AAC Handbook

Section V - Eligibility Rules

Member schools should make available a copy of MAIS eligibility rules to any transfer student upon his or her entering school. The following eligibility rules apply only to students who participate in activities on an inter-school competitive basis.

The purpose of all of the following rules is to promote and encourage well-regulated, ethical, and sportsmanlike conduct in inter-school competition. It is realized that it is impossible to cover every possible contingency; therefore, the Academy Activities Commission Affairs Committee, or Eligibility Committee is empowered to review and consider any act or practice by a member school or one of its families in this regard, even though this act or practice is not specifically covered in these regulations.

In order to be eligible to participate in all inter-school activities regulated in this handbook, a student is subject to the eligibility requirements that follow, along with any other regulations that have been communicated to member schools through electronic means, unless an exemption has been granted by the Eligibility Committee or the Director of Activities.

Must Be A Bona-Fide Student (see definition in Section IV)

A student shall be enrolled in school and taking at least four (4) major academic subjects, and a member in good standing according to the school's and/or conference's regulations. If a participant represents a school in an inter-school competitive event before the start of that school's opening session, he or she must enroll in that member school at the opening of that school's session in the same year. If a participant who has represented a school in a competitive event before the opening of that school's session fails to enroll in that school at the start of that school's session, MAIS transfer rules will apply to said participant, and the school will be subject to disciplinary action by the Affairs Committee.

Should the student-athlete be a new transfer student from a member school, a copy of the cumulative record / insert / transcript must be complete and on file. If the former school is withholding any part of the cumulative folder for reasons of indebtedness incurred at the previous school, said student shall be ineligible until his/her financial obligation is met at the former school. The administrator of the receiving school should verify with the previous administrator that the family has satisfied all of their financial obligations.

No student may practice at any member school unless he/she has registered at said school. Registering for school is deemed to include those requirements any new student must complete to secure a place in that school. These activities generally include such things as meeting with the school administrator, paying a registration fee, signing an educational contract, etc.

Date Of Birth

A student athlete shall not have reached his/her 19th birthday before August 1 in the school year in which he/she wishes to participate. For the 2019-20 school year, this means anyone born before August 1, 2000, would be ineligible.

Student Must Be A Non-Graduate

A student athlete shall not be a graduate of a high school (foreign or domestic).

Competition Above High School Level Prohibited

A student athlete shall not have participated in athletics above the high school level. This does not mean that a student cannot attend sports camps that are held on college campuses and often instructed by college coaches and/or professional players and coaches.

Four Consecutive Years of Participation

Upon entering the 9th grade, a student will have four (4) consecutive years of eligibility in inter-school contests.

First and Second Semester Eligibility

1. First Semester Eligibility

To be academically eligible for the first semester of a school year, a student must have accumulated four (4) major units (credits) the previous academic year. The previous academic year is interpreted to be a complete year or any part of a school year in which a student is enrolled at either a member school, non-member school or home school.

2. Students Eligible At Beginning of School Year

Any student athlete academically eligible at the beginning of a new school year, shall be academically eligible for the entire school year.

3. Gaining Second Semester Eligibility

A student-athlete who is academically ineligible the first semester can become academically eligible the second semester if he/she passes four (4) major subjects during the first semester of that same academic year.

Summer School / Correspondence Courses / Online Courses

Courses taken in summer school shall be considered as an extension of a school year, and credits earned this way may be used in determining scholastic eligibility of students.

Accredited correspondence and/or online courses started in the spring or summer may be accepted for establishing athletic eligibility for the first semester of the next school year. Eligibility would begin upon written verification from the accredited institution that the course(s) needed had been successfully completed, and credit awarded. The last date that a correspondence and/or online course could be started, and still be used for first semester eligibility, is the day before the first day of school for a new school year.

Financial Consideration

No student may be eligible to participate in inter-school athletics if he has been shown financial consideration by a school, or any of its associated organizations, on the basis of his value to the activity program of the school. A student shown financial consideration of any kind shall be so noted on the eligibility lists that are submitted to the Director of Activities. If the ownership of stock is a requirement for entrance to a school, the gift of such stock to a student who enters into school on someone else's share of stock is considered to be receiving financial aid, and must be so noted.

