July 5, 2006

TO: High School Principal

Athletic Director

SUBJECT: Foreign Exchange Student Participation

The Iowa Legislature amended Section 256.46 of the Iowa Code effective July 1, 2006 to now indicate foreign exchange students (J-1 visa students) are immediately eligible unless undue influence was exerted to place the child for primarily athletic purposes.

In response to this change, the Department of Education, the IGHSAU and the IHSAA have developed the enclosed form which MUST be filed with the appropriate organization for EACH foreign exchange student for which athletic eligibility is requested.

This form is also located on the IGHSAU web site (www.ighsau.org) where copies can be downloaded, completed, and filed with the Athletic Union. You can download the file by by clicking here.

This change should also serve as a reminder to all school administrators that for the purposes of athletic eligibility, foreign exchange students are those students with J-1 visas. CHECK THE VISA STATUS of any foreign student before participation is allowed. Students on an F-1 visa are not covered by the same exception to the transfer rules as those on a J-1 visa.

If there are any specific questions regarding this change, please contact me directly. Lisa Brinkmeyer (lisa@ighsau.org) coordinates foreign exchange student eligibility approval in our office. You will receive written confirmation from her verifying eligibility status of foreign exchange students upon receipt of this form.

Sincerely,

Troy Dannen

Executive Director

enclosure