAA rules, a hardship condition only exists if the condition that caused the student-athlete not to meet the basic eligibility requirements is involuntary, unforeseen, uncorrectable, and creates a unique situation concerning the student-athlete's educational, emotional, or physical status that is beyond the control of the school, the school system, the student and/or his/her parents or guardian.

The proper protocol to follow if a school wishes to pursue a hardship in a student-athlete's situation is as follows:

Principal submit letter and Eligibility Ruling Request form; indicate in letter that school wishes to pursue hardship. Deadline is Wednesday before meeting.
Executive Director's office issues official written ruling and if applicable forwards a LHSAA Hardship Application for completion by the school. Deadline is Friday before meeting.
School returns original hardship application to the LHSAA office. To be considered by the Hardship Committee, the application and documentation must be received prior to each deadline above for the Sport season in order to be placed on the Hardship Committee agenda.
Executive Director reviews hardship and determines if he will waive the student-athlete's situation as a hardship; if not, the case is forwarded on for consideration by the LHSAA Hardship Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
School is notified of date and time to appear before LHSAA Hardship Committee.
Case is heard and Committee determines whether to grant a hardship in the student's situation.
All decisions of the Hardship Committee are FINAL, and there are no appeals of its decisions.