JJIC: Interscholastic Eligibility at R.W. Traip Academy
Kittery School District recognizes the vital contributions that athletics and co-curricular activities make to the academic, social, emotional, and personal development of our students, and KSD strongly encourages all students to participate in the diverse athletic and co-curricular programs offered by Traip Academy. Through their involvement in teams, clubs, and peer groups, students learn essential life skills, assume personal responsibility, strengthen character traits, acquire leadership abilities, and build lifelong relationships. Students who elect to play sports, participate in student governance, or join a school group, club, or team make a voluntary commitment to these pursuits and earn the privilege of representing their school and community.
Student participation in athletics and co-curricular activities is viewed as an integral component of the learning process, and for this reason our eligibility policy is intended to be motivational in design rather than disciplinary. Yet while interscholastic athletics and co-curricular activities complement and enhance the academic program, school attendance must remain focused, first and foremost, on learning the knowledge, skills, and habits of work that every graduate needs to succeed in adult life. Kittery School District’s eligibility policy for interscholastic athletics and co-curricular programs is designed to ensure that academic learning and achievement remain the top priority for every student.
A. Communicating Interscholastic Eligibility Guidelines and Requirements
The athletic/activities administrator, under the direction of the principal, shall be responsible for ensuring that accurate, up-to-date information concerning the interscholastic eligibility policy is communicated to coaches, directors, advisors, teachers, students, parents/legal guardians, and the public. This information may be shared through the following:
· Published annually in the Student/Parent Handbook
· Posted on the Kittery School District and Traip Academy websites
· Explained in the athletic code of conduct
· Discussed in relevant student and parent/legal guardian meetings
Furthermore, if the Kittery School Committee modifies this policy, the Committee expects the principal and athletic/activities administrator to inform all students and their families of the modifications as soon as it is practical and feasible.
B. Eligibility Guidelines
The following policy and requirements apply to all Traip Academy interscholastic programs recognized by the Maine Principals’ Association including the following:
· Games, competitions, tournaments, scrimmages, performances, debates, and exhibitions
· Practice sessions, rehearsals, training opportunities, team meetings, club gatherings, or other planning and preparatory activities including tryouts and auditions
This eligibility policy complies with the eligibility policies and requirements for interscholastic programs maintained by the Maine Principals’ Association and all applicable state statutes, rules, and regulations.
To be eligible for participation in interscholastic programs at Traip Academy, the student must have completed and demonstrated proficiency in a minimum of five (5) courses, other learning experiences, or the equivalent leading to graduation during the preceding nine-week quarter. In addition, students must have demonstrated proficiency on the habits-of-work standards in a minimum of five (5) courses, other learning experiences, or the equivalent, during the preceding nine-week quarter.
Eligibility for fall interscholastic programs will be based on demonstrated academic performance during the fourth quarter of the previous academic year. In accordance with the Maine Principals’ Association policy, incoming ninth-grade students are exempt from fourth-quarter eligibility requirements.
For those students who did not meet eligibility requirements during the preceding nine-week quarter, the student is placed on conditional eligibility for three weeks which means they are able to practice and compete during the three-week period. However, they must meet the following criteria to participate:
1. The student is demonstrating progress toward proficiency of the academic standards in a minimum of five (5) courses, other learning experiences, or the equivalent as determined by the principal or designee.
2. The student is demonstrating progress on all of the habits-of-work standards in all courses, other learning experiences, or the equivalent.
3. The student is participating in an intervention program—which includes all applicable in-school, out-of-school, after school, and vacation intervention programs including summer academy—designed to get the student on track to demonstrating proficiency on all expected standards by the end of a course, other learning experience, or the equivalent.
If the student satisfies the eligibility criteria during the three-week conditional period, the student will receive full eligibility for the remainder of the nine-week period.
If the student on conditional eligibility demonstrates progress, but has not met all eligible criteria, he/she will continue on conditional eligibility for an additional three weeks. After the second conditional eligibility period (six weeks), a student who remains ineligible will be ineligible until the next grading period.
C. Students Requiring Special Services
Students identified for special services must have the same opportunity for participation in interscholastic activities as their peers. It will be the responsibility of the student’s IEP or Section 504 team to ensure that appropriate accommodations and modifications are made in the student’s IEP. All students including those receiving special services must have equal access to Traip Academy’s curriculum and, ultimately, to interscholastic participation.
D. Transfer Students
For students who transfer into Traip Academy, academic eligibility will be determined by the principal and athletic/activities administrator and will be based on the last reported grades earned during the previous grading period at the student’s sending school.
Adopted: October 20, 2015
Revised: January 31, 2023