Page 64 - 2022-23 By-Laws

Rule 12 - Enrollment

in jeopardy. (rule 9-16) Under the terms of the Officiating Contract for Athletic
Contests form, there is no provision which obligates a School which cancels a
Contract with an Official to pay a termination fee.
Q. 11-3 Can an Official cancel the standard Officiating Contract for Athletic Contests (the
agreement which must be used for Season Contests) without penalty?
A. Yes. An Official can cancel the Officiating Contract for Athletic Contests without
a penalty if the School hiring the Official and the Official agree that no termination
fee is needed, however, under the terms of the Officiating Contract for Athletic
Contests, an Official who fails to substantially fulfill Official’s obligations under the
Contract (such as by cancelling the Official’s appearance at a Contest), shall pay
a penalty to the School hiring the Official an amount equal to the pay the Official
would have earned under the Officiating Contract, not later than Ten (10) days
after the date of the Contest.

RULE 12 – ENROLLMENT
PHILOSOPHY
The following are the goals of the IHSAA for the enrollment rule.
a. The enrollment rule provides uniform standards for all Schools to follow in maintaining
a fundamentally fair and equitable framework for athletic competition in an educational
setting.
b. The enrollment rule supports the educational philosophy that athletics is a privilege which
must not be permitted to assume a dominant position in a School’s program.
c. The enrollment rule keeps the focus of educators and student on the fact that students
attend School to receive an education first, and participate in athletics second.
d. The enrollment rule promotes and encourages students to progress through high school
toward graduation and a diploma.
e. The enrollment rule discourages the practice of red-shirting.
f. The enrollment rule discourages any and all decisions which subordinate academic
decisions to athletic decisions.
g. The enrollment rule creates interschool athletic opportunities for younger students.
h. The enrollment rule promotes competitive equality among member Schools.
i. The enrollment rule promotes the health and safety of student athletes.
12-1 Eligibility at School of Enrollment; Attendance During First 15 Days
a. A student is eligible to participate in an athletic program involving IHSAA recognized sports
only at the student’s School of Enrollment, or at the Public School Serving the Student’s
Residence, provided the student meets the requirements of rules 12-4, 12-5 or 12-6.
b. In order to be eligible for athletic competition during any semester, a student must have
Enrolled in some high school and have attended full credit classes within the first Fifteen
(15) school days of the semester in which the Contest occurs.
12-2 Participation Limited to Eight Consecutive Semesters or Four Consecutive Years
After Enrollment in the 9th grade, and the passage of Fifteen (15) or more school days, students
shall be eligible for no more than Four (4) consecutive years, or the equivalent. (e.g. Twelve
(12) semesters in a Trimester plan, etc.)
12-3 Exception for Illness or Injury
After Enrollment in the 9th grade, if a student is injured or contracts an illness which necessitates
the student’s complete withdrawal from the School or prohibits enrollment in the School for
that semester, and the student does not receive any academic credit for that semester, then
the semester shall not count as One (1) of the consecutive semesters of enrollment.
a. The terms illness and injury do not include those which are caused in whole or part by
chemical dependency or use, such as the illegal consumption of drugs or alcohol.
b. If the withdrawal should occur after the student has, during the semester, participated in
Twenty percent (20%) or more of the interschool Contests in a sport, then the semester shall
be counted as a semester of enrollment in all sports falling in that semester’s sports seasons.
This percentage shall be determined by dividing the total number of interschool Contests

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