18.0.0 STUDENT STANDARDS FOR INTERSCHOLASTIC ELIGIBILITY

PHILOSOPHY OF STANDARDS OF ELIGIBILITY: In keeping with the belief that participation in activities is a privilege and not a right, certain standards of eligibility have been established. Standards on age, residence and seasons limitations promote the Association's goals of fairness and equality of opportunity for all participants. Standards on scholarship, attendance and amateur standing promote the Association's goals of educating youth and promoting activities as an integral part of the total educational process. AFFIRMATION OF ASSOCIATION GOALS 1, 4 AND 6. THEREFORE:

18.1.0 STUDENT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA - All contestants must be eligible under the rules of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to participate in an interscholastic contest.

18.1.1 This regulation does not restrict participation in practices or intra-squad scrimmages.

18.2.0 ELIGIBILITY LISTS - No student shall participate in an interscholastic contest unless they are properly certified on an eligibility list on file in the principal's office or the office of the principal's designee.

18.2.1 Upon mutual agreement of schools or leagues, eligibility lists may be exchanged.

18.3.0 PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR PARTICIPATION - Only players who are currently eligible to participate in an activity shall appear at the contest in the uniform of their school and/or occupy a position on the team bench.

18.4.0 AGE LIMITS - SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL - Students shall be under 20 years of age on September 1 for the fall sports season, on December 1 for the winter sports season, and on March 1 for the spring sports season.

AGE LIMITS - JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL - Students shall not have reached their 16th birthday prior to June 1 of the previous school year.

AGE LIMITS - MIDDLE SCHOOL - Student(s) shall not have reached their 15th birthday prior to June 1 of the previous school year. Middle school is defined as a school with at least seventh and eighth grade levels.

18.4.1 Overage Student - A student who is ineligible to compete in middle or junior high level school athletics due to the age rule may participate in all sports in the public senior high school of the public school district provided both middle or junior high level and senior high school principals of the public school district concerned approve the student's participation. The middle level/junior high school principal shall certify to the senior high principal the student's scholastic eligibility.

18.4.2 Provided any student is deemed ineligible under this rule, he or she may be declared eligible pursuant to Article 19 of this handbook.

18.5.0 STUDENT MEMBER OF A SCHOOL - Students must be regular members of the school they represent in order to participate in an interscholastic athletic activity. Students are a "regular member" of a school if they are enrolled half time or more, exclusive of interscholastic athletic activities.

18.5.1 In order for a student to participate in post season and state tournament playoffs, the student must be a member of a WIAA member school squad and have been included on a school's team roster for at least 50% of the regular season for that sport.

18.5.2 A full-time student in a private school or a certified educational clinic student may participate on the interscholastic teams of their resident public school if the student resides within the service area of that public school and if the interscholastic activity is unavailable to the student in the private school or certified educational clinic. Students in a private school or certified educational clinic must meet the same team responsibilities as public school team members and are obligated by the same standards of behavior and performance as other members of the team.

18.5.3 A full-time high school student in a private school who qualifies under 18.5.2 above shall participate only at the resident public school that the student would normally attend. This section is intended to prevent a school district with more than one secondary school from allowing a student to apply for open enrollment and thus participate at a school outside of that student's attendance boundaries.

A. A full-time seventh or eighth grade student in a private school who qualifies under 18.5.2 shall be able to participate at the seventh or eighth grade public school that is nearest that student’s current private school provided he/she resides in that school district.

18.5.4 Home based instruction students are categorized as private/alternative education students. Therefore, to be eligible to participate in interscholastic contests/competitions, the student must:

A. Meet both WIAA and school district eligibility requirement standards of all students, including transfer student requirements.

B. Meet and adhere to the same team responsibilities and standards of behavior and performance of other members of the team/squad.

C. Participate as a member of the public school in which service area they reside with their family unit.

D. Provide the school administration acceptable documentation of any interscholastic eligibility standards required of all other student participants.

