Student Eligibility for Interscholastic Sports
By-Law Eligibility:
Each student/parent must be made aware of the Chicago Public Schools Athletics Constitution and By-laws by receiving a hard copy of the document or a link to an electronic copy. The school must keep on file a confirmation of receipt from the student/parent.
Medical Eligiblity:
The student must formally register with the school and submit the following forms
Player Record Packet – Hard Copy (English and Spanish), Online Form (English only)
General Info, parent permission, statement of risk, receipt of bylaws
Sports Medicine Awareness Forms (Concussion/PES)
Medical Physical within 395 days of participation
Scholastic Eligiblity:
Scholastic eligibility is the combination of current and past semester work.
Past Semester Eligibility –
In the previous semester, the student must have earned 3 credits having a current cumulative G.P.A. > 2.3.
*If the student earned 2 1/2 credits or having passed 3 credits, the current cumulative G.P.A < 2.3, the student must submit an ISP in order to obtain eligibility.
Present Semester Eligibility –
The student must be earning a passing grade in 3 credits (6 current classes).
The student must not be truant on the day of competition.
The student must not be under a disciplinary penalty.
Note: Failure to meet Present Semester Eligibility standards will result in a period of ineligibility of at least one week and until the criteria is met.
For purposes of scholastic eligibility, “passing” shall be determined by a student’s grades, school attendance and attendance in class and proper conduct during the school day.
Eligibility shall be determined every week as approved by the high school principal. Eligibility shall date from Monday through Sunday of each week of the semester.
Age Eligiblity:
For varsity/junior varsity level competition, a student shall be eligible through age nineteen (19) unless the student shall become twenty (20) during the sport season in which event eligibility shall terminate on the first day of such season, as the season is defined in the IHSA Bylaws.
For sophomore level competition, the student shall be eligible in the first or second year in attendance and shall not have reached the seventeenth (17th) birthday prior to September 1 of the current school year.
For freshmen level competition, the student shall be eligible in the first year in attendance and shall not have reached the sixteenth (16th) birthday prior to September 1 of the current school year.
The Office of Sports Administration shall establish the age eligibility requirements for elementary school sports.
Foreign exchange students must abide by all student requirements contained in these Bylaws, including the age requirements.
Enrollment:
The student must be enrolled in the school by the tenth (10th) day of the semester. A student is only allowed 8 semesters of athletic eligibility starting when the student first enrolls as a freshman. If a student has been out of school for some period of time, the term “past semester standing” shall be understood to mean the last semester of which the student was a member of any school for ten days or more.
Transfer Students:
Once a student transfers to another school or into a school in the district, the student is ineligible for one calendar year from the date of enrollment in the new school or until a ruling for eligibility has been determined by the IHSA or the Office of Sports Administration.
Amateur Status:
All student-athletes must be amateurs. Non-amateur student-athletes will be determined to be ineligible for the duration of their tenure at the school. An amateur is an individual who has never used his or her knowledge of athletics or athletic skill for pay in any form, and has never played on any team on which there are paid players.
Many situations can compromise amateur status, not limited to:
- Accepting pay to perform athletically.
- Accepting a promise to play in exchange for pay even after eligibility has expired.
- Signing a contract or commitment to play professionally.
- Competing on a team with professional athletes whether or not pay is involved.
- Receiving awards for athletic performance/participation greater than $150.
- A student in a member school may earn compensation from the use of the name, image, and likeness (“NIL Activity”), subject to these By-laws and Board Policy 35. For purposes of this By-law, “NIL Activity” means any activity for which a student in a member school performs any work, service, endorsement, or makes any appearance, in exchange for compensation or other remuneration as determined by the Board of defined in the Board Policies.
Clubs/ Other Affiliations:
While a member of a school team, an athlete shall not represent any out of school organizations in the sport during the formal IHSA season of that sport.
Disciplinary Suspensions:
A student serving an out-of-school suspension for an act of misconduct may not attend or participate in school-sponsored events (including athletic competitions), and may not attend activities on school grounds (including team practices) during the term of the suspension.
Amateur Status
All student-athletes must be amateurs. Non-amateur student-athletes will be determined to be ineligible for the duration of their tenure at the school. An amateur is an individual who has never used his or her knowledge of athletics or athletic skill for pay in any form, and has never played on any team on which there are paid players.
Many situations can compromise amateur status, not limited to:
- Accepting pay to perform athletically.
- Accepting a promise to play in exchange for pay even after eligibility has expired.
- Signing a contract or commitment to play professionally.
- Competing on a team with professional athletes whether or not pay is involved.
- Receiving awards for athletic performance/participation greater than $50.
- Accepting remuneration by permitting the use of the student’s name or picture to advertise, recommend, or directly promote the sale or use of a commercial product or service of any kind.
- Accepting remuneration by endorsing a commercial product or service through the individual’s use of such a product.
- Appears or permits the use of his or her name, picture or likeness in any media, for the purpose to advance a commercial interest without expressed permission from CPS District Officials.
- If a student’s name or likeness appears on commercial items without the permission of the student’s (parents’) knowledge, the student and parents must take steps to stop such activity to regain eligibility.
