FAQ – Athletics

1.   Q. Can home school students participate in sports at their regular school?
A. Eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities is limited to students regularly enrolled in the school.

2.   Q. My child attends a private school that does not have any sports; can my child play sports at his regular school?
A. Eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities is limited to students regularly enrolled in the school.

3.   Q. If my school does not offer a particular sport, can I play on the team at another school?
A. No, students are eligible at the school in which they are enrolled.

4.   Q. If my child attends one of the middle colleges can he/she play sports?
A. Since they do not have a sports program, students enrolled in middle colleges are permitted to return to their attendance zone school for sports.

5.   Q. My child’s grandparents own a home near another school I would like my child to attend; can we use their address for enrollment and athletic eligibility?
A. Eligibility is based on the domicile of the parents, so this would not be permitted.

6.   Q. Do suspension days count in the total absences when determining eligibility?
A. All days recorded as an absence in the students records count in determining eligibility for athletics. This includes suspensions as well as any excused absences. Make-up time cannot be used to reduce the number of absences for athletic eligibility purposes.

7.   Q. Do children with an IEP or 504 plan have to meet the same eligibility requirements as other students?
A. Yes, students with an IEP or 504 plan are expected to meet the same requirements.

8.   Q. Can girls participate on boys athletic teams?
A. Girls can participate on boys’ teams when the school does not field a girls’ team in the same sport.

9.   Q. I passed all my classes for the first grading period, but my coach says I’m not eligible. If I passed all of my classes, why am I not allowed to participate in sports?
A. Athletic eligibility is determined by semester grades. Nine weeks (quarter) grades cannot be used in establishing eligibility.

10. Q. How many classes must I pass to be eligible?
A. Students attending block schedule schools must pass 3 courses for the previous semester; students attending traditional schedule schools must pass 5 courses during the previous semester. Other types of schedules must be evaluated on an individual basis.

11. Q. My cumulative GPA is 2.100, but I was told I was not eligible because my semester GPA is too low. Why is there a difference?
A. Athletic eligibility is based on the students’ academic performance during the previous semester. The cumulative GPA is an indicator of the students’ academic work throughout their high school career and is therefore not used in determining eligibility. 

12. Q. If my child is injured during athletic participation, are all of the medical expenses covered?
A. GCS does provide insurance coverage through an excess policy, but there are limits to the benefits and you may incur some out of pocket expenses related to the injury.

If you have additional questions not answered here, please direct your question to the athletic director at your school.