E. Comply with WIAA and local school regulations during the time of participation.

PHILOSOPHY OF SCHOLARSHIP: While the WIAA is aware of the important role that interscholastic athletics play in the development of students, the WIAA member schools are also committed to the philosophy that the primary purpose of our secondary schools should be to academically prepare students to become productive citizens upon graduation. Scholastic incentives should be established and enforced for the educational and personal welfare of the students who participate. AFFIRMATION OF ASSOCIATION GOALS 1, 4 AND 9. THEREFORE:

18.6.0 SCHOLARSHIP - In order to maintain athletic eligibility during the current semester/trimester, the student shall maintain passing grades in a minimum of:

18.6.1 Any class taken as part of the regular schedule of the student during the semester/trimester shall be considered to be a full time subject.

18.6.2 Schools shall establish a grade monitoring system to ascertain the student's passing status in the minimum of required classes.

18.6.3 A student shall have passed the minimum number of classes as listed above in the immediately preceding semester/trimester in order to be eligible for competition during the succeeding semester/trimester. The record at the end of the semester/trimester shall be final, except for those credits earned in a regular, accredited summer school program and accepted by the school district.

18.6.4 Incompletes may be made up for credit during the first five (5) weeks of the subsequent semester/trimester. The student shall be ineligible for interscholastic competition until the incomplete(s) are cleared.

18.6.5 ACADEMIC PROBATIONARY PERIOD - A student who has been in regular attendance at least fifteen (15) weeks of the previous semester (10 weeks of the previous trimester), but who failed to make the grade requirements of 18.6.0, shall be placed on probation. The student shall be ineligible during the probationary period. If, at the end of the probation period, the student is passing in the minimum number of classes required above, the student may then be reinstated for interscholastic competition.

A. The probation period for high school students shall be during the first five (5) weeks of the succeeding semester/trimester.

B. The probation period for middle level students shall be during the first three (3) weeks of the succeeding semester/trimester.

C. Each student is eligible on Monday of the week following the end of the probation period. In the event of a school holiday, three or more teaching days shall constitute a week.

18.7.0 PREVIOUS SEMESTER - The student shall have been in regular attendance as a full time student as defined in 18.6.3, in an elementary, intermediate, middle level, or high school during the semester/trimester immediately preceding the semester/trimester in which the contest is held.

18.7.2 A student who fails to complete the previous semester/trimester shall be ineligible for athletic competition unless the student was in regular attendance a minimum of fifteen (15) weeks of the previous semester or ten (10) weeks of the previous trimester.

18.8.0 REGULAR ATTENDANCE - The student shall be enrolled and in regular attendance within the first fifteen (15) school days in a semester or ten (10) school days in a trimester at the start of the current semester/trimester in order to participate in interscholastic contests during the current semester/trimester.

18.8.1 A student must be in attendance 15 weeks during an 18-week semester (10 of 12 for a trimester.)

18.8.2 A ratio greater than one (1) unexcused absence to six (6) attendances constitutes irregular attendance.

18.8.3 GRADUATING SENIORS - Graduating seniors are defined as those students who graduate prior to the end of the school year. Graduating seniors retain their eligibility and may continue to participate in interscholastic activities until the end of the school year in which they graduate provided they are enrolled one-half (1/2) time or more and provided they have not exceeded their four (4) consecutive years of eligibility.

PHILOSOPHY OF RESIDENCE RULE: The WIAA residence rule is intended to create an equitable environment in which its member schools can compete, and at the same time prevent those abuses that taint the goals of interscholastic athletics. Primarily, the residence rule is intended to prevent athletic recruiting, prevent students from choosing schools for athletic reasons, and to promote the varied family units as the best environment for students to live in while attending school. Deterring students from running away from or avoiding imposed discipline, protecting school programs by discouraging athletic transfers and protecting the opportunities for bona fide resident students to participate are also viable reasons for the residence rule. AFFIRMATION OF GOALS # 6 AND 7 OF THE ASSOCIATION. THEREFORE:

RESIDENCE - The place where the family unit has established its home and/or the place where the student is habitually present and to which, when departing, the student intends to return.

FAMILY UNIT - The adult(s) who has/have had legal custody of the student for a period of at least one (1) year and with whom the student resides.

