[cougarpride08]

FRANKFORT — Some Kentucky middle school students have been held back by their parents to get an advantage in sports, but a new regulation could thwart the practice.

Last week, the Kentucky Board of Education approved a new statewide rule recommended by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association that, beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, middle school students who repeat a grade for any reason won't be able to play on a school athletic team in the year they are repeating.

"If you are repeating a grade ... your focus probably should not be on sports," KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett said.

"Your focus should be on remediation of your academic work or whatever was the reason; it shouldn't be simply so you can be a scholarship athlete by the time you are a senior."

"The repeating rule," Tackett said, is designed to make people sit and think, "'Do we really want to do this? Because there is a legitimate consequence to this decision.'

"What it does is make sure that athletics isn't the reason why kids are held back," he said.

High school students already have a similar rule, Tackett said.

Currently, Kentucky middle schools vary on whether they allow a student who is repeating a grade to compete.

The KHSAA has had oversight for middle school athletics since August, but most of the rules for middle schools have been made by local school boards.

Last week, the state board approved the repeating rule and another that Tackett described as among "the very few statewide rules" regarding middle school sports.

A KHSAA middle school advisory committee of principals and athletics directors made the unanimous recommendations, and Tackett took them to the state board of education. The state board approves all KHSAA regulations, which are then reviewed by a General Assembly panel.

At this point, Tackett said, it's difficult to quantify how many students will be affected by the repeating rule.

Don Adkins, the Fayette County Public Schools athletics director for middle schools and high schools, served on the advisory committee that suggested the new statewide rule. Adkins said there had been instances when he thought parents had held back middle school students for athletic reasons.

"Would I say that it happens a lot? ... In certain areas of the state, yes," Adkins said. "Has it happened in Fayette County? Yes. Is it prevalent? No. But it has happened."

In Fayette County, site-based councils, composed of middle school teachers and parents, have the authority to set a minimum GPA required for athletic participation. The new statewide rule brings some consistency to the issue, Adkins said.

The repeating rule ensures that students at similar stages of physical development are playing against one another, and it helps keep athletics in middle schools in the proper prospective, Tackett said.

In the second action last week, the state board adopted an age rule that restricts participation by middle school students who are significantly older than their classmates. For example, a student who is 14 before Aug. 1 of a school year can't play against students in seventh grade or below. A student who is 15 by that date is ineligible to compete against students who are in eighth grade or below but could be eligible to play with older students in higher grades. (In Kentucky, middle school students can play on high school teams.)

The age rule is an attempt to keep middle school students safe, Tackett said.

"The age mismatch is a real problem," because there is a big physical difference between students at each year of middle school, he said.

[Cardfan1]

This article makes it sounds like parents were holding kids back that were going to surpass this new age requirement which couldn't be further from truth.

I agree with the age rule but the holdback rule is stupid.

[Coach_Lockwood]

This rule won't change anything except that most parents who hold a child back, will now do so in elementary school.

In JCPS we have always played by the rule that a hold back can't play, so this doesn't affect us like it will affect other schools in the state.

What I want to know is if their will be a grandfather style rule that states if hold back occurred before starting in the 2015-16 season will they be eligable. So if a parent holds the child backa this next school year does that meta they can't play the 2015-16 season?

[goBIGblue82]

This rule won't change anything except that most parents who hold a child back, will now do so in elementary school.

In JCPS we have always played by the rule that a hold back can't play, so this doesn't affect us like it will affect other schools in the state.

What I want to know is if their will be a grandfather style rule that states if hold back occurred before starting in the 2015-16 season will they be eligable. So if a parent holds the child backa this next school year does that meta they can't play the 2015-16 season?

I thought the rule stated the student would be ineligible during the year that is being repeated. So a year after the student has repeated there shouldnt be a reason to be ineligible.

[Coach_Lockwood]

It does state that, what I was asking was if you have a student who plays next year the 2014-15 season and at the end of the year you hold them back, would they be eligable for the 2015-16 season?

[Cardfan1]

that's a good question.

[blaze9]

Simply says, year you repeat, you cannot play. Does not affect next season.

[Cardfan1]

Technically it looks as if you can repeat 2014-2015 or 2015-2016 but not 2016-2017 and on...

[Coach_Lockwood]

That is how I wS viewing it....

[Wildcat18]

Will not affect anything. Tackett should probably focus his sights on high school athletics. What causes more of a disadvantage? Holding back at a young age or choosing which high school to attend instead of going to the high school in the district in which you live? We HAVE to go to one high school. We do not get to choose between Trinity, Male, St. X, Ballard, Moore, etc. KYMSFA is doing a good enough job, KHSAA should stay out of their hair.

