Eligibility

League rules and regulations have been developed by the principals of Virginia high schools for a period of more than 80 years. They establish standards for the conduct and control of desirable interscholastic activities in order to protect and preserve the educational values inherent in those activities. They provide a uniform code for individual eligibility for participation in order to equalize to some degree the opportunities for success in competition, to encourage the participation of representative students and to insure maintenance of minimum essential standards by all school representatives.

There are 13 individual eligibility regulations. The first 7 are applicable to all student participants. The last 6 apply only to those participants on athletic teams. These rules, exceptions and interpretations can be found in the VHSL Handbook and are as follows:

VHSL Eligibility Rules

These requirements will be resumed effective Fall of 2022

VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE AND SUFFOLK PUBLIC SCHOOLS ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

All student organizations and activities shall be under the direct supervision of the school through at least one adult
sponsor. They must be evaluated periodically and so organized and administered that interruptions of regular classroom work are kept at a minimum. Students shall not be permitted to engage in such organizations and activities to the detriment of their classroom work.

All athletic, forensic, debating, public speaking, reading, spelling and school-publication activities shall be conducted in strict accordance with the rules and regulations established by the Virginia High School League, except when additional stipulations are made by the Board.

(A) Students desiring to participate in any school related extracurricular activity must meet the eligibility requirements of the Virginia High School League for participation in extracurricular activities, and must have a semester grade point average or a cumulative grade point average of not less than 2.00. The student must have achieved a 2.00 semester grade point average, or must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 2.00, immediately preceding the student’s participation in any extracurricular activity.

(B) A student who has not achieved the required 2.00 semester grade point average, or does not have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00, may attend summer school in an effort to obtain the required grade point average. Should the student achieve a 2.00 semester grade point average, or should the student achieve a cumulative grade point average by attending summer school, the student will be considered eligible to participate in extracurricular activities at the start of the fall semester.

A student who has not achieved the grade point average required in subsection (A) above, but has achieved at least a 1.65 semester or cumulative grade point average immediately preceding the student’s participation in any extracurricular activity may, for one semester only, be granted probationary status and be allowed to participate in any extracurricular activity. The granting of probationary status shall be governed by guidelines adopted by the division Superintendent.

SPS Student Extra -Curricular Activities - p. 25 of SPS Student Handbook