ARTICLE 3

300.         GENERAL PROVISIONS

A.            Student Participation

Interscholastic sports teams composed of boys and/or boys and girls shall be conducted in accordance with these Bylaws. Girls’ interscholastic sports teams shall be conducted according to these Bylaws, including certain additional rules and modifications pertaining to girls’ sports teams and mixed (co-educational) sports teams.

B.            Team Designations

Schools shall designate the type of team for each sport according to the following:

(1)           Student Team:  Whenever the school provides only a team or teams for boys in a particular sport, girls are permitted to qualify for the student team(s).

sport, nor shall boys be permitted to qualify for the girls’ team(s) in that sport.

(3)           Girls’ Team:  Whenever the school provides only a team or teams for girls in a particular sport, boys shall not be permitted to qualify for the girls’ team in that sport unless opportunities in the total sports program for boys in the school have been limited in comparison to the total sports program for the girls in that school. Permission for boys to qualify for a girls’ team must be secured through petition by the school principal to the State CIF Federated Council.

(4)           Mixed Team (Co-ed):  Whenever the school provides a mixed or coed team in a sport in which the game rules designate either a certain number of team participants from each sex or contains an event that designates a certain number of participants from each sex, boys shall not be permitted to qualify for the girls’ positions on the mixed team nor shall girls be permitted to qualify for the boys’ positions on the mixed team.

C.            Limitations

If a boys’ team has been created in a sport after a boy has competed on a girls’ team or student team (See 300.B.(3)) that boy must compete on a boys’ team in that sport. If a girls’ team has been created in a sport after a girl has competed on a boy’s team or student team (See 300.B.(2)) in that sport, that girl must compete on the girls’ team. The above limitations are binding upon all CIF Sections.

(Approved May 1997 Federated Council)

301.         ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

                Schools shall be responsible to furnish eligibility information as required by the State CIF Federated Council, local Section, or leagues, for students participating in interscholastic athletics.

302.         PRINCIPAL’S RESPONSIBILITY

athlete or an unofficial entrant.
NOTE: See Bylaw 500.

303.         MULTI-SCHOOL TEAM

A.            CIF member schools may allow only students currently enrolled, in grades 9-12, in their school, to participate in any CIF competition (See Bylaw 203).

B.            Any non-CIF member school that wishes to have its students participate in CIF competition must apply for multi-school status through a CIF member school prior to October 1 of the current school year. A non-CIF member school must have a California County-District-School Code (CDS Code) as a prerequisite to applying for multi-school status.

C.            Any CIF member school that wishes to allow participation on its team(s) by students, who are currently enrolled in non-CIF member schools or programs which do not offer any interscholastic athletic programs [such programs or schools would include, but not be limited to, alternative schools (defined in Education Code 58500), junior high schools, necessary small schools and charter schools], may request approval to do so under the following conditions:

                                (1)           The administrative responsibility for all students involved in athletics shall rest with the principal of the CIF member school for which the student(s) is competing. Such responsibility shall include:

                                                a.             Verification that residential eligibility of the student(s) is limited to the public school in whose attendance area his/her parents, legal guardians, or caregivers reside; or where the student most recently established his/her residential eligibility or a private school; AND

                                                b.             Verification that students participating in the athletic program meet all the CIF member school scholastic eligibility requirements; AND

                                                c.             The regular grading period of the CIF member school shall be used to determine the scholastic eligibility of all students; AND

requirements of the CIF, its Section, its league and the CIF member school; AND

                                                e.             Determination that private schools and charter schools entering a multi-school agreement with a public school or public school district meet the additional requirements set forth in Bylaw 303.E.-F.

(2)           For the purposes of determining dues, legal and liability assessments, realignment issues and State CIF and Section divisional placement, the enrollment figures for non-CIF member school/program students residing in the CIF member school’s attendance area must be included in the CIF member school’s enrollment using the CBEDS enrollment figures.

(3)           The application process must start with the principal of the CIF member school. Written certification that all the conditions listed above will be met, as well as approval, must be obtained from the following:

a.             CIF member school principal; AND

b.             CIF member school governing board(s); AND

c.             Non-CIF member school or program administrator in charge; AND

        d.             Non-CIF member school governing board (if applicable)

(4)           Additional approvals must be obtained, in the following order, from:

a.             The CIF member school’s League; AND

b.             The CIF member school’s Section; AND

c.             The State CIF Executive Committee

(5)           Appeals Procedure (Applies only to (4) above)

a.             If the CIF member school is unable to obtain written approval from the appropriate league, then it may appeal for approval, in writing, to its CIF Section, but only after exhausting any and all appeals procedures established by the respective league.

the CIF Executive Committee, but only after exhausting any and all appeals procedures established by the respective CIF Section.

