Interscholastic Competition 5-49

School Board of the City of Virginia Beach
Policy 5-49

STUDENTS

Interscholastic Competition

1. Generally

   The School Board endorses the ideals of good sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity in all extra-curricular and co-curricular activities and charges all division schools with:

   1. Encouraging and maintaining attitudes and actions indicative of good sportsmanship in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools;
   2. Promoting the establishment of an organized program of sportsmanship activities; and
   3. Recognizing the efforts of those individuals and organizations that develop and implement a sound philosophy and program.
2. Virginia High School League, Inc.

   The School Board endorses membership by its high schools in the Virginia High School League, Inc. (VHSL) but imposes higher scholastic standards than the VHSL, as set forth in this Policy.

3. Academic Requirements for Participation in Interscholastic Competition
   1. It is the policy of the School Board that, to obtain eligibility to participate in interscholastic activities, students shall be required to have passed five or more classes with a 2.0 grade point average or higher in courses taken in the semester immediately preceding the semester in which they want to participate. Final grades earned in courses taken during summer school will be averaged with the semester grades the student earned in courses taken during the second semester to determine the student’s second semester grade point average. The School Board grants to each student one probationary semester for use during the middle school years while a student attends Virginia Beach City Public Schools and one probationary semester for use during the high school years while a student attends Virginia Beach City Public Schools, during which time the 2.0 grade point average requirement is waived.
   2. Students with disabilities eligible for special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA), in order to participate in interscholastic activities, must: a) make standard progress, as determined by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, toward the goals and objectives in their IEPs in special education courses; and b) meet the academic requirements set forth in paragraph C.1. above in all courses. Students with disabilities who are taking less than five subjects, due to an IEP team determination that a reduced course load is appropriate, are eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics provided they meet the other requirements of this subsection.

Legal Reference

Virginia High School League, Inc. Handbook and Policy Manual, as revised.

Virginia Board of Education, 8 VAC 20-81-100(H)(2), as amended. Free Appropriate Public Education

Adopted by School Board: July 16, 1991
Amended by School Board: June 15, 1993 (Effective August 14, 1993)
Amended by School Board: September 2, 1997
Amended by School Board: March 21, 2000
Amended by School Board: October 3, 2000
Amended by School Board: September 20, 2011
Amended by School Board: April 21, 2015
Amended by School Board: June 23, 2020
Amended by School Board: April 22, 2025