18.9.1 In order to be eligible to participate and/or represent a member school in an interscholastic contest, the student of that school must be residing within the boundaries of that school district and designated attendance area of the school and shall have attended a school of that school district continuously for a period of one year while residing with the family unit. In the event a school does not have a designated attendance area, the WIAA Executive Board shall have the authority to designate an attendance area for such school. The WIAA Executive Board shall consider all relevant factors, including but not limited to the natural or historical attendance area for such school, the geographical setting of the school in the municipality, and the nearby public school boundaries.

18.9.2 Unless otherwise provided, a student shall be eligible while attending a school in the school district in which that student resides with the family unit, and provided that the student has been continuously attending that member school, or a feeder school of that member school, for a period of one (1) year.

18.9.3 A student who cannot meet the Residence Rule requirements would be eligible for all interscholastic competition below the varsity level.

18.9.4 Residence Area for private schools shall be a fifty (50) mile radius from the school address.

PHILOSOPHY OF TRANSFER - The purpose of the Transfer Rule is to protect, rather than to inhibit students who participate in athletic competition. The Transfer Rule is preventative in nature and is devised to eliminate the incentive to transfer schools when a motivation is for athletic purposes and after a student has initially chosen the school of his/her choice while he/she has been living with the family unit. The Transfer Rule protects students who have previously participated in athletic competition at a member school from being replaced by students who transfer for athletic purposes and further protects students at other member schools from the effects of “school shopping” by students and “recruiting” by member schools and their agents. The Transfer Rule encourages fair play, discourages the excesses and abuses of promotion and protects the integrity of interscholastic athletic programs for the member schools and their students.

18.10.0 TRANSFERRING STUDENTS - After registering with and/or attending a middle level or high school, students changing enrollment to/from one school district to another shall be considered transferring students. In order to be eligible for varsity competition, transferring students must meet the normal residence requirements and the transferring student requirements of 18.10.1, 18.10.2, 18.10.3 or be granted a waiver under 18.12.0 and 18.21.0. This section shall also apply to those students receiving home based instruction.

18.10.1 The following students who are attending a member school shall be deemed to meet the residence rule requirement and transferring student rule requirements:

A. A student whose transfer is based on a bona fide and immediate change of residence for a minimum of one (1) full year to a new school (district) due to an actual physical relocation of and with the entire family unit to a different residence and preceded by termination of all occupancy of their previous residence.

B. A student attending school outside of his/her residence district for one (1) calendar year or more is eligible thereafter in a school of that school district provided the enrollment/attendance is continuous.

C. A student whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) reside at different abodes as the result of a divorce or court approved legal separation is allowed one (1) transfer between parents or guardians after entering the ninth grade without being restricted to sub-varsity competition for one (1) year. Any subsequent transfer shall be governed by the transferring student rules and procedures.

D. A student who is under commitment to the Department of Social and Health Services, a student who is on juvenile parole status and a student who has been adjudicated as a ward of a juvenile court where residence is the result of assignment by the government entity charged with his/her care.

E. A student whose release has been ordered by the Superintendent of Public Instruction on the basis of a special hardship or detrimental condition.

F. A student who has a residence change following the death or disability of the family unit in order to reside with a relative.

G. A seventh and/or eighth grade student who transfers to a school without a corresponding change of residence by his or her family unit and who meets all other conditions of eligibility shall be eligible at the new school when properly enrolled.

H. A student completing the highest grade offered in a middle school or junior high school that has declared its ninth grade athletics at the middle level, upon enrollment in a private high school.

I. A student upon enrollment to the initial first level of a private school from a public school.

J. A student completing the highest grade offered in a private middle school or junior high school that has declared its ninth grade athletics at the middle level, upon enrollment in his/her residence public high school.

NOTE regarding 18.10.1.H and 18.10.J, if the school declares their ninth graders as junior high athletes, the window of transfer is between the ninth and tenth grade years; if the school declares their ninth graders as high school athletes, the window of transfer is between the eighth and ninth grade years.

18.10.2 A student attending a member school district school for one (1) calendar year or more is eligible in the same school district during subsequent attendance, so long as the enrollment/attendance is continuous.

