The information in these guidelines is representative of the policies, regulations, and rules that govern Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) student participation in Virginia High School League (VHSL) sponsored interscholastic activities and athletics, as provided by PWCS policies and regulations and VHSL policies and rules.
Participation in school activities and interscholastic athletics is a privilege. It is the responsibility of PWCS coaches and sponsors to review participation and eligibility information annually with all participants of their teams or groups. Parents and students must acknowledge that they have read and will follow the rules and guidelines governing participation in PWCS athletics and activities.
To be eligible to participate in activities and athletics in PWCS high schools, students must meet the following eligibility requirements.
A student must be enrolled in not fewer than five subjects offered for credit that can be used to meet graduation requirements and have passed five classes offered for credit in the previous semester.
PWCS high school students participating in interscholastic athletics, cheerleading, marching band, dance, step, and drill teams must pass five subjects and earn a "C" or better in two subjects at the end of the first semester and the end of the school year. This applies to practices as well as games. The student may not practice, participate, or accompany the team during the ineligible period. See PWCS Regulation 640-2 for more information.
A student shall not have reached the age of 19 by August 1 of the school year in which the student wishes to compete.
The student shall be officially enrolled as required by Virginia school laws and be a regular bona fide student as defined by the VHSL. A regular student is considered a full-time student who is in regular attendance and carries a schedule of subjects that, if successfully completed, will render the student scholastically eligible for the ensuing semester. The student shall have been regularly enrolled no later than the 15th day of the semester.
The student shall not have been enrolled in the last four years of high school for a period of more than eight consecutive semesters, beginning with the semester in which the student was enrolled for the first time in the ninth grade. The eight consecutive semesters shall be counted continuously from that point, regardless of whether or not the student remains continuously enrolled in school.
Any student who has enrolled in one high school and subsequently enrolls in another high school – without a corresponding change of residence of his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) – will be ineligible for VHSL activities for 365 days. Parents of students who transfer may request in writing, a waiver by the Superintendent when the transfer is a result of a decision made by PWCS staff. All waiver requests will be reviewed for approval on a case-by-case basis.
Student-athletes must meet all eligibility requirements and all student-athlete participation requirements before any form of participation in athletic activities, including tryouts or practice.
Parents/guardians must complete an online high school athletic registration for their student. Students must participate in the registration process with their parent/guardian to complete state-required student-athlete education and other required acknowledgments and forms.
Learn more about the online high school athletic registration process for student athletes.
Student-Athlete Education, formerly known as concussion education, must be completed annually as part of the online school athletic registration process. This education informs student-athletes and their parents/guardians about health-related topics, including concussion, heat-related illness, and sudden cardiac arrest.
Virginia law mandates that both the student-athlete and a parent/guardian review this information and sign a statement acknowledging receipt to participate in any athletic activity. Families with students participating in multiple sports only need to complete this education once each school year.
Student-athletes must have a physical examination by a health care provider and have permission from the health care provider and parent/guardian before the participant may engage in any sport.
The sports physical must be completed and signed by the student, parent/guardian, and health care provider attesting that the student has been examined and found to be physically fit for athletic competition.
The form must be submitted electronically during the athletic registration process for the student.
Students who have completed their eligibility in a sport may participate in no more than one all-star game during that sport's season before graduation from high school.
All students are required to attend school and classes regularly. Any student who is absent on the day of any activity cannot participate in that event. On the day of an event (game or practice), a student must attend school for at least one-half of the instructional day (equal to 3 1/2 hours). In the case of an interscholastic event on Saturday or Sunday, the school attendance rule applies to the last school day before the weekend event. In the case of extenuating circumstances, the school administration may waive this rule.
Bullying consists of any words or actions that harm or threaten another person's body, property, self-esteem, or group acceptance. This includes all oral, written, electronic, or non-verbal forms of ridicule, harassment, and intimidation. Bullying and hazing in any form shall not be tolerated and may result in dismissal from the team or group. (Refer to Regulation 733-1)
All student-athletes and a parent/guardian are required to complete concussion education annually (every 12 months), as required by Virginia law, before the student may participate in any extracurricular athletic activity. View Regulation 759-1 for more information.
PWCS provides the required concussion education through our student-athlete education.
Students and their parents/guardians have two ways to receive this concussion education:
PWCS is committed to ensuring that students participating in school-sponsored activities who sustain concussions are properly diagnosed, given adequate time to heal, and comprehensively supported until they are symptom-free. View Regulation 759-1 for more information.
PWCS has established a Return to Sport protocol for all students who have received a concussion or brain trauma injury. The student-athlete shall be removed from play until asymptomatic and neurocognitive testing has been successfully completed. Once the athlete is both physically and cognitively asymptomatic, they can begin a progressive Return to Sport protocol before returning to practice and full contact play.
To support safe participation, PWCS does not support the use of energy drinks by athletes. Student-athletes are prohibited from the use of energy drinks for any reason, especially for the purpose of rehydration before or after exercise. Fluid replacement drinks, or drinks used to replenish body fluids after exercise, are defined as drinks that replace energy and electrolytes to assist the body in recovering from exercise. Fluid replacement drinks are not considered energy drinks. Some common examples of fluid replacement drinks are Gatorade and Powerade.
The penalty for violation of this rule will be established by the athletic department at each school.
Equipment responsibility is the responsibility of the student-athlete to maintain and return all equipment and uniforms issued to them. Parents will be financially responsible for any equipment or uniforms that are lost, stolen, or misplaced during the time the student-athlete is responsible for them. The price of replacing these items shall be the actual cost to the school for purchasing new replacement items. Until any charges for lost equipment have been paid, the student shall be placed on the school's obligations list.
