Loading ...PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS
PRESS RELEASE
FEBRUARY 16, 2008
Jacqueline McEvoy, Ed.D.
Principal
On February 13, 2008 we received notification from Nancy Lazenby Blaser, CCS Commissioner, that one of our varsity basketball players had not been eligible to play sports when he had enrolled in November, 2007 at Palo Alto High School from Australia. High school students in California are granted eight (8) semesters of eligibility under CIF Bylaw Article 20: 204. The student in question began high school in 2004 and completed his eighth semester of high school in Australia in October 2007.
Under CCS Bylaws, Article VI, Section 10 (ineligible players), Palo Alto has forfeited all games in which the student participated. A list of the relevant games is attached. Letters of apology and forfeiture were sent to each school from Palo Alto’s principal, Jacquie McEvoy. Because of the seriousness of this violation and its effect on Paly’s win/loss record, the Boys Varsity Basketball Team will not be advancing to the CCS play-offs.
There are two contributing factors to the situation that the school will need to address. First, the student was allowed to participate in our athletic program before his scholastic eligibility had been thoroughly investigated. Transcripts from Australia were not made available to the school until the end of the first semester; however, the student was allowed to play before the transcripts were received. Second, there are significant differences between the academic school years in Australia and the United States and we were unfamiliar with how that would affect eligibility. In the future, no student transferring into Palo Alto will be allowed to participate in our athletic program until his or her athletic eligibility has been thoroughly investigated and officially confirmed.
Information regarding the transfer policies of CCS can be found on the following CIF/CCS webpage:
http://www.cifccs.org/eligibility/Transfer%20Intro.htm
The Palo Alto High School administration and athletics department deeply regret the consequences that the entire team must face because of this violation.
The following list of forfeited games was attached: