[fbcoachnoitall]

You can make a request to the school to hold a child back in the 8th grade as long as they have not been officially promoted to ninth. It has no effect on high school eligibility as long as they turn 19 after a certain date their Senior year. A child cannot play a high school sport while repeating a grade in elementary school but they can still play an elementary sport if the local grade school athletic association allows it. I do not believe grade school kids are allowed to play high school football anyway.

Do parents have options relative to holding students back
in grade eight?
Kentucky Department of Education regulations place the
responsibility for promotion or retention of a student on school
personnel and not parents. Once “promoted” from the eighth
grade, a student’s four consecutive calendar years (8 semesters)
of athletic eligibility begins.

Parents cannot request a holdback. It is the school's decision to make.