With the coronavirus pandemic still raging and the viability of re-opening schools called into question, independent school districts around the greater San Antonio area and the entire state of Texas have been trying to generate new methods for remote learning to keep students and teachers safe.
On Friday, the University Interscholastic League addressed concerns regarding student participation in athletics and extracurricular activities and announced that students who choose to learn remotely at home will still be able to compete with their classmates.
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To qualify, students must meet the UIL’s original eligibility standards and be enrolled in the school they will represent. Here’s the list of the necessary standards to meet as outlined on the UIL website:
High School Students are Eligible So Long As They:
- are not high school graduates;
- are full-time day students;
- have attended classes since the 6th day of class of the present school year, or have been enrolled and in regular attendance for 15 or more calendar days before the contest;
- are eligible under no-pass, no play;
- have the required number of credits for eligibility;
- are enrolled in a four year program of high school courses;
- initially enrolled in the 9th grade not more than four years ago, or in the 10th grade not more than three years ago (students may apply for waivers);
- did not change schools for the purpose of participating in a UIL academic event;
- are not in violation of the awards rule (i.e., receiving gifts/compensation specifically for performance)
Moving forward, schools do have the opportunity to adjust current guidelines and create additional requirements for participation in their events. The most important factor for schools is to “develop grading policies” in order to determine whether students are passing all of their courses. For more specific information on this matter, click here.
Lastly, for this specific school year, students shall eligible for the first six weeks of the school year if they have “accumulated at least two and a half credits since the start of the 2019-2020 school year.”
For the full release, click here.