An acceptable school supported financial aid plan should:
1. Be in writing and on file in the school office
2. Be approved by the school board
3. Be controlled and supervised by the school board
4. Contain details of the qualifying criteria for aid
5. Include all students in the grade structure of the school
6. Demonstrate through documentation, the application and approval process
7. Comply with MAIS athletic eligibility reporting, i.e., mark "yes" on online Eligibility Form for students receiving financial aid
8. Show evidence of including non-athletes
Signs of Misguided and Faulty Financial Aid
1. A pattern of transfers into an athletic program receiving financial aid, especially at the senior high level
2. Shear numbers of athletes receiving financial aid
3. Involvement of Boosters' Clubs with financial aid
4. Discovery of transfers receiving aid, but not listed on the MAIS Eligibility Report
5. Aid to athletes coming from one source, or benefactor, over an extended period of time
6. No evidence of inclusion of non-athletes
7. Consistent reports from other member schools that a problem exists with the competitions financial aid as it relates to recruiting.

Physical Examinations

Before participating in athletics, a student must present a physician's certification stating that he or she is physically fit for competition. A statement is included on the Head of school/AD Form that is submitted to the MAIS Office certifying that physical examination certificates are on file with the school. This statement must be signed by the school administrator.

Player Ejections

Schools will be responsible for disciplining an athlete after his/her first ejection. Any player that is ejected for the second time during a school year will not be allowed to participate in athletics for two (2) weeks.

Example: An athlete receiving his second ejection on a Monday, would not be allowed to play until the Tuesday two weeks later.

Any player ejected for the third time during a school year will be banned from participating in athletics for the remainder of that school year.

It is the responsibility of both schools involved in a contest, and that of the officials, to report player ejections via the incident report form on the MAIS website.

Amateur Standing

A student must be an amateur in order to represent his school in athletic competition. For a student-athlete to lose his amateur standing, he must commit one of the following acts:
1. Enter competition for a money guarantee.
2. Enter competition for a share of gate receipts.
3. Accept a purse of money.
4. Teach or coach an athletic sport for money. An amateur high school athlete may referee or coach a YMCA or Girls / Boys Club team and accept necessary expenses.
5. Accept payment of excessive expense allowances. It shall be permissible for an eligible athlete to accept only actual and necessary expenses on athletic trips. This applies to American Legion Baseball and to other summer amateur baseball and to bowling.
6. Sign a contract to play professional athletics for a money consideration or play on a professional team and receive any form of financial assistance from a professional sports program.
7. Compete under a false name.
A student may:
1. A student may play as an amateur on any team not under the jurisdiction of a professional sport, providing he / she does not receive any pay for participation.
2. Accept meals, travel or lodging expenses.
3. Give swimming and lifesaving instruction and receive pay for the service.
4. Serve as a lifeguard at swimming pools and receive reasonable pay.
5. Accept the usual athletic jackets, letters, medals, ribbons and trophies from the school and the AAC as well as trophies given by outside parties with the approval of the school.

Residence and Transfer
1. Students Who Have Completed A Season - A student shall not have completed a season in any sport, and then transfer to a member school and represent that school in the same sport during the same school year.
2. Expelled Students - If a student is expelled from a member school, or non-member school, he/she will not be eligible to participate at another member school for a period of one year. Students are considered to be expelled when documentation of such is provided on the student's cumulative folder. A case may be appealed to the Eligibility Committee by a member school providing the school feels it warrants further consideration as a result of unusual circumstances.
3. Transfers From Non-Member Schools
  1. Student-Athletes Must Be Enrolled - A student transferring from a non-member school to a member school will be eligible when he/she enrolls provided all other eligibility requirements are met.
  2. One School Year "Sit Out" Period - A student who transfers from a member school to a non-member school, and then to another member school, will not be eligible to participate in inter-school activities until one year has lapsed from the time he/she left the first member school.
  3. One Week "Sit Out" Period - There is a one (1) calendar week waiting period before any transfer can participate in inter-school competition. This waiting period only applies to students who transfer in after the first day of school. The waiting period begins on the first day that the transfer student attends a class at his/her new school.
    
    Example 1: A student transfers to School A (registers and attends classes) on Tuesday of the second week of October. Said student meets all eligibility requirements. The student will be eligible to compete in inter-school activities on the following Tuesday. It is permissible, however, for the transfer student to practice with the team during the one-week waiting period.
    
    Example 2: A student transfers to School A (registers and attends classes) on Monday of the second week of December. Said student meets all eligibility requirements. The student will be eligible to compete in inter-school activities on the following Monday. The transfer student would NOT be eligible to play in a basketball game on the Saturday following his/her first day of school.
    
