The new regulations are approximately 30 pages in length. We are currently in a 60-day comment period for New Yorkers to let the Commissioner, and the Board of Regents, know their thoughts and concerns about how the proposed changes may impact the future of students participating in Interscholastic Athletics.
The 60-day comment period for proposed changes will close in July. Your comments must be sent to REGCOMMENTS@nysed.gov.
The following is a comparison of the current regulations versus the proposed changes:
Athletic Placement Process Proposal
Current Regulation
A 7th or 8th grade student can move up to junior varsity or varsity level with:
- parental approval,
- school physician approval,
- skill level recommendation from their physical education teacher, coach in the district or travel coach,
- physical maturation assessment using the Tanner scale by a physician, and
- a NYS five-component physical fitness test to assess readiness.
Proposed Regulation
A 7th or 8th grade student can move up to junior varsity or varsity level with:
- parent approval and
- school physician approval.
Mixed Competition Proposals 1 & 2
Current Regulation
- Females can play on a boys team if there is:
- parental approval,
- school physician approval, and
- a successful tryout.
- Males can play on a girls’ team if there is:
- no equivalent boys’ team,
- parental approval,
- superintendent approval, and
- school physician approval.
Section IX then will make a decision based on whether it would create a significant adverse effect on the girls’ team or their opponents. The criteria reviewed when the Section makes their decision include an athlete’s strength, athletic ability, if the team makes cuts of other players, impact on playing time, etc.
Proposed Regulation
- Females can play on a boys’ team only if there is no equivalent girls team.
- Males can play on a girls’ team if there is no equivalent boys’ team and:
- parental approval,
- school physician approval,
- a successful tryout, and
- the district posts team selection criteria on their website.
Mixed Competition Proposal 3
Current Regulation
Baseball and Softball are considered equivalent sports, therefore boys cannot play softball if they have a baseball team.
Proposed Regulation
Baseball and Softball are considered different sports, therefore boys can tryout for the softball team based on:
- parental approval,
- school physician approval,
- a successful tryout, and
- the district posts team selection criteria on their website.
Mixed Competition Proposal 4
Current Regulation
In Section IX, Volleyball and Flag Football are girls’-only sports.
A boy may play if they have:
- parental approval,
- superintendent approval, and
- school physician approval.
Section IX then will make a decision based on whether it would create a significant adverse effect on the girls’ team.
Proposed Regulation
In Section IX, Volleyball and Flag Football are girls’-only sports.
A boy may play if they have:
- parental approval,
- superintendent approval,
- school physician approval,
- a successful tryout, and
- the district posts team selection criteria on their website.