RICHLANDS, N.C. (WNCT) — A petition has been created after a Richlands High School soccer player was denied the chance to play her senior season due to an academic issue.
WNCT’s Claire Curry reports a petition has been started at Change.org by Ian Mcfarlane called “Allow NCHSAA Athletes Taking AP Classes To Play Despite Not Meeting Credit Requirements.” The petition states, “Student-athletes in North Carolina are being deemed ineligible by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association for not meeting credit requirements because AP credit is not counted until the end of the year.”
As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, over 4,100 signatures had been collected. Monday afternoon, NC Rep. Phillip Shepard said he and other state reps have filed a bill to address this issue.
Richlands High School senior Caitlynn Guarino was looking forward to playing her senior season. She learned she was not able after being told by her coach the classes she was taking in the fall weren’t enough.
The NC High School Athletic Association requires students to pass a minimum workload of three courses on a block schedule in order to participate in sports the following semester. Guarino took advanced placement (AP) classes and found out later that credits were not awarded until the end of the school year instead of at the end of a semester. As a result, she lacked the requirements to be eligible to play soccer, according to the NCHSAA.
Onslow County Schools filed an appeal to the NCHSAA on Guarino’s behalf, which was denied. Another appeal was filed to the NC Department of Public Instruction and was also denied.
