High School Athletics - Eligibility

What is eligibility?

Eligibility is determined by a few factors

• Academics - students must be passing five of seven (5/7) of their courses at the time of the eligibility check. Woodland High School uses a seven period day, and students must accumulate the equivalent of a minimum of 2.5 credits per semester which amounts to passing at least five courses. Students who are not passing at least five classes are deemed ineligible by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), which is the governing body for athletics in the state of Georgia. All students participating in athletics must be submitted to GHSA at the start of the season (or before) to be granted eligibility.
  
  
• Residency - students who have entered WHS from ARMS or WMS will be eligible in terms of residency. All entering freshmen are generally considered eligible. When students move to the WHS district from another school, either within the county or out, including out of state, eligibility becomes a bit more complicated and residency must be checked. This may require WHS calling you to verify some information that must be submitted to GHSA in order to be deemed "eligible."
  
  
• Students who are academically eligibile but not eligible due to residence issues may still participate, but only on a sub-varsity (JV) level. This requirement remains in effect for one year from the initial enrollment date.

When is eligibility checked?

GHSA requires that schools check eligibility based on grades at the end of each semester. Even though WHS and Henry County uses year-long grading, we still must abide by the minimum of 2.5 credits each semester. Therefore, we check academic eligibility at the following times:

• During the summer, based on course grades posted at the end of Term 4 in May
  
  
• During January, based on progress report grades posted at the end of Term 2 in December

OR

• At the time of enrollment for students who transfer to WHS during the school year, then we follow the schedule above after that time.

What happens if my athlete becomes academically ineligible? Can we regain eligibility?

Unfortunately, this is a scenario that can and does occur. Sports that run from October to February sometimes have athletes who are eligible prior to the December break but become ineligible when those grades post at the end of Term 2. Likewise, spring athletes may find that their fall grades keep them from playing during that season.

In a general sense, eligibility cannot be regained during the semester. Once eligibility is lost, an athlete cannot regain eligibility until the next check, which is at the end of the semester and ultimately for the next season. For example, a Track and Field athlete who cannot participate due to failing three courses cannot become eligible once he brings one of those to passing. The next time he may be eligible will be for the fall season. There are a few exceptions, however.

• Students who do not meet the minimum passing of five out of seven courses at the end of Term 4 in May can attend summer school in order to meet the minimum requirement. These grades must bear a teacher's signature verifying that the course was completed with a passing grade and the grade must post on the transcript.
  
  
• Students who do not meet the minimum passing of five out of seven courses at the end of Term 2 in December have a fifteen (15) school day "grace period" in which they may complete coursework from Terms 1 and 2 to regain eligibility. This work and new grade must bear a teacher's signature stating that the work was completed and the student's grade is now passing. We are also required to submit a specific form to the GHSA (Form C) for "interrupted eligibility," so documentation is critical.

For more information on eligibility, refer to the GHSA website: https://www.ghsa.net/student-and-eligibility-information