Mid-Prairie board discusses eighth-grade athletes

The Mid-Prairie School board took its first action concerning eighth-grade participation in high school sports, advancing the policy on first reading and hearing an initial draft of proposed administrative policies for implementing the policy.

The proposed policy change would add the following paragraph to the district’s student activity policy:

“With permission from a parent or guardian, an eighth-grade student may participate in interscholastic athletic contests or competitions at the high school level. An eighth-grade student who participates at the high school level cannot also participate on an eighth-grade team in the same sport during the same season. Students may not compete in both programs during the same sport season. Any eighth-grade student participating in high school athletics must meet the annual athletic physical examination requirements applicable to all student athletes. The superintendent, in collaboration with the athletic director, will develop administrative regulations and procedures necessary to administer this policy.”

The proposed policy change came from the Iowa Association of School Boards.

The change would allow superintendent Brian Stone and activities director Pete Cavanaugh to establish administrative rules governing eighth-grade participation. Cavanaugh presented a draft administrative ruleset along with the policy change, which included eligibility requirements, participation criteria, approval process, academic requirements, a carveout preventing eighth-grade students from playing varsity football and a draft parental consent form.

Eighth-graders would be subject to all eligibility requirements high schoolers are subject to, including academic eligibility rules (despite academic requirements not being mandated by state law for eighth graders).

Under the draft regulation, eighth graders could participate in a high school sport if either the high school program or the student met one of three criteria:

A high school program with a documented roster need required the student to field a team, provide depth, or ensure player safety (which board member Jed Seward noted was not currently the case for any Golden Hawk program)

An eighth-grade student is a projected starter at the varsity or junior varsity level, or

The sport is not offered at the high school level (currently only applicable for swimming and golf at Mid-Prairie).

Should one of those conditions be present, a student would need to receive a recommendation from the high school head coach, approval from the activities director and building principal and completion of the student/parent eighth-grade participation agreement.

Stone highlighted that while having the policy in place before a need arose would help the district be prepared should a program need to use eighth-grade student-athletes. He also noted that the participation agreement would be the beginning, not the end, of the lines of communication between the student-athlete, their family, and school personnel.

“Communication throughout the whole process would be really key to this being successful,” Stone said.

The policy is expected to return for second reading at the board’s next meeting on August 24.