(6)           Renewal applications, including all signatures in (3) and (4) above, for multi-school teams under this bylaw must be filed annually prior to the ensuing school year.             

D.            Small Learning Communities, Small Schools, Alternative Schools, and Charter Schools Housed On A Member School’s Campus

(1)           Students in small learning communities, small schools, alternative schools or charter schools housed on an existing member school’s campus are eligible at the member school upon their initial enrollment in the 9th grade. Small learning communities, small schools, alternative schools and charter schools housed on an existing member school’s campus are not required to apply for multi-school status through the member school.

(2)           Students transferring into small learning communities, small schools, alternative schools or charter schools housed on an existing member school’s campus after their initial enrollment in the 9th grade are subject to Bylaw 207.

(3)           Sections are empowered to waive the transfer rule upon request by a school district establishing a new magnet program, small learning community, small school, alternative school or charter school housed on a member school’s campus for the first year only; thereafter, all transfer rules apply.

(4)           If a small learning community, small school, alternative school or charter school is housed on an existing member school’s campus, its students are not eligible to participate for any CIF member school other than the member school on whose campus the small learning community, small school, alternative school or charter school is housed.

                E.             Private and Charter Schools Partnering With CIF Member Public Schools Housed On a Separate Campus

with a public school district, only those students who live within the boundaries of the public school district may participate in athletics at the member school or at a member school within the district. A student attending such a private school or charter school must participate for the member school in whose attendance area his/her parents, legal guardians, or caregivers reside or the school in the district where the student most recently established residential eligibility prior to attending the private or charter school entering the multi-school agreement.

                F.             CIF Member School with Multiple Campuses

Teams representing a high school must be composed of students under the direct supervision of one principal and attending class on one campus. Where one school has multiple campuses, a student must participate for the team on whose campus he/she is housed unless the school petitions to be allowed to participate as a single school with multiple campuses under the supervision of one principal. These petitions must be filed prior to October 1 of the current school year.

DEFINITIONS

School Within a School

This type of school (often times referred to as Academies with a particular academic focus) operating under the umbrella of a comprehensive high school, but has no autonomy in terms of academic accountability.

Small Learning Communities

These schools have their own complete accountability in terms of having their own CDS code, API scores and their own CAHSEE pass rate.

G.            Continuation Schools

                Continuation schools may not apply for multi-school team status as provided for under this provision. For continuation school eligibility, refer to Bylaw 212.

                                (Revised May 2003 Federated Council)      (Revised May 2007 Federated Council)

304.         SPECIAL SCHOOLS (CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF)

            Students attending special schools (as defined in Education Code Sections 59000 et seq. and 59100 et seq.) may be permitted to compete as representatives of the CIF member schools provided:

                A.            Student is eligible under all other rules of the California Interscholastic Federation; AND

(5)           For the purposes of determining dues, legal and liability assessments, realignment issues and CIF State and Section divisional placement, the enrollment figures for non-CIF-member school/program students residing in the CIF-member school’s attendance area must be included in the CIF-member school’s CBEDS enrollment figures.

                (Revised May 2008 Federated Council)

Exception: Those schools founded upon religious tenets that observe the Sabbath from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown may practice or play on Sundays. Said schools must register each year by August 1 for the following year with their Section office and indicate either Friday or Saturday as their alternate day of respite.

                QUESTION: May incoming students (grades 9-12) have the opportunity to participate in physical examinations at the high schools of determined residence?

                ANSWER: Yes. The physical examination session should be for boys and girls who contemplate entering athletic programs at their local public, private, or parochial high school. Should the student decide to attend a private or parochial school after the physical examination, the paperwork may be taken and used for the same purpose. And visa versa.

                QUESTION: May an athlete participate in conditioning programs before and after school outside the season of sport without an annual physical exam?

                ANSWER: No. An annual physical examination is required before a student may tryout,  practice (including physical conditioning) or participate in interscholastic athletic competition.

                QUESTION: What is the status of a student with regard to being supervised as an individual entry?

                ANSWER: The supervision requirement is the same for an individual entrant as well as a team entry. Any student reporting for competition who is not under direct supervision in accordance with By-law 308 is to be denied entry for participation in the competition. NOTE: Schools representing the same district may send one credentialed or certified supervisor for three or four students. These individuals will be recognized for registration and for participation purposes in that the district has assigned the supervisory role for all students from its member schools to this one individual.

                QUESTION: What is the status of the contest in the event the head coach/supervisor is ejected or removed from the contest?

                ANSWER: The contest may not continue unless there is a credentialed or certified walk-on coach present from the school to assume the responsibilities of the supervision of the team or individual. If unable to meet the above criteria, the contest is forfeited.