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Participant Eligibility


STUDENT-ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY: BASELINE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be certified as eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics at a school, and to maintain such eligibility,  a student-athlete shall be a resident of the District of Columbia, as defined by statute and the rules set forth in 5 DCMR A § 5001.1; unless the student-athlete is an eligible non-resident

Academic Requirements

As student must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) per marking period as officially calculated by the member school in order to retain athletic eligibility. 

The last term of the previous year shall determine eligibility for the first marking period of the following school year.

Age Requirement

Students who turn 19 years old on or before August 1 are ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics. In determining the age of a contestant, the birth date as entered on the birth record of the Bureau of Vital Statistics shall be required and shall be so certified on all eligibility lists. 

Requests for a waiver of the age requirement shall only be considered for participation on an unofficial, non-scoring basis in non-contact or non-collision sports. 

Student-Athlete Eligibility: Certification Process

The certification of the eligibility of student athletes to participate in interscholastic athletics shall occur, pursuant to procedures to be established by the DCSAA.

1. Principals shall be responsible for determining and certifying the eligibility of student-athletes to participate in interscholastic athletics by submitting a list of eligible student-athletes to the LEA’s Athletic Director fourteen (14) days before the first scheduled game, whether league or non-league;

2. A supplemental eligibility list may be submitted up to fourteen (14) days after the first game. However, student-athletes on the supplemental eligibility list may not participate without the prior written approval from the LEA’s Athletic Director. The supplemental eligibility list may be submitted for league games only; and

3. Each LEA’s athletic director shall be responsible for verifying the eligibility of each student- athlete within one (1) week after receipt of the eligibility list, including a supplemental eligibility list.