Agenda Item
2. READY FOR ACTION ~ Amendment to the Bylaws & Policies: Board Policy IDE (1), Competitive Interscholastic Athletics, Grades 6-12
Summary: Presented by: Mr. James Jackson, Executive Director, Department of Athletics
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education accept amended Board Policy IDE (1), Competitive Interscholastic Athletics, Grades 6-12, that was presented for first read and laid on the table for public comment and Board feedback from June 6, 2022.
Why: The current policy does not allow 6 through 8 grade magnet students access to play sports. Extending this opportunity allows for access to sports for fully enrolled students at their home attendance area school. In an effort to increase transparency, the middle school policy and high school policy have been combined.
Details: The following conditions must be met under policy IDE(1), Competitive Interscholastic Athletics, Grades 6-12:
If the school in which the student is enrolled offers the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) or DeKalb County School District (DCSD) sanctioned extracurricular activity in which the student wishes to participate, the student shall be required to participate as a member of the school in which he/she is enrolled.
Students may not participate in competitive interscholastic athletics at both the school in which the student is enrolled and the homeschool. Instead, students must participate in GHSA extracurricular activities at the school in which they are enrolled unless that sport is not offered. For example, students could not play basketball at the school of enrollment and football at the homeschool.
The election of the student to participate in competitive interscholastic athletic activities for either the school of enrollment or the homeschool shall be binding for the current school year.
Students shall be required to comply with all GHSA and DCSD eligibility requirements.
Students shall remain subject to all applicable requirements for continued enrollment at DECA, DSA, DESA, Wadsworth Magnet, and Kittridge Magnet Schools, as well as all applicable requirements for participation in the GHSA/DCSD extracurricular activity. Students shall be solely responsible for providing any and all transportation necessary for participation in the GHSA/DCSD extracurricular activity.
Financial impact: There is no financial impact.
Contact: Mr. James Jackson, Executive Director, Department of Athletics, 678.676.1822
Dr. Tekshia Ward-Smith, Director, Department of Athletics, 678.676.1884
Ms. Stacy E. Stepney, Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, 678.676.0731
Effective: Upon Board of Education’s approval.
Status: Reviewed by General Counsel.
Board Policy Manual
DeKalb County School District
Board Policy IDE(1): Competitive Interscholastic Activities, Grades 9-12 Status: ADOPTED
Original Adopted Date: 09/11/2000 | Last Revised Date: 04/16/2018 | Last Reviewed Date: 04/16/2018
Competitive Interscholastic Activities, Grades 9-12
NO PASS/NO PARTICIPATE
The Board of Education endorses and adopts the requirements set forth in the guidelines of the Georgia High School
Association, and as may be amended, for determining the eligibility of students in grades 9-12 to participate in
competitive interscholastic activities. The Board directs the Superintendent to maintain and distribute the current
GHSA guidelines to all schools in the system that sponsors competitive interscholastic activities and to ensure
compliance with those guidelines.
To be eligible for participation, an individual must be enrolled full-time in the school that sponsors the competitive
activity, except as follows.
Consistent with GHSA By-Laws Section 1.62(n), students enrolled full-time at DeKalb Early College Academy
(DECA), DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA), or Arabia Mountain High School, all of which meet the United States
Department of Education’s definition of a “magnet school,” may participate in GHSA extracurricular activities at the
school they would ordinarily attend according to DeKalb County Board of Education attendance policy (the “home
school”) under the following conditions:
1. If the school in which the student is enrolled offers the GHSA extracurricular activity in which the student
wishes to participate, the student shall be required to participate as a member of the school in which he/she is
enrolled.
2. Students may not participate in GHSA extracurricular activities at both the school in which the student is
enrolled and the homeschool. Instead, students must elect to participate in GHSA extracurricular activities at
only one school per school year. For example, students could not play basketball at the school of enrollment
and football at the homeschool.
3. The election of the student to participate in GHSA extracurricular activities for either the school of enrollment
or the homeschool shall be binding for the current school year.
4. Students shall be required to comply with all GHSA eligibility and other rules.
5. Students shall remain subject to all applicable requirements for continued enrollment at DECA, DSA, and
Arabia Mountain, as well as all applicable requirements for participation in the GHSA extracurricular activity.
Students shall be solely responsible for providing any and all transportation necessary for participation in the
GHSA extracurricular activity.