No 8th graders in high school sports, at least for now

The Columbia Falls School Board voted 7-1 last week against immediately implementing a new policy that could allow eighth graders to play high school sports.

The board made the decision with with an understanding that it will be revisited later in the school year, board chair Jill Rocksund said in an email to the Hungry Horse News.

The board still has questions about the new policy and other concerns, she noted.

The Montana High School Association approved eighth graders participating in high school sports as a way to fill rosters, as many schools see declining enrollment.

But Columbia Falls isn’t seeing declining enrollment — it’s stayed relatively steady at the high school level — even up a bit over the past few years.

The new policy would have required a potential eighth grader to apply prior to the start of a season, have a coach’s and athletic director’s OK and there needs to be a spot for the player.

Even then, there is no guarantee an eighth grader will make the team.

The policy also has an academic component — the student athlete must also be doing well academically, having passed four or more classes the previous semester, in order to be eligible.

They also need to demonstrate social and emotional readiness as well as the obvious physical readiness.

The policy does not allow students to play football as eighth graders, but does allow all other sports.