Eligibility Requirements

 

In order for a student to participate in extracurricular athletics and activities, a student must meet the standards set forth by Section 1003.43 (1), Florida Statutes, policies of the Greater Miami Athletic Conference (GMAC), and Miami-Dade County School Board rules. In addition, a student must comply with the school district’s Contract for Student Participation in Interscholastic Competitions or Performances, FM-7155.

• A student shall be eligible during the first semester of his/her ninth-grade year provided that it is the student’s first entry into ninth grade and he/she was regularly promoted from eighth grade the immediate preceding year. If a student becomes ineligible during the second semester of his/her ninth-grade year or during the first semester of his/her 10th-grade year because the student’s cumulative grade point average was below 2.0 at the conclusion of the previous semester and continues to be below 2.0 at the conclusion of the semester of ineligibility, he/she may regain his/her eligibility for the following semester provided:

1. (a) the student signs an academic performance contract with his/her school at the beginning of the semester in which he/she is ineligible that states, at a minimum, that the student will attend summer school, or its graded equivalent, AND (b) earns a grade point average of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 unweighted scale or its equivalent in all courses taken during the semester of ineligibility.

2. Once a student enters grade 11, he/she must have and maintain from that point forward a 2.0 or above cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in all courses required for graduation at the conclusion of each semester to be eligible to participate during the following semester.

• If a student’s eligibility is affected by an incomplete grade, the student is ineligible until the incomplete grade is removed and all eligibility requirements are met.
• All students participating in interscholastic athletic competition or who are candidates for an interscholastic team(s) are required to pass an annual medical evaluation and purchase the School Board’s sponsored insurance program prior to engaging in any practice, tryout, or pre- or post-season physical activity associated with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic team.
• A student shall be eligible for no more than four (4) consecutive academic years from the date he/she first enrolls in the ninth grade. Four years from the date he/she first enrolls in the ninth grade, he/she shall become ineligible for further interscholastic athletic competition. For students enrolled in either one of the two accelerated graduation programs, once they have met all the graduation requirements, they cannot remain in high school for a fourth year in order to continue eligibility to participate in high school athletics/activities.
• The school athletic director and guidance counselor can assist students in planning a program of study that will include the appropriate courses to prepare for college entrance examinations and meet core course requirements for participation in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic programs. They can also assist students in determining how to calculate the GPA required to be eligible to participate in NCAA athletics and advise the student regarding which courses do not meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
• Students must have an athletic physical on file with the school (Physicals are good for one school year).
• Students must purchase school insurance.
• Student must complete Consent and Release from Liability Certificate from the FHSAA.