Your Rhode Island high school student-athlete works hard to keep up with their school requirements while at the same time staying in shape, attending practices, improving their sports skills, and putting themselves out there to compete for their school. The level of commitment that high school student-athletes demonstrate to themselves, their teams, and their schools is extraordinary. And while for some, the goal may be to play as a collegiate student-athlete, or even at the professional level, for others it's enough that they are able to compete at the high school level.
That's why it's so important to make sure your student-athlete remains eligible to compete throughout their entire high school career. Knowing what requirements the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL)has in place for high school athletes at the more than 55 high schools that are members of the league is one way you, as the parent or guardian of a high school student-athlete, can help make sure they stay eligible. While the RIIL website has all of the rules and regulations that apply to high school sports in Rhode Island, it can be difficult to wade through all of that information to find what's most important to you and your student-athlete.
That's why the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team has put together this summary of some of the main eligibility issues facing high school student-athletes in Rhode Island. If, after reading this, you have questions about your particular student's situation, contact us at 888.535.3686 or schedule a consultation using our online form. We can help you navigate the sometimes confusing eligibility rules that apply to student-athletes in Rhode Island, and we will do everything we can to keep your student-athlete competing.
Age-Limit and Semester-Limit Restrictions and Waiver Requests
Student-athletes in Rhode Island remain eligible to compete in high school sports – assuming they meet all other eligibility requirements – until they turn 19. If they turn 19 before September 1 of any school year, they are no longer eligible to compete for the remainder of the school year. If their 19th birthday is on or after September 1, however, they can continue to compete through both semesters of that school year.
Student-athletes have eight consecutive semesters of eligibility, beginning with the first semester of ninth grade. These semesters count even if the student-athlete is not competing in a sport during any of them.
Waivers of these and other eligibility rules may be possible. All waiver requests must be submitted to the RIIL Executive Director on a RIIL Waiver Request Form. The form must be signed by the student-athlete's principal and notarized.
Waivers are typically considered in situations where the student-athlete can show that a “hardship or extenuating circumstances” have caused the student-athlete to be ineligible under the RIIL rules. According to the RIIL, “under hardship” means “a hardship peculiar to the student-athlete” that was “caused by unforeseen events beyond the election, control or creation of the student-athlete or individual, his/her family, or school.”
The Executive Director will make a decision on the waiver request based on the documents that are submitted along with it, so it's very important that those documents clearly explain why the student-athlete is entitled to the waiver. The attorneys who are part of the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team have years of experience preparing waiver requests for student-athletes all across the country, including Rhode Island. We can help you and your student-athlete make sure that any waiver request you make is supported with strong arguments and as much evidence as can be gathered. We will also make sure that the waiver request is submitted in a timely fashion and that all required materials are included when it's delivered to the RIIL.
If the RIIL Executive Director denies the waiver request, it can be appealed to the RIIL Waiver Request Hearing Committee. Hearings are held three times a year, in August, October, and February, as well as from time to time for special purposes. If the Waiver Request Hearing Committee denies the request, it can be appealed further to the RIIL Principals' Committee on Athletics, which meets 5-6 times per year.
Academic Eligibility Requirements
Student-athletes must be enrolled in at least four subjects during any semester in which they wish to compete in sports. Each of those subjects must involve at least four periods of work, or in total, at least 15 periods of work per week.
Student-athletes must also meet grading requirements during the semester; in particular, they must be passing at least 60% of their total credits. If they fail to meet that threshold, they are ineligible to compete until the end of the quarter (or trimester) of the next “marking period.” Some courses span more than one marking period; in those cases, the school can use the grade earned in that class during the last marking period to determine if the student-athlete is eligible during that marking period.
The 60% threshold also applies at the beginning of the school year. In other words, the student-athlete must have passed at least 60% of their classes during the previous school year in order to be eligible to compete at the beginning of the next school year.
Summer school credit can be used to remedy grade deficiencies, provided the work is completed in the student's record by the end of the first week of the fall term. Incomplete grades are treated as failing but can be made up if the work is submitted and accepted by the beginning of the next quarter.
School grading situations can vary depending on the class and the teacher involved. This is where it can be helpful to be very involved in your student-athlete's academic progress during the school year. If you can spot a situation where it seems as though a teacher is not being fair to your student-athlete or where your student is failing to complete schoolwork on time or is doing poorly on tests, it's better to try to fix the situation while it's still happening than to have to deal with it afterwards. In many cases, teachers may allow extra credit work or makeup tests to help students remedy poor grades, but keep in mind that under RIIL rules, teachers are not allowed to provide student-athletes with make-up opportunities that they don't provide to non-athlete students.
Here, too, where the situation supports it, it may be possible to secure a waiver of the academic eligibility requirements in hardship cases. For example, where the student-athlete could not attend school because of an injury, illness, or extreme family situation, the RIIL may be willing to grant a hardship waiver of the academic eligibility requirements. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team can help you evaluate your student-athlete's situation to see whether a hardship waiver should be requested; in other cases, we can also help you work with the school to remedy any teacher-student conflicts that may be contributing to your student-athlete's grading issues.