[Coach_Lockwood]

I agree but JCPS is the largest district and each school offeres different programs so that's the reason our kids get a choice...as for the "GREEN" schools the students who want to go there have to pass a entrance exam and then find the money to attend.

And I actually think that it's not a disadvantage because a public school from JCPS hasn't won a title in a while.

Could you imagine what would happen to the sports if JCPS only had ONE or TWO high schools?

[RunItUpTheGut]

THIS is the only reason the KHSAA got involved with middle school sports.

This and this alone. This was there number one goal, and I think they could care less about anything else other than this one rule when it comes to middle school.

[insideinfo]

This will not affect one child. They have proven once again they are clueless. You wait and see they will start having the middle schools state tournaments. It is all about
The money.

[Wildcat18]

I agree but JCPS is the largest district and each school offeres different programs so that's the reason our kids get a choice...as for the "GREEN" schools the students who want to go there have to pass a entrance exam and then find the money to attend.

And I actually think that it's not a disadvantage because a public school from JCPS hasn't won a title in a while.

Could you imagine what would happen to the sports if JCPS only had ONE or TWO high schools?

I'm assuming you're being sarcastic. Since the existence of 6A football in 2007, Louisville schools are 6-1. Prior to that in 4A, they're 26-6 since 1975. That gives them a winning percentage of 82% in the last 4 decades (that's 40 freakin years). I'd say that's somewhat of a disadvantage. Especially since no JCPS middle school team has ever won a KYMSFA state championship. There have been good middle school teams that have combined in high school to make these juggernauts. You all can twist it to make it right based on education all you want. If all KHSAA teams across the state could do this, Louisville wouldn't be near as successful in high school football.

[Coach_Lockwood]

Are those numbers just for public or private or both? Because I said no jcps PUBLiC team has dominated. According to, http://khsaa.org/records/football/pastwinners.pdf, only 15 times in all total has a public jcps school won the title. Those teams are central, male, manual and butler. Now if you count the teams in the city that are PRIVATE, then yea you can say teams from the louisville area dominate.

But even if jcps didn't have an application process and these kids went to their neighborhood high school, trinity and st. X would still be powers because they are not regulated by boundaries.

[Cardfan1]

I think what Wildcat may be saying is holding back was only an advantage in areas of the state that weren't louisville because jcps doesn't allow holdbacks. so therefore khsaa stepped in with probably their only act in middle school and changed that but there are advantages that louisville schools enjoy with no mention.

[Pick6]

This is a good idea as long as they also require kids to be age 5 BEFORE they can enroll in KG. That way you don't have kids turning 17 their senior year and maturational ill prepared for college, either academically or athletically. Too many school districts pressure families to enroll early , motivated by revenue.

[Coach_Lockwood]

In JCPS you have to be 5 before Oct. 1st (possibly changing to July 1st) to enroll into kindergarten...I agree that their Need to be a clear system put in that makes it so everyone is equal but we know it will never happen, holdbacks will always be there as long as they are age eligable, and the private schools in louisville will always dominate the BIG "A" football...

[Cardfan1]

This is a good idea as long as they also require kids to be age 5 BEFORE they can enroll in KG. That way you don't have kids turning 17 their senior year and maturational ill prepared for college, either academically or athletically. Too many school districts pressure families to enroll early , motivated by revenue.

This is exactly right!

[HDE]

I think the part will affect teams more will be the rule about 14 year olds not playing against 7th graders and below. Our teams are all 7-8 combined.

[HDE]

I just received a clarification on that part of the rule. It just backs up the age rule to 15 for 8th graders, 14 for 7th graders etc.
I assumed that was already a rule for everyone.
As long as you are eligible in the 8th grade you can play against middle school competition.

[Cardfan1]

Right... This is the same rule we all followed, but now kids lost one year to make a decision on whether to stay back or not: 7th grade.

Kids lost here for coaches and parents pride not safety issues, because 99% of these kids would still be eligible under the new rule.

[CCRebels]

This is the same rule the KYMSFA already has. So if you are a member of KYMSFA then there is no change at all

[khsgamenight]

This rule can't be retroactive. Therefore, the only students it will affect are the ones who are held back after the rule goes into effect. The only question that remains is how it will affect the school districts who has middle schools that are grades 7/8 only. If their 6th grade does not compete as a middle school team then I would assume that there is nothing that the KHSAA could do to stop students from repeating 6th grade since the rule only imposes a penalty during the holdback year.