December 18, 2017

Garfield/Palouse 8^th Grade Athletic Participation/Policy Guidelines

1. In team sports, 8^th graders will only be allowed to participate at the high school to salvage a program. If 8^th grade participation is needed at the high school level, it will be open to all 8^th grade athletes who wish to participate.
2. The following participation numbers will be used to determine if a program has enough athletes to field a team:

Football: 12/18

Volleyball: 10/16

Boy/Girls Basketball: 9/14

Baseball/Softball: 12/18

3. For individual sports, (Track, Cross-County, Wrestling) 8^th graders will only be allowed to participate at the high school to fill out a varsity team.
4. Coaches and the High School Athletic Director will have a conversation with 8^th grade athletes and parents to let them know where they see each athlete fitting into the program. The athlete and parent will then need to make an informed decision as to what they feel is best for the athlete. 
5. If the Middle School does not offer a program for any sport, 8^th grade athletes will be allowed to participate on the High School team.
6. The intent of the Board is for Middle School athletes to participate at the Middle School level.
7. After the MS Boys Basketball season is over, if eligibility allows and the coaching staff agrees, athletes may practice at the HS level, but may only compete if the participation number falls below the number guidelines set above. However, even below the number guidelines set above the intent of the Board is for HS athletes to maintain priority playing time over MS athletes.