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Athletic Eligibility

PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) Eligibility Rules

Academic

  • To be eligible for interscholastic athletic competition, a scholar must pursue a curriculum defined and approved by the Principal as a full-time curriculum. Where required, this curriculum or its equivalent must be approved by, and conform to, the regulations of the State Board of Education and the Pennsylvania School Code, as well as any local policies established by the local school board. The scholar must maintain an acceptable grade in such approved curriculum, as certified by the Principal. Eligibility shall be cumulative from the beginning of the grading period, and shall be reported on a weekly basis. Make up work may be provided in accordance with the regular rules of the school.
  • In cases where a scholar’s work in any preceding grading period does not meet the standards provided for in this article, said scholar shall be ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics for the first fifteen (15) school days of the next grading period.

Attendance:

  • A scholar must be regularly enrolled at Cheltenham High School and be in full-time attendance.
  • Any member of an athletic/club team not in school by 11:00 a.m.is not eligible to participate in a scheduled contest (practice/game) on that day. This rule can be waived by the Principal in extreme or exceptional situations.
  • Any scholar assigned an In School Suspension or Out of School Suspension will not be permitted to participate in any contest or practice during the suspension period (i.e., the day(s) that the scholar is actually serving the ISS or OSS). The scholar can resume participating the following calendar day.
  • By coach’s decision, scholars may be dismissed from the team for a designated number of suspensions.
  • Any scholar in attendance more than eight semesters beyond 8th grade shall not be eligible. In other words, a scholar is allowed a maximum of eight (8) semesters to participate in high school athletics.
  • A scholar who has been absent from school during a semester for a period of twenty (20) or more school days, shall not be eligible to participate in any athletic contest until he/she has been in attendance for a total of forty-five (45) school days following his twentieth day of absence. An exception can occur when there is an excused absence due to a death in the immediate family or near relative, court subpoena, quarantine, or religious activity/function, or an excused absence of five (5) or more school days due to a confining illness or injury. The P.I.A.A. district committee may waive this rule if any of the described absence(s) occurs.

Maximum Age:

  • A scholar must be less than 19 years of age prior to July 1 of the following school year to be eligible. If a scholar attained the age of 19 on or after July 1, the scholar shall be eligible for the entire school year.
  • A scholar must be less than 16 years of age prior to July 1 to be eligible for ninth grade play. If a scholar attained the age of 16 on or after July 1, the scholar shall be eligible to play ninth grade sports for the entire school year.

Academic Eligibility

General Academic Eligibility Information

  • Ineligibility, as defined by Cheltenham High School, means not being allowed to participate in games.
  • The athletic director and coach can determine on a case-by case scenario whether or not it is best for the scholar-athlete to attend practice, or some type of supervised study time, while ineligible.
  • A scholar is not permitted to drop a subject to become eligible.
  • The eligibility requirements apply to all subjects.

Weekly Academic Eligibility

  • The athletic department will determine eligibility weekly.
  • If a scholar receives two (2) or more failures for the week, he/she will be ineligible for the following week (the period of ineligibility is from the following Monday to the next Saturday). If, by the following Friday, a scholar is no longer failing two (2) or more courses, he/she becomes eligible the following Monday.
  • Failing is defined to the teachers as “if the marking period ended today, the scholar would receive an overall failing grade for the course or marking period.”
  • The Principal, his or her designee, or the athletic director may exclude an athlete from participation for the remainder of the season if he/she becomes ineligible on two (2) or more separate occasions.

Marking Period Academic Eligibility

  • Any scholar who receives two (2) or more failing marks at the end of the marking periods will be ineligible for a period of fifteen (15) school days.
  • The period of ineligibility begins the day grades are due and ends fifteen (15) school days later. If, by this time, a scholar is not failing two (2) classes in the current marking period, he/she becomes eligible at once (determined by the weekly checks).

Beginning of School Year Academic Eligibility

  • Any scholar who receives two (2) or more failing marks at the end of the final grading period of the previous school year and has failed to makeup those courses over the summer will be ineligible for a period of fifteen (15) school days beginning on the first day of school in September.
  • This period of ineligibility begins on the first day of school and ends fifteen (15) school days later. If, by this time, the scholar is not failing two (2) classes in the current marking period, he/she becomes eligible at once.