As the parent or guardian of a high school student-athlete competing in Hawaii, you understand better than most people how important sports are to your student. With three sports seasons – Fall, Winter, and Spring – the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) provides student-athletes with plenty of opportunities to challenge themselves in a wide range of sports. These range from the “traditional” football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, to the relatively new Esports, to the uniquely Hawaiian sport of canoe paddling.
As an island state unique among the 50 US states, Hawaii's geographical challenges mean that high schools in Hawaii belong to one of five leagues, each centered on an Island. The island leagues are the Oahu Interscholastic Association, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, the Maui Interscholastic League (which includes schools on Molokai and Lanai), and the Kauai Interscholastic Federation. In all, there are just over 100 high schools that are governed by the HHSAA and that belong to one or another of these five leagues. They include public, private, and charter high schools as well as specialty schools such as the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and Blind. In some cases, smaller schools will combine students to form teams.
High school is a special time for many student-athletes, and the four years spent learning and competing with lifetime friends can speed by very quickly. That's why it's important for you as a parent or guardian to do everything you can to help your student-athlete stay eligible to compete. The HHSAA has a set of Administrative Regulations that govern student eligibility and other issues relating to high school sports. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team provides this summary to make the HHSAA's eligibility requirements a bit more accessible and to help parents and guardians understand what they need to look out for to help keep their student-athletes competing.
Age-Limit and Semester-Limit Restrictions and Waiver Requests
Student-athletes in Hawaii may continue to compete in high school athletics – assuming they meet all other eligibility requirements – until they turn 19. If they turn 19 before September 1 of any school year, they are ineligible to compete during that entire school year. If their birthday is on or after September 1, they will remain age-eligible for all three school year sports seasons.
Student-athletes have eight consecutive semesters of eligibility, beginning with the first semester of 9th grade. No student can compete for more than four sports seasons in any given HHSAA sport.
The HHSAA Executive Board will consider “special cases” appeals to eligibility determinations. Before it does, however, the student-athletes sports league must approve the appeal. Appeals need to be submitted to the HHSAA Executive Board at least 21 days before its next regularly scheduled meeting. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help you if you believe your student-athlete is entitled to an exception to these or other eligibility requirements.
Academic Eligibility Requirements
Student-athletes must have at least an overall 2.0 GPA to be eligible to compete in sports during any given semester. They must also pass every course needed for graduation. The HHSAA Administrative Regulations have no provision for appealing or seeking a waiver of these requirements.
In many cases, however, it may be possible to work with your student-athlete's school when they are at risk of losing eligibility due to a poor GPA or a failed required course. There may be opportunities for extra credit to help raise a grade, for failed exams to be retaken, or for missing homework to be made up. In some cases, where poor grades appear to have been given by a particular teacher for unfair reasons, it may be possible to discuss the situation with the teacher and administration. Sometimes, it may help to work with an experienced student defense attorney, such as one of the members of the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team. We understand how sensitive these kinds of discussions can be, but we also know how to protect your student-athlete's rights and advocate for them in a strong but professional manner.
While the HHSAA “special cases” appeal may be available in cases where academic eligibility is at issue – such as, for example, where a student-athlete has been seriously ill or suffered a death in the family that prevented them from completing their schoolwork – these can sometimes be remedied at the school level. In any case, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team is available to answer your eligibility questions and help your student-athlete continue to compete.
School Disciplinary Defense
This is one of the areas where a student-athlete who otherwise meets all of the HHSAA eligibility requirements can find themselves unable to compete. Student-athletes spend a lot more time in class during the school week than they spend practicing or competing in sports. This means that they are more likely to lose eligibility because of a school disciplinary issue than they are for their in-practice or on-field behavior. Schools typically give themselves a wide range of options when it comes to disciplining students, one of which can be to prohibit the student from participating in extracurricular activities – such as sports.
Every school has some set of guidelines that students are expected to follow. Whether it's in the form of a student handbook, a code of ethics, or a disciplinary policy, your student-athlete should take the time to become familiar with what their school expects of them. This can help prevent problems before they even arise.
When serious misconduct allegations are made against students, most schools will have a specific procedure that school officials will follow. This may include investigating the allegation, notifying the student's parents or guardians, holding a conference or even a hearing involving the student, and deciding on what the response will be if the allegations are substantiated.
The problem with many of these investigations is that they are very often incomplete. Busy school officials don't always have the time or the training to properly look into misconduct allegations, and the result can be unfair. The attorneys from the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team understand that, and we can help students accused of misconduct in several ways. We will often conduct a separate investigation of a serious misconduct complaint and may uncover information that the school missed – the “rest of the story.” We can also be by your student's side in meetings with school officials and, in many cases, can draw on our experience working with other students to suggest alternative forms of discipline that will keep your student-athlete competing while still respecting the school's need to maintain school discipline.
Discipline Defense for Behavior During Games
The HHSAA has no specific rules stating what the consequences are if a student-athlete is ejected from one or more competitions due to unsportsmanlike conduct. The HHSAA has the power to impose its own sanctions on student-athletes who violate competition rules. In such cases, particularly where there is video evidence showing that the student-athlete was mistakenly punished by an official, it may be possible to appeal a sanction to the HHSAA Executive Committee.
If your student-athlete is facing loss of eligibility as a result of a mistaken ruling by an official during a competition, contact the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team. We can help you evaluate the situation and decide the best way to contact the HHSAA to remedy the unfair consequences of the official's mistake.
School Transfer Issues
Student-athletes are typically eligible to compete in the public school that is within the district in which they live or the private school of their choice. Once they begin classes at their chosen school, things can get a bit complicated if they decide they want to change to another school.
In cases where the family is moving to a new home in a new school district, and the move is a “bona fide” one – meaning that it's intended to be permanent and that the old home has been vacated by the family – the student-athlete will be eligible to compete at the new school immediately.
Student-athletes who initially enroll at a private school and participate in a sport, then transfer to another school, such as the public school in their home district, and play a sport there will be eligible to compete at their original private school if they transfer back to that school. If they transfer to a different private school, however, they will be ineligible to compete at that different private school for that school year.
If a student who did not participate in a school sport transfers from one school to another, even without a family move to a new home, the student will be eligible to compete in that sport at the new school (even if they participated in another sport at the old school).
School transfer eligibility decisions may also be subject to the “special cases” exception, and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help you and your student-athlete if they're declared ineligible after transferring to a new school. We can also help you avoid future eligibility problems by advising you on your student-athlete's transfer plans before they actually transfer schools.
The Lento Law Firm Can Help Keep Your Student-Athlete Competing
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team has helped hard-working student-athletes from all over the country keep or regain their eligibility so that they can continue to enjoy the sports that they love. We understand the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures that affect whether and when your student-athlete will be eligible to compete, and we can help you and your student-athlete make sure that they are on the field, court, track, water, or whatever the playing surface is when it comes time to compete in their chosen sport.
If you have questions about your student-athlete's eligibility, or if they're facing a loss of eligibility, don't delay – call the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team today at 888.535.3686, or use our online contact form to set up a confidential consultation. We understand how important it is for high school student-athletes to compete, and we are here to listen and help!
