8th grade holdback

**imported_Counts** · February 12th, 2007, 09:45 AM

The rule did change

28-4-2

[ QUOTE ]
A student who is repeating the eighth grade after having successfully
completed the eighth grade (held back), must be enrolled in five new courses in order to
be eligible for a second year as an eighth grader.

[/ QUOTE ]
http://vhsl.org/Handbook.pdf

Now there is a heck of alot more to it than there used to be.

Add to that the fact that the rule has no teeth since

#1) It does not affect the players varcity elegability
#2) Worst case it leads to JV Forfits (and who really cares?)
#3) The the kid does it in 7th Grade there is nothing to stop him/her
#4) Call it middle school ball insted of JV and all is well

So YES there is a rule change and NO it will change nothing

**sup-rbeast** · February 12th, 2007, 10:41 AM

Your post on the rule was a compromise earlier this year...there has been talk since of fixing the rule as I stated in my post for next year. But, as for now, your post is the way it stands. I have heard the compromise on the rule this year was to avoid law suits and complaints from parents who had kids that had held back already...but at the same time serves notice that the intention is to eventually phase out holding back in order to avoid lawsuits when the rule is changed.

**imported_Counts** · February 12th, 2007, 10:50 AM

If I remember correct they were looking at making Varcity elegability end 10 semesters after the student entered the 8th grade but still only be able to play the last 8 (9th grade on)

That did not happen this year and we got the watered down change.

I had not seen anything that sugusted that they were looking at making another change next year (Not saying that it is not in the works but I had not seen it brought up anywhere yet)

**sup-rbeast** · February 12th, 2007, 10:58 AM

Working in schools you hear folks asking about it all the time. The answer most usually given is "this is how it stands now"..lol.

**imported_Counts** · February 12th, 2007, 11:19 AM

True LOL

February 12th, 2007, 05:15 PM

This is how it has been forever. You take enough electives to remain playable, play JV. If ya wanna split hairs and worry ,like I said before- play 8th grade sports only in the first 8th grade year. If they screw you sue'em. They ain't that smart. The chairman of the school board told a lawyer he wouldn't understand the details of the Basham buy-out...I know she was smarter than the lawyer. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

**sup-rbeast** · February 12th, 2007, 06:15 PM

Like I said, I could care less. But if folks are gonna whine, they need to just set it up one way and deal with it. If there is a rule on the books that is fair for everyone with just one interpretation, it'll do no good to sue.

February 12th, 2007, 06:28 PM

The rule is the same as it has always been. You just have to watch what you do. You can't PASS into the 9th grade and then holdback, you must not fail an 8th grade course that drops your GPA. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] I'm not gonna sue over something that simple, I'm not gonna sue over anything, that easy.

**Jason** · February 12th, 2007, 11:26 AM

[ QUOTE ]
#4) Call it middle school ball insted of JV and all is well

[/ QUOTE ]

Do as Gate City and have 7th and 8th graders play on the 8th grade team. We have been doing that for years though. Sometimes we have a JV team when we have alot of kids dress out to play Varsity. And then I think GC uses 9th through 11th graders. I really never heard of 8th graders on JV until we joined the LPD. I am speaking of football.