CMS High School Athletics

Responsibilities of Parents, Legal Custodians and Student-Athletes (not limited to)

• Must adhere to all North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and CMS athletic eligibility regulations. The failure of school personnel, parents or a student-athlete to be aware of a rule is not sufficient cause to set aside the application of the rule.
• Must sign all NCHSAA and CMS required athletic eligibility participation forms.
• Must provide proof of medical or accident insurance.
• Must pay the participation fee ($125 per sport season) or meet waiver criteria prior to the first contest in each sport season.
• Student-athlete must receive a health screening each year (395 days) by a duly licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
• Must attend a required pre-season meeting at the school prior to sport season (fall, winter and/or spring).
• Must not accept prizes, merchandise, money or any item that can be exchanged for money as a result of athletic participation.
• May not, as an individual or as a team, practice during the school day or on Sunday.
• May only attend summer camps to which the athlete or his/her parents pay the fees.

Athletic Eligibility

• Only students in grades 7-12 may participate in interscholastic athletic competition (State Board of Education Regulation).  In order to qualify for public school participation, a student-athlete must meet all state and local eligibility requirements.
• Additional athletic eligibility requirements can be found at www.nchsaa.org and/or www.cmsathleticzone.com 

High School Athletics (Grades 9-12)

• No student may be eligible to participate at the high school level for a period lasting longer than eight (8) consecutive semesters, beginning with the student’s entry into the ninth grade or participation on a high school team, whichever occurs first. For students who skip the ninth grade and advance directly to the 10th from the eighth, the year prior to entering the 10th grade is considered the first year of entry into ninth grade for athletics. The principal shall have evidence of the date of each player’s entry into ninth grade. The North Carolina cumulative record is sufficient.
• Student-athletes establish a “sports school” at which they are eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics.  The sports school for new students and 9th graders is the school in which the student is enrolled on the first day of school. Students must also meet the requirements set out below.
• For other students, the sports school will usually be either the school attended in the previous year or the student’s home school.  There are exceptions to this general rule.  Contact the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Athletics Department for detailed information at (980) 343-6980.

Athletic Eligibility Requirements for Participation (Grades 9-12)

*For athletic eligibility, GPA is calculated using the semester grade on the report card for year-long classes and the final grade on the report card for semester classes. (CMS Board Policy JJJ)

**High School: For athletic eligibility, a minimum load is defined as passing a minimum of three out of four on a 4 x 4 format (or six out of eight courses in the A/B format) of block scheduling during the traditional school day. NOTE: Senior student-athletes not enrolled in a full load during a semester must meet minimum load requirements to be eligible to participate in athletics the following semester. (A student-athlete must be enrolled in and pass the minimum load requirement from fall semester to be eligible to compete in a winter and/or spring sport.)

Additional Information

Specific questions or clarifications of athletic information and/or eligibility should be addressed to the athletic director at the school where your child is enrolled/participates.

For additional information, go to www.cmsathleticzone.com ; www.nchsaa.org ; or call the CMS athletics office at (980) 343-6980.                    

August 2018