THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, May 7, 1995                    TAG: 9505050228
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS      PAGE: 18   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   45 lines

SCHOOL OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS ELIGIBILITY COACHES ARE CONCERNED A NEW RULE PLACES THE CITY SCHOOLS AT A DISADVANTAGE.

PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL superintendent Richard D. Trumble will meet with high school athletic directors and coaches Monday afternoon at Wilson High School to discuss their concern over the city's extracurricular activity grade-point average rule.

The school board raised the GPA requirement to 1.30 last September. It will be elevated to 1.70 this September and to 2.0 in September, 1996.

Portsmouth coaches are concerned that it places the city schools at a disadvantage in competing against Chesapeake schools with less stringent requirements.

It also seems likely that a large number of athletes at the three city schools will not be eligible under the higher standard.

A suggestion has been made by one coach to make the GPA requirement for the 1995-96 school year at 1.65 and leave the 1996-67 requirement at 2.0. He suggests a probationary period for those in the 1.3 to 1.64 group in September and for those between 1.65 to 1.99 the following year.

His proposal:

For the first semester, a probation student would have to get a 2.0 GPA with no failing grades after the first four weeks and again on the nine-weeks report card to be eligible for the remainder of the semester.

For the second semester, the student would regain eligibility for spring activities with a 2.0 GPA and no failing grades after the first four weeks and by maintaining at least a 2.0 after the third nine-weeks report.

Under present requirements of the Virginia High School League for eligibility, a student must pass five subjects. Students with six classes can fail one and still participate.

Also likely to be discussed at the meeting is the recent request by the Eastern District for assistance in scheduling football and basketball games.

In football the past season, the Southeastern teams scheduled three of their 10 games against Eastern District teams.

Representatives of the four districts in the region will meet on Tuesday. by CNB