18.10.3 A student whose transfer is the result of participation in a one-year cultural or educational exchange experience.

A. Students leaving this country for a one-year cultural/educational experience shall file a letter with their district eligibility committee prior to departure and will be eligible at their school of origin upon their return, provided all other rules of eligibility have been met.

B. Students coming to this country for a one-year cultural/educational experience are eligible at the varsity level for one (1) year only in the school in which they have been placed, provided all other rules or eligibility have been met.

C. In no case will eligibility be extended beyond the four (4) consecutive years provided for in 18.14, and this exception applies only to students participating in a one (1)-year cultural/educational experience in another country. There shall be no evidence that a significant reason for the transfer was to participate in athletics. Students must meet all other WIAA rules of eligibility.

18.11.0 SUB-VARSITY STATUS - An establishment of ineligibility pursuant to section 18.9.0 shall be effective for one (1) calendar year from the date of enrollment. This ineligible status only prohibits a student from competing at the varsity level.

18.12.0 RESIDENCE RULE WAIVER - Transferring students, unless eligible via 18.9 through 18.10, shall be deemed to have transferred at will and must apply to the WIAA District Eligibility Committee for a waiver of the Residence Rule. Such an application shall be processed under the appeal provisions contained in Article 19 of this Handbook. The procedure for evaluating a transferring student's application will be as follows:

18.12.1 The student must meet all other eligibility requirements of Article 18 of this Handbook.

18.12.2 The student must establish a hardship as defined under the provisions of Article 18.21.0 and as determined by the District Eligibility Committee.

18.12.3 There can be no evidence that either the student transferred for the purpose of participating in interscholastic athletics or transferred as a result of having been recruited for the purpose of participating in interscholastic athletics.

18.12.4 In addition to the above requirements, the District Eligibility Chairperson shall, as an added condition of eligibility, require that a transferring student submit a WIAA Previous School Statement. This form must be signed by the principal of the school from which the student has transferred, indicating the principal's approval of athletic eligibility for the transferring student. A copy of the signed form must be retained on file in the school office for the duration of the student's attendance at that school.

18.13.0 PHYSICAL EXAMINATION - Prior to the first practice for participation in interscholastic athletics in a middle level school, and prior to the first practice for participation in a high school, a student shall undergo a thorough medical examination and be approved for middle level and/or high school interscholastic athletic competition by a medical authority licensed to perform a physical examination. This physical examination must include, but is not necessarily be limited to:

1. Documentation of a detailed review of the student’s medical history with special attention to presence or absence of cardiovascular/pulmonary risks and/or previous significant injury and rehabilitation therefrom.

3. Documentation of satisfactory sport-specific orthopedic screening examination.

4. A written statement by the examiner as to the fitness of the student to undertake the proposed athletic participation, together with suggestion for activity modification if necessary.

18.13.1 Those licensed to perform physical examinations include MD, Doctor of Osteopathy DO, Certified Registered Nurse (ARNP), Physician’s Assistant (PR), and Naturopathic Physicians.

18.13.2 The school in which this student is enrolled must have on file a statement (or prepared form) from a medical authority licensed to give a physical examination, certifying that the participant's physical condition is adequate for the activity or activities in which the student wishes to participate.

18.13.3 To resume participation following an illness and/or injury serious enough to require medical care, a participating student must present to the school officials a physician's written release.

18.13.4 The physical examination shall be valid for thirteen (13) consecutive months unless otherwise limited to twelve (12) months by local school district policy.

18.13.5 For each subsequent thirteen-month period the student shall furnish a statement or physical examination form signed by a medical authority licensed to perform a physical examination, that provides clearance for continued athletic participation.

18.14.0 SEASON LIMITATIONS - After entering or being eligible to enter the seventh grade students shall have six (6) years of interscholastic eligibility. If the seventh or eighth grade is repeated, and such repetition is based upon documented academic reasons, the repeated year shall not count against the student’s six (6) interscholastic competitive years.

After entering or being eligible to enter the ninth grade, a student shall have four (4) consecutive years of interscholastic eligibility.