    Example 3: A student transfers to School A (registers) during the first Monday of the Christmas break. Said student meets all eligibility requirements. The student will be eligible on the following Monday. In this scenario, the fact that the student has not attended any classes would not prohibit the athlete from playing after the one-week waiting period. Should the athlete play, however, and fail to attend class when the second semester begins, all games the transfer student participated in would be forfeited, and the Affairs Committee will determine if further sanctions are warranted.
4. Transfers From MAIS Member Schools
  1. One School-Year "Sit Out" Period - Any student-athlete who transfers from one member school to another member school shall be ineligible to participate for a period of one (1) year. The Director of Activities and/or Eligibility Committee must approve any hardship case.
  2. Eligibility Rulings - The Director of Activities has full authority to rule on eligibility cases. Any needed investigations will be conducted by the Director of Activities, the AAC or their designee.
  3. Change of Residence - When a student's parents' legal residence is changed due to a bona fide move (see definition of "Bona Fide Move" in Section IV-A-1 of this handbook), and is verified by the head of school of the new school or his/her designee, he may choose to attend that member school which is closer to his new residence, or he may continue to attend the school that he has been attending prior to his change of residence. If he continues to attend his former school, he shall be eligible for the remainder of that school year. Then he will make a final choice. If he changes residence during months school is not in regular session, his choice is final. However, if a student moves closer to the school that he is presently attending, he must return to that school to maintain his athletic eligibility. When a change of residence results in making a student eligible, the parents/guardians must occupy the residence (or another residence that is closer driving distance wise to the new school than the previous school) for one year following the move in order to maintain "bona fide move" status. When there is any possibility of doubt about a move being bona fide, the head of school shall present the facts in writing to the Director of Activities. The Director of Activities will review the facts submitted, and may conduct an investigation if necessary.
  4. No Change of Residence - A student who transfers from one member school to another member school, and whose parents' residence has not changed, shall not be eligible for competition until the corresponding date one year later. Exception: The maximum time of ineligibility after one (1) change back to school A is one (1) year.
    
    Example: Student 1 leaves School A in December to go to School B - no change of residence involved. Ruling: Student 1 is ineligible for one year from the corresponding date (December); however, after two months (February) Student 1 desires to transfer back to School A - no change of residence. Ruling: Ineligible until corresponding transfer date to School B (December), as the maximum time of ineligibility after (1) change back to School A is one (1) year.
  5. Dropping Football, Basketball, Fast-Pitch or Baseball - A student transferring from one member school to another member school for the purpose of participating in a major sport that has been discontinued at his/her former school, shall be eligible to participate in all sports provided the student transfers in accordance with the required timeline. Only those players who are going out for the major sport at the time it is dropped will be allowed to transfer to another member school without having to sit out a year from the date of transfer. The school dropping the major sport shall provide the Director of Activities with a list of said players. The AAC has defined football, basketball, fast-pitch and baseball to be the four major sports. All financial obligations to the previous school must be satisfied.
  6. Children of Staff Members - Children of school staff members, who have assigned responsibilities at the school for the majority of the instructional day, and are under contract to the school, are eligible for athletic participation at the school where said parent teaches even though there is no change in residence. The same is true for the administrator. This excludes all non-professional positions such as secretaries, bookkeepers, custodians, bus drivers, public relations, food service personnel, etc. A student may continue to attend the school he or she has been attending prior to the parent changing positions, if such a change is during the regular school year. Said child or children would be eligible immediately (no one-week waiting period) if the move is made at the same time the parent moves. If the child continues to attend the former school, said student shall be eligible for the remainder of that school year. Then the student will make his or her final choice.
  7. Establishing Eligibility At A Member School - The first member school that a student attends after reaching the 9th grade will be considered the student's home school, regardless of the distance that the school may be from the student's residence.
  8. Transfer From School That Loses MAIS Accreditation - Any student attending a member school that loses MAIS accreditation shall be allowed to transfer to another MAIS member school, and become eligible for participation in inter- school activities.
  9. Transfer Occurring During School Year - During the same school year, if a student athlete transfers from one member school to another member school with a legal change of residence, said student will not be eligible at his/her new school in the sport in which he/she was, or had been, participating at the former school.
    
    Exception: Should a student make a bona fide move of 60 miles or more, said student would be allowed to participate, assuming the student meets all other eligibility requirements.
  10. One-Week Waiting Period - There is a one (1) week waiting period before any transfer can participate in inter-school competition. This is interpreted to mean seven (7) calendar days, and applies to students who transfer after the first day of school. A student is considered to have transferred when he/she has registered and attended class.
    
