Eligibility for Student-Athletes

Students interested in participating in middle school athletics should familiarize themselves with the following general regulations, academic and attendance requirements, and athletic policies.

Listed below are the sports offered.

FALL WINTER SPRING
Co-Ed Flag Football Boys & Girls Soccer  Boys Volleyball
Co-Ed Cross Country Boys & Girls Basketball Boys Baseball
Girls Volleyball Girls Softball
Competitive Cheerleading  Track & Field
Futsal Ultimate Frisbee

* Unless noted, sport is offered for both boy’s and girl’s
** V – Varsity & JV – Junior Varsity

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for tryouts, practice, or participation in interscholastic athletic contests, a player must meet all Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Middle School eligibility requirements and policies:

Age

  • Must not participate if he/she is in the fifth grade of the current year and/or becomes 15 years of age or in the ninth grade before the current school year.

Attendance

  • OUSD requires students to be in attendance 93% of the previous semester.
  • OUSD requires the athlete to be present the entire day in order to participate in activities or practices.

Academics

  • A student, upon first entering grade sixth (6) through eighth (8), is academically eligible for competition on middle school teams. All requirements must be met the first marking period of the season in order for this student to be eligible for athletic participation. (Fall, Winter, Spring)
  • Students must be a part of the After-School Program at the school he/she attends. 
  • Students must have at least one teacher or Admin recommendation/approval.
  • Students must exhibit good behavior in order to participate in athletics sports programs. 
  • OUSD also requires a cumulative overall grade point average of 2.0 or above.

Enrollment

  • Must participate at the school to which he or she is assigned by the local board of education based on the residence of the parent or legal custodian within the administrative unit. The athlete must live with the parents or legal custodians. 
  • A student who transfers from one OUSD school to another OUSD school after initial enrollment or participation in the same season must sit out until the following sports season starts. (ex. If student transfers schools in the Fall semester, that student must wait until the Winter to participate in any sports.)

Medical Examination

  • Must receive a medical examination once every 395 days by a duly licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant.
  • Must be released by a licensed physician if absent from athletic practice for five or more days due to illness or injury.
  • Athlete and Parent/Legal Custodian must read the Concussion Information Sheet and sign the Concussion Statement.

Other OUSD Requirements

  • If ineligible, student my not play in contest/game but my attend the game and allowed to practice
  • If ineligible student must: 
  1. Write a letter to the Commissioner explaining his/her reason for being ineligible, and what steps will be taken to get become eligible before the next marking period. 
  2. Must attend tutoring three (3) out of the five (5) days in a school week. 
  3. Student must also obtain weekly progress reports to check status of eligibility. 
  4. Student must sit out for a minimum of one (1) attended game. If student does not attend the game while under that suspension, they must sit out until they do so.

Other OUSD Policy

  • May not participate in practice or play if assigned to In-School Suspension (ISS) or Out-of-school Suspension (OSS).
  • May not participate at a second school in OUSD in the same sport season.