For the purpose of this rule, consecutive shall mean starting on a designated date and continuing without delay or interruption for four (4) consecutive years. For the purpose of interpreting this rule, interscholastic eligibility shall mean that the opportunity to participate in sports exists for a maximum of six (6) years after entering or being eligible to enter the seventh grade and four (4) consecutive academic years after entering or being eligible to enter the ninth grade, and as long as the total years of eligibility (grades 7-12) do not exceed six (6) years. Application of this rule shall not be determined by years of participation in individual sports or sport seasons.

18.14.1 Students who do not attend school or who fail to exercise their opportunity to participate shall forfeit their eligibility during that period and shall not be provided any additional period of eligibility except as may be provided by the appeal process stipulated in Article 19. If additional eligibility is granted as provided through Article 19, under no circumstances will eligibility be extended longer than one (1) additional year beyond the fourth consecutive year of high school (grades 9-12.)

18.14.2 Students repeating the ninth grade at the middle level may participate in the senior high school of the same school district provided the principals of both schools involved agree. In such case, the middle level school principal shall provide certification of the student's scholastic eligibility to the high school principal.

18.14.3 Additional eligibility shall not be granted if the student has had six (6) years of interscholastic eligibility after entering or being eligible to enter the seventh grade or four (4) consecutive years of interscholastic eligibility after entering or being eligible to enter the ninth grade.

18.15.0 EIGHTH GRADE PARTICIPATION - A high school with a total enrollment of 75 students or less in grades 9-12 as determined by the official P-223 classification count may use eighth grade students from a WIAA member middle school/junior high on its high school teams. If the total enrollment of the high school is not over seventy-five (75) when the enrollment count is taken to determine the high school classification, the eighth grade students of the school may be permitted to participate on all high school teams. If the total enrollment of the high school is greater than seventy-five (75) when the enrollment count was taken, but drops below seventy-five (75) at the end of the first two (2) weeks of the school year for the fall sports season or at the end of the first two (2) weeks of the winter or spring sports season, the eighth grade students of the school may be permitted to participate on all high school teams during that specific sports season

18.15.1 This participation does not count against the student's high school eligibility.

18.15.2 Once a student has competed on the middle level school team, the student is ineligible for that school district's high school team in that sport during that school year with the exception of basketball. The combination of middle level and high school level contests can not exceed the season limitation of twenty (20) games.

18.15.3 Once an eighth grade student has participated in one high school contest, he/she is no longer eligible for that sport at the middle school level except when the season schedule in basketball does not allow equal opportunities for boys and girls.

18.16.0 SIXTH GRADE PARTICIPATION - If the total enrollment of the seventh and eighth grades in a middle school is not over sixty (60) when the enrollment count is taken to determine the high school classification, the sixth grade students of the school may be permitted to participate on all seventh and eighth grade teams except tackle football for the next two (2) years. If the total enrollment of seventh and eighth grade students in a middle school is greater than sixty (60) when the enrollment count was taken, but drops below sixty (60) during the first two (2) weeks of any sports season, the sixth grade students of the school may be permitted to participate on all seventh and eighth grade teams except tackle football during that specific sports season.

18.16.1 This participation does not count against the student's middle level eligibility.

18.16.2 When a sixth grade student has participated in one such contest, he/she is no longer eligible for that sport at the elementary school level.

18.17.0 CONCURRENT SPORTS LIMITATION - A student shall not compete concurrently in more than one (1) interscholastic sport per season.

18.17.1 The exception shall be for students participating in high schools of ‘B’ classification with local administrators and school board determining eligible participation in more than one (1) interscholastic sport per season.

18.17.2 The exception shall be for the student who competes during an alternate season, qualifies for the state tournament, and is required to practice prior to competing in the state tournament. (Example: A student represented their school in fall tennis and qualified for the state tournament in the spring. During the spring season this same student represented their school in track. Prior to the state tennis tournament, the student is required to have a minimum number of practices, during which time the student is also participating on the track team. In the event that the student also qualifies for the state track meet, state event schedules will NOT be restructured in order for the student to compete in both state events.)