If a parent/guardian indicates that a student will be using personal equipment during the online high school athletic registration, the parent/guardian will read and complete the Personal Equipment Use and Acknowledgment form online.
A student who participates on both varsity and junior varsity teams may not play in a number of games that exceeds the maximum number allowed in that sport in a week or season. A student may not compete on both a varsity and junior varsity team on the same day. A student may not compete on a freshman and junior varsity team on the same day.
Outside team participation shall not conflict with the practice or contest schedule of the school, including district, regional, and state championship play. Any such absence will be considered unexcused.
Out-of-season activities are available to all students who attend the school providing the activity. Students must have an online high school athletic registration completed.
Coach, school personnel, or anyone connected to an athletic program are not to use undue influence to discuss or otherwise promote transfers or changes in residence or residence arrangements with any student, parent, or other person of influence with that student. No PWCS staff member (including coaches) should knowingly support or permit such activity for the purpose of facilitating activity participation to take place.
Admission to interscholastic events in Prince William County entitles spectators to enjoy a competitive exhibition of skills in an educational setting. We ask that spectators give the student athletes positive encouragement and support. Inappropriate and unacceptable behavior may lead to the removal of the spectator(s). PWCS encourages an atmosphere of sportsmanship and support for all athletes. (Refer to Regulations 648-7 and 648-7.1)
Parents are strongly encouraged to have insurance covering possible accidents or injuries in school-sponsored games, practice sessions, and travel to and from contests. Such coverage may be provided through the purchase of Student Accident Insurance, provided through the PWCS Risk, Safety, and Environmental Department, or by providing proof of similar or superior coverage. Schools do not provide insurance for participating students. (The football insurance option available through PWCS, if selected, will cover students participating in football only. Insurance for school time and other sports must be purchased separately.)
The minimum criteria for awarding a school activity letter or other similar award must include:
The coach may establish additional requirements with the approval of the Director of Student Activities and the principal.
Students involved in the possession, use or attempted use, receipt or attempted receipt, purchase or attempted purchase, or distribution or attempted distribution of drugs (illegal, prescription, and/or over-the-counter), alcohol, inhalant intoxicants, look-alikes, placebos, or paraphernalia, or who are under the influence of same on school property, or at school-related activities, are subject to suspension and/or expulsion from school and shall be removed from the extracurricular activity for the remainder of the season. Students found in possession or in use of illegal weapons on any school property, going to or from school, or at any school-related activity, regardless of where that activity takes place, shall also face removal from the extracurricular activity for the remainder of the season. The use of tobacco products shall result in disciplinary action ranging from a conference to suspension to dismissal from the organization. (Refer to Regulation 735-1)
The coach of each sport is responsible for establishing and implementing the criteria for team membership selection. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible to compete at all levels. However, seniors may only participate on junior varsity (JV) teams when schools are working to build their athletic programs. Proper notification to the district must be made in advance when schools have seniors on their JV teams.
According to VHSL rules, eighth grade students are permitted to participate in sub-varsity teams. PWCS allows eighth grade students to participate on high school sports teams only when no high school age students (grades 9-12) have been cut from the program. This practice allows programs with low participation numbers to grow and compete effectively. By allowing younger and senior students to participate in these programs, PWCS is actively working to bolster teams with low participation. At no point should a high school student be cut to make space for an eighth grade student.
If a school provides transportation from a game event, the students must use the school-provided transportation. Students may not ride home from an away game site with anyone except the legal parent/guardian. Release of a student to a parent/guardian is left to the school's discretion.
Participation in high school activities and athletics is a privilege and not a right. With this privilege, it is the responsibility of students to uphold standards of conduct.
Inappropriate conduct may include violations of PWCS policies and regulations, the PWCS Code of Behavior, Virginia High School League (VHSL) policies and rules, and/or agreements between the students and their coaches, sponsors, or teachers.
Students ejected from a scheduled contest by an official of the contest may not participate on the next scheduled playing date, including post-season play of that activity. For engaging in fighting (including throwing punches as an instigator, in retaliation, or intentionally kicking or stomping an opponent), biting or aggressive physical contact shall result in a suspension from contests totaling a minimum of 30% of the total contest limitations for that sport (a player shall be ineligible for the team's scheduled contests until the suspension is completed) and a coach from contests totaling a minimum of 30% of the contest limitations. Profanity directed at a game official will result in a suspension from contests totaling a minimum of 20% of the total contest limitations for that sport. Student/athletes who leave the bench area and become actively involved in an altercation will result in a suspension from contests totaling a minimum of 20% of the total contest limitations for that sport. If the timing of the suspension occurs at the last scheduled game, the suspension will include the next scheduled games for the new sports season.
PWCS students can become ineligible to participate in total or in part based on inappropriate conduct, whether or not that conduct occurs during the school day, evenings, or weekends.
If a student is declared ineligible for violations of the rules and regulations governing participation activities and transfers to another PWCS school, the student will remain ineligible for the remainder of that school year.
The coach/sponsor, in cooperation with school administration, shall be responsible for deciding appropriate disciplinary actions.
Any violations may be accompanied by, but are not restricted to, the following disciplinary actions:
Disciplinary action will be taken only after the student has had the opportunity to answer charges of the violations, including the right to bring the student’s own witnesses, before the activity sponsor.
Appeals are submitted to the principal of the student’s school. To appeal the decision of the principal, a final appeal is submitted to the Department of Student Activities and Athletics.
Students who are suspended may not participate in activities or athletics during the appeal process.