If you are the parent or guardian of a high school athlete attending one of the more than 400 high schools that belong to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA), you know first-hand how important the opportunity to compete is to your student-athlete. They have likely spent many hours getting and staying in shape and learning the athletic skills and techniques that they need to know in order to excel in their chosen sport or sports.
You've played an important role in all of this, too – helping them get to practices and competitions, making sure they have the clothing and equipment they need to compete, and of course, cheering them on, win or lose. You've seen how hard they work, taking on the dual challenges of staying on top of their studies while also finding the time to compete in a sport on behalf of their school. The discipline they are learning by working so hard will pay off for the rest of their life, whether or not they continue to compete at the college or professional level.
There is one more thing you can do to help your student-athlete, and that is to become familiar with the LHSAA's student eligibility requirements. And while the LHSAA publishes a comprehensive handbook that lists all of the organization's rules and regulations, at over 200 pages, it can be a bit difficult to find the most important requirements that relate to your student-athlete.
That's why we've put together this guide that summarizes some of the main rules that apply to student-athlete eligibility in Louisiana. After reviewing this, if you have questions about your student-athletes particular situation, contact student-athlete attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team. They have been helping high school students across the country with eligibility and school disciplinary issues for years and will be able to help you understand your student-athletes situation and what steps to take to protect their ability to continue to compete.
Age-Limit and Semester-Limit Restrictions and Waiver Requests
Student-athletes can compete at the high school level in Louisiana until they turn 19 years of age. Even then, if they turn 19 on or after August 1 of any given school year, they can continue to compete for that entire school year. So a student-athlete who will be a senior and turns 19 on July 31 will be ineligible to compete during their senior year, while one who turns 19 on August 1 will be able to (assuming they meet the other eligibility requirements).
Age-limit restrictions are not one of the eligibility requirements that can be appealed under the LHSAA's hardship guidelines but may be appealed to the LHSAA Executive Director.
Student-athletes are eligible to compete for eight consecutive high school semesters once they begin 9th grade. The consecutive semester limitation is one of the eligibility bylaws that can be waived in hardship cases.
The LHSAA has a detailed “Hardship Program” that covers situations where an ineligible high school player is asking that an exception be made to the eligibility rules. Hardship appeals must be signed by the school principal and must follow a certain format set by the LHSAA.
Generally speaking, hardship appeals require a showing that the student-athletes situation is “totally different from those which exist for the majority of the students who are confronted with similar situations and choices.” The reason why the student-athlete failed to meet the eligibility requirement must have been something that was “involuntary, unforeseeable, uncorrectable,” and that created “a unique situation concerning the student's educational, emotional, or physical status” that was “beyond the control of the school, the school system, the student, and/or his parent(s) or guardian(s).”
The LHSAA has an established Hardship Committee that meets three times a year to consider hardship appeals. Applications must be made in writing and must include a letter from the student-athlete's principal and another from the parents or guardians that explain in detail the reasons for the hardship request. The principal, parents or guardians, and student must attend the hardship hearing and may bring an attorney-advisor to the proceeding as well, provided they notify the LHSAA in advance that they will be doing so.
Decisions of the Hardship Committee may not be appealed to the LHSAA Executive Committee but may be taken to a third-party arbitrator. If not taken to arbitration, the decision of the Hardship Committee is final.
Student-athlete attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team are experienced with the rigorous hardship request requirements and process and can help you and your student's school make a compelling case for a hardship waiver under the proper circumstances.
Academic Eligibility Waiver Requests and Appeals
Students who graduate from 8th grade are automatically eligible to compete in sports during the first semester of 9th grade.
Sophomore, Junior, and Senior student-athletes need to have earned at least six “Carnegie” credits and have earned at least a “C” average overall during the previous year of high school to be eligible to compete during the first semester of the next year. To be eligible during the second semester, student-athletes need to have earned passing grades in courses that add up to at least three Carnegie credits during the first semester.
The 3-Carnegie credit per semester rule is relaxed somewhat for seniors who have already earned at least 20 Carnegie credits during their first three years in high school. They are allowed to compete if enrolled in courses that will earn them two Carnegie credits each semester.
Student eligibility based on grades is set once per semester and goes into effect the seventh day after the end of the first semester grading period, except that where the semester ends just before the Christmas break, the eligibility period begins the first day teachers return to school after the holiday break.
Students who need to make up Carnegie credits or improve their passing grades may do so in a variety of ways, including summer school, credit recovery programs, online school, and other methods, provided the method meets the LHSAA standards.
Student-athletes whose grades have suffered due to a hardship situation may apply for a hardship exception to the academic eligibility requirements. If your student-athlete is facing a semester of ineligibility due to a hardship situation that was beyond their and your control, contact student-athlete attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento for help. He and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team have helped students across the country stay eligible for the sports that they love, and they will work with you and your student-athlete to prepare and submit the strongest hardship application possible.
School Disciplinary Defense
Student-athletes spend a lot more time during the week being students than they do being athletes. And as a result, the likelihood that a school discipline situation can keep them from competing is relatively high. The LHSAA bylaws make it clear that students who are suspended from school or school activities will not be allowed to compete in sports. This means that your student-athlete needs to pay careful attention to in-school situations that could result in them losing their eligibility for a long period of time.