    Example 1: A student transfers to School A on Tuesday of the second week of October. Said student meets all eligibility requirements. The student will be eligible to compete in inter-school activities on the following Tuesday. It is permissible, however, for the transfer student to practice with the team during the one-week waiting period.
    
    Example 2: A student transfers to School A on Monday of the second week of December. Said student meets all eligibility requirements. The student will be eligible to compete in inter-school activities on the following Monday. The transfer student would NOT be eligible to play in a basketball game on the Saturday following his/her first day of school.
    
    Example 3: A student transfers to School A during the first Monday of the Christmas break. Said student meets all eligibility requirements. The student will be eligible on the following Monday. In this scenario, the fact that the student had not attended any classes would not prohibit the athlete from playing after the one-week waiting period. Should the athlete play, however, and fail to attend class when the second semester begins, all games the transfer student participated in would be forfeited.
  11. All financial obligations to a previous member school must be satisfied before eligibility status will be granted at a new member school. The previous member school has the responsibility of notifying the new member school of such obligations when they send the student's records to the new school.
  12. Driver's Education - Participation in driver's education courses at member schools will not have any bearing on athletic eligibility.

Recruiting

The recruiting and/or undue influence of a student-athlete of a MAIS member school by anyone directly or indirectly associated with another member school shall result in said school being placed on probation, and not being eligible for the championship in all sports for a period of one (1) year. In addition, a fine in the amount of $500.00 shall be assessed the school in violation. Further, such recruiting and/or undue influence shall cause the student-athlete to be ineligible for one (1) year if he or she transfers. Recruiting and/or undue influence would include (but not be limited to) a student-athlete receiving merchandise such as clothing and equipment and/or moneys for the individual's expenditures.

Last Date Transfers Can Join A Team

Athletes who transfer to a member school after the dates listed below, will not be allowed to compete in the indicated sport during the same school year. This is true regardless of whether the transfer is coming from a member school, a non-member school or a home school.

Exception: Should a student make a bona fide move of 60 miles or more driving distance wise after the dates indicated below, said student would be allowed to participate, assuming the student meets all other eligibility requirements. For purposes of verification, the shortest available driving route from the new residence to the previous residence will be used.

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It is noted that a student is considered to have "transferred" when he/she has registered and attended class.

Guardianship and/or Legal Custody
1. Legal Custody If the parents are living and a legal guardian or legal custodian is appointed by the court, the student-athlete must live with the legal guardian or legal custodian twelve (12) months before he or she can become eligible if the student is transferring from a member school. Hardship cases will be heard by the Eligibility Committee.
2. Special Circumstances In situations involving the loss of one or both parents by a student-athlete that result in a change of guardianship, a change of legal custody, or an adoption, such cases may be considered under the hardship rule by the Director of Activities and/or the Eligibility Committee.
3. Joint Custody In the case of joint custody, the student athlete will establish eligibility and be eligible with the parent that has primary custody (begins with the 9th grade year). Any changes of custody that are ordered by the courts will be honored.
4. Parent A to B Rule Once a student athlete establishes eligibility (9th grade year), said student is allowed to move from Parent A to Parent B and be eligible at another member school. Neither the location of parent B's house, nor the member school Parent B wants to send his/her child to, will be factors in declaring eligibility in this situation. If at any point, the student chooses to move back to Parent A, the student will be eligible to participate in athletics at the previous school. The student would not, however, be allowed to move again without sitting out a year from the date of the last move.
All financial obligations to the previous member school must be satisfied before eligibility status will be granted at the new member school. The previous member school has the responsibility of notifying the new member school of such obligations when they send the student's records to the new school.

Reporting Eligible Athletes

All eligibility lists will be submitted on-line through the MAIS website.

A $200.00 fine will be assessed to any member school whose eligibility lists are not submitted to the MAIS office prior to the prescribed time.

The deadline for submitting eligibility data is the Thursday before the first varsity football game.

Athletic Participation of Foreign Students
1. Foreign Students
  
  Any student that is not a citizen of the United States and whose parent(s) do not live in the United States is considered a foreign student, and as such, is ineligible to participate in sports unless one of the items in Section V-Q-2 is satisfied.
2. Becoming Eligible
  
  In order to be eligible to participate in MAIS athletic contests, a foreign student must be:
  1. a student that has entered this country through a foreign exchange program which has been approved by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). Approved programs can be found at the following website: www.csiet.org. A student approved through one of the CSIET programs will be allowed eligibility for one-year. Should the year of eligibility be used at a non-MAIS school, said student would be ineligible at a MAIS member school.
  2. a student who has come to this country with a F1 visa, and who is enrolled at a member school holding I-20 status with the federal government. Foreign students becoming eligible with a F1 visa through a school holding I-20 status will be eligible for as many years as they meet all other MAIS eligibility requirements.
3. Team Participation
  
  Member schools may have as many eligible foreign students participate in athletics as they want, with the following restriction: No school may have more than one (1) foreign student dress out for any given athletic contest.
4. Student Shall Not Be A Graduate
  
  A foreign student shall not be a graduate of a high school (foreign or domestic).

