School Sports FAQs: Discipline, Eligibility, & Forms

The fall sports season is almost ready to kick off, so school officials should be ready to tackle issues related to student-athlete discipline, eligibility, physicals, annual consent forms, concussion awareness, and transfers. The below frequently asked questions (FAQs) will assist school officials with addressing questions about student athletics.

Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) member schools are bound by MHSAA rules, including those addressing eligibility and enrollment and other requirements. In some cases, MHSAA rules may be nuanced and may require consultation with the MHSAA. Please keep in mind that the FAQs below are general answers, but specific situations may require a close review of applicable MHSAA rules to ensure compliance.

1. Are student-athletes subject to the student code of conduct?

Yes. Student-athletes are not only subject to the school’s general student code of conduct, but also to any athletic code of conduct. Student handbooks and athletic codes of conduct should be distributed to students, describe behavior rules and expectations for students who participate in sports, and inform students of the disciplinary consequences for violations.

Rules must be carefully tailored and applied uniformly to reduce the risk of a legal challenge, including free speech and free exercise of religion. Please keep in mind that a federal court, in Mahanoy Area Sch Dist v BL (CA 3, June 23, 2021), held that public schools cannot impose sports-related discipline for private off-campus speech, even when that speech violates either a school code of conduct or a student-athlete code of conduct.

2. Is a school required to provide a student with due process before suspending the student from an athletic activity?

It depends. Athletic participation is a privilege, not a right. Therefore, unless a school established due process procedures for student-athletes, additional due process procedures, such as providing notice and an opportunity to be heard by the board of education, are not required before imposing discipline. If due process procedures are in place, the procedures should be limited to providing the student notice of the allegations of wrongdoing and an opportunity to respond. We recommend reviewing athletic handbooks and codes of conduct before fall sports begin to ensure that any due process procedures for athletics are both legally compliant and not overly burdensome.

3. Are there age requirements to participate in MHSAA-sponsored sports?

Yes. To participate in 7th grade sports, a student must be 13 years old or younger, unless the student will turn 14 on or after September 1 of the 7th grade school year. For 8th grade athletic eligibility, a student must be 14 years old or younger, unless the student will turn 15 on or after September 1 of the 8th grade school year. For high school athletic eligibility, a student must be 18 years old or younger, unless the student will turn 19 on or after September 1 of the competition school year.

4. When must a student be enrolled to participate in MHSAA-sponsored sports?

Generally, a student must be enrolled in the school not later than the fourth Friday after Labor Day to be eligible for the fall season (i.e., September 26, 2025) and not later than the fourth Friday of February to be eligible for the winter season (i.e., February 27, 2026).

5. What forms must students submit before they can participate in MHSAA-sponsored sports?

A student must submit a Medical Eligibility Form signed by a health care professional (M.D., D.O., physician assistant, or nurse practitioner), verifying that the student had a physical examination. This form also requests parental consent, emergency contact information, acknowledgment of an assumption of the risk statement, medical treatment consent, and proof of medical insurance.

Additionally, Michigan’s sports concussion law requires the student and the student’s parent or guardian to sign a Concussion Education Acknow​ledgement Form, verifying that they received educational materials on sports concussions, including a description of concussion signs and symptoms.

6. Are transfer students eligible to participate in MHSAA-sponsored sports?

It depends. In general, students are eligible to participate in MHSAA-sponsored sports at the school located within the district in which one of the student’s parents reside. Students who change schools and do not meet one of the MHSAA’s 15 enumerated exceptions are not eligible for the upcoming season in the same sport that they participated in during the immediately preceding season. For example, if a student is participating in a sport and transfers to a new school mid-season, and the student does not qualify for an exception, the student is not eligible to participate in that same sport during the remainder of the current season and the following season.

To prepare for the upcoming season, school officials should review their school’s athletic code of conduct to ensure compliance with any eligibility requirements that may be more stringent than those imposed by the MHSAA.