18.17.3 This does not prohibit track and field days held after the close of baseball season or being a cheerleader while concurrently participating in another sport.

18.18.0 NON-SCHOOL PARTICIPATION - During any sport season after joining a school squad, students may not participate on professional teams in that sport and may not represent a college team in that sport.

18.18.1 Students are allowed to try out and/or participate in a practice setting with a college team.

18.18.2 Students are not to be given special treatment or privileges on a regular basis to enable them to participate in non-school athletic activities, such as reduced practice times, special workouts, late arrivals, or early dismissals.

18.18.3 Students shall not compete in the uniform of the school at non-school events.

18.19.0 AMATEUR STANDING - A student who represents a school in an interscholastic sport must be an amateur in that sport. An amateur student-athlete is one who engages in athletics for the physical, mental, social and educational benefits derived therefrom, and to whom athletics is an avocation and not a source of financial reward.

18.19.1 In order to maintain amateur standing in those activities under WIAA jurisdiction, the student-athlete may not:

A. Accept merchandise or in-kind gifts of more than $100 in fair market value during any one calendar year September 1 through August 31. Reduced membership fees or reduced user fees from an athletic club, recreation center, golf courts, etc. do not count toward this $100 limit.

D. Accept payment of expense allowances over the actual and necessary expenses for the athletic trip (NOTE: Entry fees are not considered a reimbursable expense.)

G. Receive or have ever received, directly or indirectly, a salary or any other form of financial assistance (including scholarships, educational grants-in-aid, or any of his/her expenses for reporting to or visiting a professional team) from a professional sports organization.

18.19.2 The student-athlete may play as an amateur on any summer team not under the jurisdiction of a professional sports team or franchise.

18.19.3 Amateur standing will not be jeopardized by Instructing, supervising or officiating in any organized youth sports program, recreation, playground or camp activities whether the student-athlete is paid or not paid for these duties.

18.19.4 A student who forfeits amateur status may apply to the Executive Director for reinstatement in the interscholastic program after a waiting period of one (1) year.

18.20.0 COMMERCIAL ENDORSEMENT - A WIAA member school may not permit or authorize the use of an individual student's name and/or picture, a school or school team name and/or picture(s) to directly advertise, recommend or promote a commercial product or service.

18.20.1 Use of a Student-Athlete's Name in Advertisements that are Congratulatory in Nature - The business can place its trademark on the advertisement only; the advertisement cannot include a reproduction of the product with which the business is associated.

18.21.0 HARDSHIP - The WIAA District Eligibility Committee, the Executive Director and the WIAA Executive Board are given the authority to make specific exceptions to those student eligibility regulations contained in Article 18 provided such exceptions are based upon hardship conditions that are deemed to have contributed in a significant way to non-compliance with specific regulation(s) that may be appealed.

18.21.1 Any waiver of student eligibility regulations shall be based upon extenuating circumstances, beyond the student’s, or where applicable, the parents’ or legal guardian’s control, that are deemed to have significantly influenced or contributed to the cause of the student's non-compliance to the eligibility regulation(s) involved. (The following criteria shall be used to determine if a hardship exists):

A. A hardship exists only when some unique circumstances concerning the student's physical or emotional status exist and only when such circumstances are not the result of acts or actions by the student or family unit.

B. The circumstances must be totally different from those that exist for the majority or even a small minority of students (e.g., usual maturation problems or family situations that do not cause severe and abnormal emotional problems, and academic or athletic deficiencies in a school's curriculum or extracurricular activities do not constitute a hardship).

C. There must be no reason to believe that the decision and/or the execution of the decision concerning the student's academic status was for athletic purposes.

D. The burden of providing evidence that a hardship exists shall be borne by the student.

E. There shall be a direct, causal relationship between the alleged hardship and the student's inability to meet the specific eligibility rule(s).