School Disciplinary Defense
The simple fact is that student-athletes spend a lot more time in class than they do practicing or competing. As a result, they're more likely to run into eligibility issues as a result of in-school misconduct allegations than they are for anything they might do on the field.
Schools have lots of discretion when it comes to disciplining students. All schools have honor codes, student handbooks, or similar types of rules, regulations, and procedures that apply to student behavior. These often describe how the school will resolve misconduct claims and may include a description of the types of consequences the school may apply to students. Some of these consequences are minor, such as a verbal warning or detention after school. Others are more serious, and in addition to suspending or expelling the student, the school may also prohibit the student from participating in extracurricular activities, including, of course, sports.
The problem with many school disciplinary situations is that busy school administrators don't always have the time or training to thoroughly investigate misconduct claims. They may not always apply disciplinary procedures in a proper or fair way. This is where it can be very helpful to have the help of an experienced student defense attorney.
At the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team, we have been helping students accused of serious misconduct defend themselves for years. Whether it's academic misconduct or some other kind, we can conduct our own investigation into the allegations and the events surrounding the situation, and many times, we uncover “the rest of the story” – information the school failed to find out. We can also represent you and your student in conferences with the school and in any school disciplinary hearings that may follow and will make sure your student-athlete's rights are respected throughout the process. Where appropriate, we can often suggest alternative forms of discipline that will keep the student-athlete competing while still respecting the school's need to maintain order. And where the case requires, we can also go to court to help protect your student's rights.
Discipline Defense for Behavior During Games
Student-athletes who are ejected from competitions on sportsmanship grounds are ineligible to compete for the remainder of that competition as well as for the next scheduled league-level game (as well as for any other non-league game before the next league game). Student-athletes ejected from a football game are ineligible for the next two scheduled games.
A second ejection during a sports season will result in a suspension for the remainder of the season. A third ejection during a school year will result in a one-year suspension unless the student-athlete can show the RIIL why they should not be suspended. The RIIL has the right to impose additional penalties depending on the circumstances.
Student-athletes who are ejected must also complete a sportsmanship course and complete an “Unsportsmanlike Conduct Questionnaire” before they can return to competition.
In situations where a student-athlete is in danger of a longer-term suspension as a result of being ejected from a competition, the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team may be able to help present information and arguments to the RIIL in the student-athlete's favor. For example, where video evidence shows that the wrong student-athlete was ejected from a competition, that information can be brought to the attention of the RIIL.
School Transfer Issues
If your student-athlete is thinking of transferring to a new high school or if your family is moving to a new home in a different school district, it's important to address the potential consequences of this kind of a move on your student-athlete's eligibility – before you make the move. The RIIL transfer rules can get complicated, and it is far better to anticipate any eligibility issues before they happen than it is to be surprised when your student-athlete suddenly learns that they're not eligible to compete at their new school.
In most cases, if your family is making a “bona fide” move from one home to another home, your student-athlete will be immediately eligible to compete at a high school located in the new school district. The student-athlete must submit a “Transfer Rule Affidavit” or complete an “Online Transfer Management System entry” before the student-athlete begins participating in any sport at the new school.
A “bona fide” move is typically one where the entire family is moving from one residence to another with all of their belongings and is abandoning (selling or renting) the old residence. Evidence of a bona fide move includes changing post office addresses on bills and accounts, changing voter registrations, and changing driver's licenses.
If the student-athlete changes schools without a corresponding “bona fide” change of address, the student-athlete will be ineligible to compete for the first 35 days of each sport that they competed in at the old school. If there are less than 35 days left in the sports season at the new school, the unused days carry over to the next season in that sport.
There are exceptions to this rule. A student-athlete who transfers during their freshman year or the summer after their freshman year will be “immediately eligible” at the new school if they transfer before the beginning of the fall season. Other exceptions may also apply depending on your student-athlete's situation.
This is why it can be very helpful to work with one of the experienced student-athlete attorneys from the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team. We can help you evaluate your situation in light of the sometimes confusing and complicated RIIL transfer rules so that you understand in advance what the effect of the move to a new school will have on your student-athlete's eligibility.
The Lento Law Firm Can Help Keep Your Student-Athlete Competing
The experienced student-athlete attorneys from the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team have helped hard-working student-athletes keep and regain their eligibility at high schools all across the company. We understand how the RIIL rules and regulations work, how high school disciplinary procedures operate, and we will fight for your student-athlete's rights no matter where they're threatened. We can initiate investigations into disputed incidents, help you understand and interpret RIIL rules, and work with you and your student-athlete's school to prepare and submit waiver requests.
If you have questions about your student-athlete's eligibility, or if that eligibility is at risk or has been taken away, contact the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or use our online form to set up a confidential consultation. We know how the RIIL eligibility rules work, and we have the experience to help keep your student-athlete in the game!