Use Of Ineligible Participants

A player that participates in an athletic contest in violation of any of the rules found in the AAC Handbook is considered an ineligible player. Any member school that is found to be using an ineligible player in inter-school competition shall have all games won while the ineligible player was participating, forfeited to their opponents. The minimum sanctions for using an ineligible player are the member school shall be placed on probation for a period of 6 months, and the school will be fined $300. The school shall also be subject to any further disciplinary action deemed necessary by the Affairs Committee and/or the Eligibility Committee.

Interpretation of Eligibility Rules
1. Any interpretation of the eligibility rules is subject to the Director of Activities of the MAIS in coordination with the proper committee chairman, or by the AAC. The Eligibility Committee will hear hardship cases.
2. All requests for an appeal or ruling on eligibility must be submitted to the Director of Activities by the administrator (regular mail, fax, or preferably email). Requests should be received a minimum of 48 hours before the case is to be heard.
3. All requests for interpretation of rules shall be submitted in writing, and signed by the administrator of the requesting school. All replies shall likewise be in writing. It is noted that email from the administrator making an official request will suffice.

Hardship

The Director of Activities, AAC or the Eligibility Committee will hear hardship cases. The following criteria will NOT be considered as grounds for an appeal on a hardship case:
1. The eight-semester rule
2. Age
3. Distance and transportation
4. Curriculum
5. Financial Situation
The above criterion does not include hardships of an extreme or unusual nature.
Junior High Division
1. Eligibility - Age
  
  In order to participate in junior high athletics, a student shall not have reached their 16th birthday before August 1* of the school year in which they wish to participate. In 7th and 8th grade competition only, no participant shall have reached their 15th birthday before August 1** of the school year in which they wish to participate.
  
  * For the 2019-20 school year, this means anyone born before August 1, 2003, would be ineligible.
  
  **For the 2019-20 school year, this means anyone born before August 1, 2004, would be ineligible.
2. Eligibility - Participation
  1. Students Entering Seventh Grade - Students entering the 7th grade shall have three (3) consecutive years of eligibility in junior high. Any student who repeated the 7th or 8th grade would not be eligible as a 9th grader on the junior high level - only the varsity level (assuming all other requirements are met).
  2. Jr. High Status / Up-and-Down Rule - A student who plays a varsity sport before reaching the 9th grade does not lose any of his/her varsity eligibility. Upon entering the 9th grade, the athlete will still have four (4) consecutive years in which they are eligible to play sports assuming they meet all of the eligibility requirements.
    
    In an attempt to help schools that have insufficient varsity numbers in football, basketball and track, the AAC has adopted the following up-and-down rules. It is noted that no such rules exist for fast-pitch, cross-country, swimming, soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, archery or cheer-dance, as the AAC has not sanctioned a jr. high championship at the district level for these sports. Eligible athletes in the aforementioned sports where no jr. high championship has been sanctioned by the AAC, can legally play in A-games or B-games.
    
    Football Up-and-Down Rule: Eighth and ninth grade football players (but not seventh graders) can be used on both the junior high football team and varsity football team in the same week without penalty, as long as the players do not exceed the six (6) quarter per week rule. A district that wants to enforce a limit other than the 6 quarter per week rule, and that is less than 6 quarters per week, is allowed to do so for district games only. Playing any part of a quarter counts as a quarter.
    
    The minimum sanction for violating the football up-and-down rule, is as follows: The member school shall be fined $300.00 and placed on probation for a period of six (6) months. In addition, any games won while using an ineligible player will be forfeited. Additional sanctions will be considered depending on the circumstances of the case.
    
    Basketball Up-and-Down Rule: Seventh, eighth and ninth grade basketball players can be used on both the junior high basketball team and varsity basketball team in the same day without penalty, as long as the players do not violate the six (6) quarter per day rule. A district that wants to enforce a limit other than the 6 quarter per day rule, and that is less than 6 quarters per day, is allowed to do so for district games only. Playing any part of a quarter counts as a quarter.
    
