Iowa high school sports will have a pair of noteworthy changes for the 2026-27 school year.
Following the approval of emergency rules by the Iowa State Board of Education on Thursday, June 18, eighth-grade students will be allowed to compete in high school varsity sports. The change goes into effect on Aug. 1, 2026 for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Additionally, changes have been made for the period of ineligibility for transfer student-athletes who utilize open enrollment.
Iowa lawmakers drafted and passed House File 2591 in April to set this into motion, while Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law in June. This required the Iowa State Board of Education to pass emergency rules to implement changes to take effect by Aug. 1, 2026, and the 2026-27 academic year, with the board moving to do so at its June 18 meeting. Public comment will follow for the final rules on Aug. 11. At either the Sept. or Oct. Iowa State Board of Education meeting, the board will vote on the final rules to replace the existing emergency rules.
Eighth-grade athletes have been allowed to compete in baseball since 1973 and softball since the 1960s. Now, all sports will allow eighth-grade participation, so long as local policies are adopted by the board of directors of a school district, the authorities in charge of a nonpublic school, or the governing board of a charter school. However, an eighth-grade student will not be allowed to participate on both a varsity high school and an eighth-grade team.
The bill also adds a clarifying amendment to the physical examination requirement to participate in high school varsity sports. Eighth-grade students, like all high school-aged students, will need to complete an examination by a medical professional to deem them safe to engage in high school athletics, ‘considering the nature of the athletic competition and the student’s health and development,’ the bill states.
Along with the changes for eligibility for eighth-grade students came a shift in the timeline of ineligibility for open enrollees. Students who transfer through open enrollment now are required to sit out of varsity competition for 140 calendar days. Previously, the ineligibility period was current 90-consecutive school days.
While it will be a couple of months until these rules are officially in effect, with eighth graders or rising high school freshmen already competing in high school baseball and softball, a new era of high school sports is underway in Iowa.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Eighth graders able to participate, new transfer rules coming to Iowa
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Eli McKown, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