18.21.2 Exceptions to student eligibility regulations based upon a hardship shall be subject to the following limitations:

A. Loss of eligibility in itself or an injury in itself that prevents the student from exercising an opportunity to participate are not to be considered hardships. In addition, attending a school that does not offer interscholastic activities is not to be considered a hardship, nor shall it justify extending eligibility beyond the four (4) consecutive year period allowed. To grant additional eligibility based upon a hardship, a student must demonstrate that normal progression towards graduation has been significantly interrupted as a result of either a long-confining illness, an injury, a family hardship, and that the interruption prevented the student from graduating in four (4) consecutive years.

B. A hardship exception shall not be granted if there is sufficient evidence to make it reasonable to believe that the non-compliance to the eligibility rule in question was motivated by the student's, parents or school's efforts to gain a desired athletic outcome or to intentionally circumvent a rule, or

C. A hardship exception shall not be granted if the student has had the opportunity for six (6) years after entering or being eligible to enter the seventh grade or four (4) consecutive years after entering or being eligible to enter the ninth grade to participate in interscholastic activities.

18.21.3 The District Eligibility Committee may waive the junior varsity rule in the case of a transfer student for a specific sport if the petitioner can provide documentation in one or more of the following criteria on Form 5 in the WIAA Eligibility Packet.

A. A transferring student has not participated on a school or club/community team for which the student is requesting a varsity level eligibility for one calendar year prior to the start of the season in that sport.

B. A transferring student has not participated at the high school level or its club/community equivalent in that sport prior to his or her transfer.

C. A transferring ninth grade student from a middle level school to a four year high school shall not have played on an eighth grade team or club/community equivalent.

D. A transferring tenth grade student from a junior high school to a three year high school shall not have played on a ninth grade team or club/community equivalent.

18.22.0 USE OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES – School and WIAA rules and regulations are intended to discourage the use of alcohol, tobacco, legend drugs and controlled substances and to encourage the use of school and community resources. School and community resources should be identified for students who have had a violation and seek help or who are referred for assessment.

18.22.1 Alcohol and tobacco - Each WIAA member school shall adopt reasonable rules and regulations pertaining to the use of use alcohol or tobacco products.

18.22.2 Legend drugs and controlled substances – Penalties for the possession, use or sale of legend drugs (drugs obtained through prescription, RCW 69.41.020-050) and controlled substances (RCW 69.50) shall be as follows:

1st Violation - A participant shall be immediately ineligible for interscholastic competition in the current interscholastic sports program for the remainder of the season. Ineligibility shall continue until the next sports season in which the participant wishes to participate. In order to be eligible to participate in the next interscholastic sports season, the student athlete shall meet with the school eligibility board consisting of coaches and administrators selected by the principal, to request approval to participate. The school eligibility board will recommend to the principal appropriate action to be taken in the student athlete's case. The school principal shall have the final authority as to the student athlete's participation in the interscholastic sports program.

A participant who seeks and receives help for a problem with use of legend drugs (RCW 69.41.010 identified substances) or controlled substances and controlled substance analogs (RCW 69.50.101 identified substances) shall be given the opportunity for assistance through the school and/or community agencies. In no instance shall participation in a school and/or community approved assistance program excuse a student athlete from subsequent compliance with this regulation. However, successful utilization of such an opportunity or compliance with athletic code by the student athlete may allow him/her to have eligibility re-instated in the athletic program, pending recommendation by the school eligibility authority.

2nd Violation - A participant who again violates any provision of RCW 69.41.020 through 69.41.050 or of RCW 69.50 shall be ineligible for interscholastic competition for a period of one (1) calendar year form the date of the second violation.

3rd Violation - A participant who violates for a third time RCW 69.41.020 - 69.41.050 or of RCW 69.50 shall be permanently ineligible for interscholastic competition.

18.23.0 "RUNNING START " ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS - “Running Start” students who participate in club sport programs at the post-secondary institution they attend, forfeit their interscholastic eligibility for the corresponding WIAA sanctioned sport.

The "Running Start" student must be included on the school's P-223 count submitted to SPI.

The school of eligibility must be the "School of Record" for the Running Start" student and include the same transcript records as all other students.

The "Running Start" student must comply with the WIAA minimum eligibility standards of 85% attendance in scheduled classes and comply with local school attendance eligibility policies required of all other students.

