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Lenoir County Public Schools announced on Tuesday it will allow home-schooled students in Lenoir County to participate in middle school and high school athletics at LCPS schools, starting with the 2019-2020 school year.

The students must meet eligibility requirements established by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, which requires a participating home school student to maintain dual enrollment as both a home school student and a public school student.

Full eligibility requirements, established by the NCHSAA in May, mandate that a home-school student must:

· Be registered with the home school for 365 days prior to being eligible to participate in NCHSAA athletics.

· Enroll at the public school “of domicile” for at least half of the school day.

· Take at least one class on campus each semester.

· Notify principal within 10 days prior to the first practice date of each sports season.

· Be on grade level according to a nationally standardized achievement test indicating grade level.

· Pass all courses in which he/she is enrolled in the public school program.

Parents of interested students should contact the principals of the public middle school or high school in their attendance zone, according to LCPS Assistant Superintendent Nicholas Harvey II, who serves as the district’s athletic director. After the enrollment verification process, parent will be informed of next steps, including tryout dates.

Schools will determine eligibility with LCPS Central Services providing oversight when questions arise, Harvey said. School athletic directors will be provided a checklist from the NCHSAA.

LCPS says it offers more than a dozen varsity sports for male and female students in high school. Fall sports include football, men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, cross country, women’s tennis, and cheerleading. Middle schools field a range of athletic teams, although sixth graders are prohibited from playing football at LCPS.

The LCPS high school sports season begins with football practice on July 30.

Source: WNCT