/Portals/2/logos/__TFMF_42xfth55xk52uvqajpt3om55_33e88fcf-ec65-43fc-879b-786cc4e69120_0___Selected.jpg en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Tue, 21 May 2013 22:23:18 GMT 15 By Hannah Darr
Due to what is being described as an “administrative oversight” Indianola High School’s football team must forfeit two wins, and the volleyball team one match. Indianola self-reported Sept. 1 to the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girl’s High School Athletic Union after discovering that both teams used academically ineligible players at the start of this season. “It’s really disappointing to know that we have to forfeit games we worked hard to win. We have to go forward in the season knowing we can’t qualify for playoffs, but we’re still playing our best,” says varsity football senior Brennan Powers. Indianola’s academic eligibility rule states that if a student is not passing all classes at the end of a final grading period, the student is ineligible for a period of 30 consecutive calendar days in the interscholastic contest or performance in which the student participates. Or in more common terms, students must pass their classes to participate in an extracurricular activity. Indianola specifically holds their students to higher expectations, which require students to pass classes at both quarter and semester or they are deemed ineligible. Yet students who failed classes in the spring semester participated in season opening games without serving the full suspension. The school self-reported Sept. 1. The football team began practicing Aug. 3, and played their first game Aug. 19 against Hoover. Ineligible players were also used at the Sioux City West game Aug. 26 . The Indians won these games 49-0 and 42-14 respectively. The volleyball team was forced to forfeit a match against North. Members of the community have expressed opinions through editorials in the Record-Herald and Indianola Tribune. “There’s multiple levels of disappointment and blame that could happen, and what we don’t want to get into is a contest about whose fault it was. It was an honest oversight,” says Indianola High School Principal Trent Grundemeyer. Similar violations of this rule have taken place in other 4A schools such as Urbandale, Southeast Polk and Johnston Yet Indianola faced a lot of media attention because members of varsity teams played while ineligible, unlike JV members of opposing schools. Indianola administration members are taking proactive steps to ensure that a situation like this never happens again. Parents will now receive letters at midterm to inform them of their student’s failing grades, and this will include a list of consequences if a student does not pull their grade up. A 12-step protocol for staff has been implemented to monitor students who are receiving failing grades. Responsibility now lies amongst all staff, and their goal is communicating effectively. A spreadsheet is used to document approximately 90 students who have received failing grades, only a small percentage of these students participate in extra- or co-curricular activities. Rules are different for activities as determined by the Iowa High School Athletic Association, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and Iowa High School Music Association. Multiple regulations often cause confusion among students, parents and the administration. “No two cases are alike,” says Grundemeyer. Students at the high school will still support these teams after this highly publicized mistake, yet this has served as a harsh reminder that the focus in high school needs to be classes. Resources are ready and available to help students who need extra assistance such as peer and teacher tutoring. “We want to see kids succeed,” says Vice Principal John Taylor. ]]> Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:22:47 GMT