CIF / NMUSD ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY POLICY

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District is a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) sanctioned school district for high school athletics, and therefore falls under the auspices of the rules and regulations of the CIF Blue Book Constitution & By-Laws. The Blue Book can be found on-line at www.cifss.org and the eligibility rules are found on pages 63-95. Determining athletic eligibility can be very complex and highly detailed. In addition, penalties and sanctions can be severe for schools and teams on which one or more ineligible players participate. Specific questions about a student’s athletic eligibility status should be addressed to the school’s Athletic Director.

Basic CIF Eligibility Requirements

A student must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 based on a 4.0 scale to remain eligible for participation in athletics. Only one of the courses may be PE or Athletics.

Grade values: A = 4 B = 3 C = 2 D = 1 F = 0

Add the value above for each grade earned during the quarter grading period; divide by the number of qualifying classes taken that quarter to determine the Grade Point Average.

A student in grades 9-12 must pass at least four (4) classes per grading period in order to maintain their eligibility; for this there is no probation or grace period.

If a Student receives three (3) A’s and three (3) F’s, the student’s GPA is a 2.0 but because the student did not pass four (4) classes, the student would be deemed ineligible for the following quarter and would not be a candidate for probation.

A student who passes four (4) classes but does not reach a 2.0 GPA may be placed on probation for no longer than the grading period that immediately follows the grading period with a below 2.0 GPA.

At the end of a probationary period students who improve their GPA to 2.0 or above will become academically eligible; students who do not achieve a GPA of 2.0 or higher will become ineligible until the end of the next grading period.

Students may have more than one probationary period during their four years of high school, but students will be limited to one probationary period per school year, and the probation period will be assigned automatically whether or not the student is participating in a sport. Also, students may not have two consecutive probation periods and a probation period must follow a period of eligibility.

If a student attempts to improve a grade during summer school by taking the same class again, the summer school grade can replace the grade received during the preceding grading period. If a student takes a different class than that which was previously taken, the summer school grade will be averaged with all grades received during the preceding grading period to recalculate the GPA.

Summer school courses failed shall not impair an athlete’s scholastic eligibility achieved in the semester immediately preceding.

Students who enter the 9th grade with less than a 2.0 grade point average or having received U's in Citizenship from two or more teachers will be granted transitional eligibility and will be allowed to participate during the first grading period of high school. Transitional eligibility does not count as the high school level probationary period.

Students who are granted transitional eligibility upon entering the 9th grade will thereafter be required to meet the eligibility standards for grades 9-12 in order to remain eligible for participation.

Eligibility status for the upcoming quarter eligibility period will be determined on the same date for all students in the district. The four dates will be published at the beginning of the school year and will be based on the on the established timeline necessary for the electronic processing of all grade information.

Newport Mesa Citizenship Eligibility Requirements

A student who receives two (2) or more U’s (unsatisfactory) citizenship grades at the end of a quarter from 2 or more different teachers will be deemed ineligible for the ensuing eligibility period. At the next eligibility date the criteria for U citizenship grades will be applied to determine the student’s eligibility status for the ensuing eligibility period.

DON'T BE LATE. DON'T CUT CLASS.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING TARDIES & ELIGIBILITY:

Any student who receives 4 or more tardies or has an "excessive number of

cuts/partial days/unexcused absences" in any given class within the same quarter

can receive a "U" in citizenship for that class from his teacher. If a student receives

two or more "U's" in the same quarter, he is ineligible for the following quarter.