Every school has a student code of conduct or a student manual that describes in detail the expectations that the school has for each of the school's students. These will also set forth the range of consequences that students can expect if they're found to have committed various types of misconduct.
Whether your student is accused of cheating on a test, fighting in the hallway, being disrespectful to a teacher, or other misconduct, it's important to understand the school's process for investigating and acting on misconduct claims. While it's clear that schools need to have and need to enforce reasonable conduct rules, the problem is that enforcement is not always a fair process. Busy school administrators may not properly investigate misconduct claims, and if a hearing is part of the resolution process, they may not critically question witnesses or evidence introduced against the student.
Having the help of an attorney-advisor who has worked with students all over the US facing serious school disciplinary matters can make all the difference. Student-athlete attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento understands how these procedures work. He and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can work with you and your student-athlete to gather evidence in their favor, critically question evidence that is being used against them, and in many cases, participate in the hearing as your student's attorney-advocate. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can also discuss the situation with school authorities and, where necessary, propose alternative types of consequences that will keep your student-athlete competing while at the same time respecting the school's need to discipline its students.
Discipline Defense for Behavior During Competition
The LHSAA has a number of bylaws that describe the consequences for student-athletes who engage in various forms of unsportsmanlike conduct.
For a player who is ejected for the first time from competition due to unsportsmanlike conduct that does not include fighting, the penalty is relatively mild – the player will have to take a sportsmanship course within three days of the ejection, or they will be ineligible to compete until they do take the course. If, however, the unsportsmanlike action rises to the level of “egregious conduct,” the student can be suspended for the remainder of the season.
A second offense of unsportsmanlike conduct will result in a one-game suspension. A third offense will result in the player being suspended for the remainder of the season.
A player ejected for fighting faces more serious consequences. The first offense results in a one-game suspension along with the sportsmanship course requirement. A second offense will result in the player being suspended for the rest of the season.
A player who leaves the bench and comes onto the playing area without permission can also be ejected and will be ineligible to compete in the next competition and will be required to take a sportsmanship course. A second offense will result in an additional one-game suspension.
Ejections can be appealed by the principal of the player's school to the LHSAA Executive Director and must be supported by video evidence that is submitted to the LHSAA within 48 hours of the ejection. If your student-athlete is ejected from a game for unsportsmanlike conduct or fighting, and it's the type of ejection that could result in a one-game or longer suspension, you'll need to move quickly. Particularly if you believe your student was unfairly ejected, contacting student-athlete attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team as soon as possible can help make sure the school acts on the appeal quickly and produces the evidence that the LHSAA Executive Director needs to rule in your student-athletes favor.
Transfer Eligibility Issues
The LHSAA bylaws covering situations where student-athletes transfer from one high school to another are complicated and filled with exceptions. What this means for you as a parent or guardian of a high school student-athlete is that you need to be very careful before making any kind of move – whether it's moving from one home to another or whether it's moving your student-athlete from one school to another. Failure to plan ahead can mean up to one year's worth of ineligibility for your student-athlete.
There are some general rules that are helpful to know. First, once a student-athlete is enrolled in a high school that is operating under the LHSAA, they can generally continue to study and compete at that high school even if their family moves out of the district or school attendance zone.
Second, in most cases, if your family is genuinely moving to a new home that is in another school district or school attendance zone, your student-athlete will probably be eligible to compete at that new school with no period of ineligibility. There are a number of tests that the LHSAA bylaws have in place to determine whether a family's move to a new home is a “bona fide” move. These are designed to identify situations where a family establishes a second residence in a new school district simply to give their student-athlete a chance to compete at a particular high school.
There are lots of exceptions to these general rules. Students who have been recruited in various ways may lose a year's worth of eligibility. Students who transfer to a school where a former coach now coaches may lose eligibility. Students who enroll or transfer to a school that is outside of their attendance zone with no bona fide family move may lose a year's eligibility. Students who transfer from one school in their attendance zone to another school in their attendance zone may also lose a year's eligibility.
Because the LHSAA transfer bylaws are so complicated, it makes sense to consult with an experienced attorney-advisor if your student-athlete is considering making a move to a new high school for whatever reason. Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help you wade through the many LHSAA bylaws relating to school transfer situations and can advise you on the best way to make sure that your student-athlete continues to compete given your particular situation.
Joseph D. Lento Can Help Keep Your Student Competing
High school is an important time in your student-athletes life. Some of their best memories can come from their on-field accomplishments, and the friendships that teammates build can last a lifetime. Student-athlete attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help make sure that your student-athlete remains eligible through their entire high school experience. They have advised students all over the United States who have faced challenging eligibility issues, and they can help you understand the situation your student-athlete faces. Where necessary, they can help apply for hardship exceptions, appeal adverse eligibility decisions, and represent your student-athlete in disciplinary hearings.
These situations move fast; if you are facing one that could result in a loss of eligibility for your student-athlete, call Joseph D. Lento today at 888.535.3686 or contact the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team through their online contact form to set up a confidential consultation.