    The minimum sanction for violating the basketball up-and-down rule is as follows: The member school shall be fined $300.00 and placed on probation for a period of six (6) months. In addition, any games won while using an ineligible player will be forfeited. Additional sanctions will be considered depending on the circumstances of the case.
    
    Track Up-and-Down Rule: During the regular season, jr. high athletes may be used in jr. high competition and also varsity competition in the same meet. Any points earned by the jr. high athlete in this circumstance would count toward both team totals for the meet.
    
    All such participation by a jr. high athlete in the above case would count against the athlete's participation limit for the meet. Example: An 8th grader could run the jr. high 100 dash, the varsity 200 dash, the varsity long jump, the jr. high 400 relay, the varsity 800 relay and the jr. high 1600 relay. This would be legal because the athlete has adhered to the 6 total events per meet rule, with no more than 3 being individual events.
    
    The minimum sanction for violating the track up-and-down rule is as follows: The member school shall be fined $300.00 and placed on probation for a period of six (6) months. In addition, any athlete that participates illegally will be disqualified from all of the events in which he/she participated. The loss of said athlete's points due to this disqualification could cause a new team champion to be awarded. Additional sanctions will be considered depending on the circumstances of the case.
  3. Sixth Grade Participation In Varsity Sports - A sixth (6th) grader who is a student of a MAIS member secondary school, may participate on a varsity level in golf, track, cross-country, tennis, volleyball, archery and softball.
  4. Sixth Grade Participation In Junior High Sports - A sixth (6th) grader may participate on a junior high level in basketball, track, cross-country, golf, softball, volleyball and tennis. Sixth graders can play football, but cannot compete against any football player above the 7th grade. Sixth graders can also play soccer, but cannot compete against any soccer player above the 8th grade.
  5. Students Below The Sixth Grade - No student below the sixth grade may participate at either the jr. high or varsity level in any sport.
  6. Seventh Grade Participation In Football - Seventh graders are not allowed to play in any football game in which a player above the 9th grade level is participating.
3. Junior High Academic Eligibility
  1. First Semester
    
    Seventh (7th) must graders pass four (4) major subjects the previous school year. (see "Special Promotion" exception below)
    
    Eighth (8th) graders must pass four (4) major subjects the previous school year. (see "Special Promotion" exception below)
    
    Ninth (9th) graders must pass four (4) major subjects the previous school year. (see "Special Promotion" exception below)
  2. Students Eligible At Beginning of School Year - Any student athlete academically eligible at the beginning of a school year, shall be academically eligible for the entire school year..
  3. Special Promotion - Special promotions are permissible if school policy provides same, and if the student meets all other eligibility requirements. Students who are eligible for special promotion, but are being held back at the request of the parents or guardians, will be treated as if they were in fact specially promoted.
  4. Second Semester - A student-athlete who was academically ineligible the first semester, could become academically eligible the second semester, if he or she is passing four (4) major subjects during the first semester of the same academic year.
    
    If a school is not on a semester basis, the student must be passing four (4) major subjects when the school breaks for Christmas Holidays.
4. Residence
  
  When a 7th or 8th grader transfers from one member school to another member school, said student will not be eligible at his/her new school in any sport in which he/she was, or had been, participating at the former school. He/she will, however, be eligible in all other sports assuming that all other eligibility requirements are met.
  
  Exception: In lengthy moves of 60 or more miles (measured from previous house to new house), the student would be allowed to play a sport in which he/she had been participating. For purposes of verification, the shortest available driving distance from the new residence to the previous residence will be used.
  
  Example 1: During football season, a 7th (or 8th) grade student leaves School A and enrolls in School B (no change of residence). The student has been playing football at School A. Said student would be ineligible to participate in football at School B. He would, however, be eligible to play basketball at School B after sitting out the required one week, assuming all other eligibility rules are met.
  
  Example 2: During football season, a 7th (or 8th) grade student leaves School A and moves 65 miles to his new residence. He then enrolls in School B. The student had been playing football at School A. After sitting out the required one week, and assuming all other eligibility rules are met, said student would be eligible to participate in football at School B since the move was 60+ miles in length.
5. Ninth Grade Transfers
  
  Ninth grade transfers who are participating at one member school, must meet the rules involving change of residence if they transfer to another member school.

Transfers From New Member Schools

For athletic eligibility purposes, a new member school shall fall under the student transfer restrictions and protection afforded member schools as of the date that they are approved by the Executive Committee for acceptance into our association.