The "Running Start" student shall have passed and maintained passing grades in a minimum of four (4) full time subjects as evidenced by college credits, earning at least two (2.0) graduation credits (or equivalent), monitored at any time AND at a minimum the previous semester grading recorded on the official transcript.

The School Eligibility Standards must be consistently applied to ALL students. School Board (or schools so authorized by School district policy) adopted standards greater than WIAA standards must be applied.

The “Running Start” student shall maintain passing grades during the previous and current high school semester in the equivalent of four (4) full-time high school classes (which equate to two (2) high school credits.) For the purposes of this rule, one (1) five (5) credit class in a college quarter shall be equal to one (1) high school credit and one (1) three (3) credit class in a college semester shall also be equal to one (1) high school credit.

18.24.0 EJECTION FROM CONTEST - Conduct resulting in ejection or disqualification from an interscholastic contest administered by game officials, coaches or school administrators shall result in the following:

A. When a student is ejected, the coach continues to be responsible for the student. The student shall remain with the team.

B. When a coach or other adult school representative is ejected, the coach or other adult school representative must vacate the playing area (gymnasium, field, and stadium.) If a head coach is ejected, an assistant coach or any school district personnel authorized to supervise students may assume the head coaching responsibilities for the remainder of the contest. If no other school district personnel are on site, the contest will be terminated and a forfeiture declared.

A. The first ejection of the season shall result in the ejected person (student, coach, other school representative) being ineligible until after the next school contest in that sport at the same level of competition from which the person was ejected.

1. A jamboree does not count as a contest for the purposes of meeting the suspension period.

2. Any student ejected may not appear in the school uniform, nor sit on the team bench during the suspension period.

3. Any coach ejected may not be involved in coaching to any degree during the suspended game and may not be allowed into the facility (gymnasium, field, stadium, locker room or hallway, etc.) during the suspension period.

B. Should a participant be unable to complete a suspension during the sports season in which the ejection occurs, the suspension shall be carried over into the participant’s succeeding season of participation.

C. The second ejection in the same sport and season shall result in ineligibility for the remainder of the season of that sport.

D. FOR A SECOND EJECTION ONLY, the severity of the penalty may be appealed to the WIAA Executive Director upon presentation of rationale and written documentation signed by the WIAA member school principal or Superintendent desiring and supporting penalty modification within two (2) school business days after the conclusion of the contest in which the ejection occurred.

B. Verbal notification of the intent to appeal shall be given to the contest official by the coach of the ejected person prior to the "next live ball” or resumption of play. The verbal notification shall be based on an identified misapplication or misinterpretation of a specific rule.

C. An appeal may be heard by the principal/designee of the ejected person. Providing the principal/designee finds a misapplication or misinterpretation of the rule, the principal/designee may stay the suspension, but may not vacate the ejection.

D. The principal or designee will report his/her decision and rationale to the league of the school's membership for review within one (1) school business day after the conclusion of the contest in which the ejection occurred.

E. The hearing procedures, as outlined in 26.5.0, shall be followed. The league shall review and either affirm the decision of the principal/designee with the understanding that the one (1) contest suspension shall not be assessed or overrule the decision of the principal/designee, whereby the ejected person shall be required to serve the one (1) contest suspension. Any league action shall be in writing and specify the reasons for the league decision. Failure of a school for any reason to enforce the regulation and/or decision of the league will be considered a school violation.

F. For tournaments, qualifying and/or state events any appeal will be heard by the games committee, providing the appeal was approved by the school principal/designee. A decision will be given no later than two (2) hours before the next event in which the ejected person might participate.

G. Providing the games committee finds misapplication or misinterpretation of a rule, the penalty may be vacated.

H. Failure of the school to enforce the regulation or decision will result in the disqualification from and forfeiture of all remaining contests of that event. Due process procedures of the WIAA Handbook and Rule Violations and Penalties will apply to any further action.

18.24.4 For aggressive physical contact with an official, the WIAA Executive Director has the authority to suspend the individual from further competition for a period not to exceed one (1) calendar year.