School Sports Physicals and Eligibility in Sumner County

In Sumner County, a student-athlete generally needs a TSSAA preparticipation medical evaluation dated April 15 or later, parental consent and school approval before practicing or competing. The student must also meet TSSAA enrollment, attendance, academic, grade and age rules. Start with the official TSSAA physical and consent forms, then follow the athlete’s school-specific submission process. Contact the school athletic office or coach for local deadlines and platforms.

For a student to practice or compete in TSSAA athletics in Sumner County, families should complete the medical-clearance and parental-consent paperwork before the first practice. Students must also satisfy academic, enrollment, attendance, grade and age requirements. The statewide rules come from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, while each school’s athletic office handles local submission and clearance procedures.

What Sumner County student-athletes need before playing

Use this checklist as a starting point:

Requirement — What to do — Who confirms it

Sports physical — Complete the TSSAA preparticipation medical evaluation or an equivalent provider statement — Health care provider and school principal or designee

Physical date — Make sure the examination is dated April 15 or later for the upcoming school year — School athletic office

Medical clearance — The provider must indicate whether the student is medically eligible to participate — Health care provider

Parental consent — Sign the TSSAA parent-consent and emergency-treatment section — Parent or legal guardian

Academic eligibility — Meet the applicable high school or middle school academic rule — School administration

Enrollment and attendance — Be enrolled, attending regularly and carrying the required course load — School administration

Local paperwork — Complete any school-required forms or online registration — Individual school

A student should not assume that handing a form to a coach is enough. TSSAA rules require the medical evaluation and parental consent to be on file with the principal before the student participates in practice or contests.

TSSAA sports physical requirements

When a physical is valid

For the upcoming school year, the TSSAA physical must be dated not earlier than April 15. A physical completed before April 15 may not satisfy the requirement for the next school year, even if the student feels healthy and the provider’s office considers it current.

The 2026–27 TSSAA handbook explains that a physical dated May 1, for example, remains valid through the summer and until the first official day of fall-sports practice in the next school year. The handbook also states that an April 1 physical for the following school year would not meet the April 15 date requirement.

Because sports calendars and first-practice dates differ, families should complete the examination early enough for the school to review the paperwork before the athlete reports. TSSAA publishes sport-specific calendars for high school and middle school competition.

Who can complete the medical evaluation

The medical evaluation must be signed by a doctor of medicine, osteopathic physician, physician assistant or certified nurse practitioner. The provider must state that the student has passed the physical examination and is physically fit to participate in interscholastic athletics.

TSSAA’s form allows the provider to identify several outcomes, including eligibility for all sports, eligibility for certain sports, eligibility pending further evaluation or no current medical eligibility. A medical clearance is not a guarantee that the student will never need another evaluation; a provider may reconsider eligibility if a new condition develops.

Parental consent and medical exceptions

A parent or legal guardian must sign the consent certificate authorizing participation and allowing TSSAA personnel, physicians, athletic trainers and emergency medical personnel to provide reasonably necessary care connected with athletics. This consent is separate from the provider’s medical clearance.

TSSAA also recognizes a medical-exam exception when a parent or legal guardian files a signed written statement declining the examination on sincerely held beliefs or practices. Families considering that option should speak directly with the school principal or athletic administrator because the student still must satisfy the association’s other participation requirements.

Academic and enrollment eligibility

A sports physical is only one part of eligibility. The 2026–27 TSSAA bylaws set minimum statewide requirements, but school officials are responsible for certifying each student before participation.

High school academic rules

For high school athletics, a student must earn five credits during the preceding school year if the school requires fewer than 24 credits for graduation. If the school requires 24 or more credits for graduation, the student must earn six credits. The credits must be earned by the first day of the new school year. A ninth-grade student must also have been academically promoted to the next grade.

TSSAA says academic eligibility is based on the graduation-credit requirements of the school the student attended at the end of the previous school year. That means transferring to a school with a different graduation-credit requirement does not automatically change the student’s prior eligibility status.

A student who is academically ineligible at the beginning of the year may be able to regain eligibility for the second semester by passing five classes, three blocks or the equivalent by the end of the first semester. Participation cannot begin until the final day of the semester for all students and the school has recognized the grades.

Middle school academic rules

For middle school athletics, a student must be academically promoted to the next grade. A student repeating a grade is ineligible under the TSSAA middle-school rule. A student initially ineligible may regain eligibility in the second semester by passing five subjects, or the equivalent, during the preceding semester, provided the student is not repeating the same grade.

Enrollment, attendance and course load

TSSAA requires students to be regularly enrolled, in regular attendance and carrying at least five full courses or the equivalent. A student generally must be enrolled on or before the 20th day of the semester to participate during that semester. Transfer students can be subject to different attendance and eligibility provisions, so families should involve the school administration before changing schools or athletic programs.

Age and semester limits

For high school athletics, a student is ineligible for a school year if the student turns 19 on or before August 1. For middle school athletics, the age limit is 15 on or before August 1. High school students also have eight semesters of athletic eligibility beginning with ninth grade.

These are minimum TSSAA rules. Questions involving transfers, home-school participation, virtual programs, grade repetition, hardship or unusual enrollment situations should be taken to the school principal or athletic office rather than decided from a general checklist. TSSAA publishes separate guidance for non-traditional students.

How to complete the process locally

1. Download the current TSSAA forms

Start with the current TSSAA physical and parental-consent materials rather than an old copy saved from a previous season. The official form combines the preparticipation medical evaluation with emergency-treatment and parent-consent information.

2. Schedule the examination

Take the form to an eligible health care provider. Ask the provider to complete every applicable section, sign and date the medical-clearance page, and identify any sport-specific restriction or follow-up recommendation.

The most practical timing is before tryouts or official practice—not the day participation begins. A school may need time to review the form, enter information into an athletic-management system or request corrections.

3. Submit the paperwork through the school’s process

Sumner County Schools maintains an athletics department page, but it does not publish one universal district-wide deadline in the information available for this guide.

Individual school athletics pages may provide additional instructions. For example, Liberty Creek High School links families to a physical-examination form and the Sumner County Final Forms platform. Station Camp High School’s sports-medicine page links to its physical-examination form, parent letter, Final Forms information and athletic-trainer resources.

Those examples show why families should use the student’s own school athletics page or contact the athletic office. Do not assume that a process listed by one Sumner County school applies identically to another.

4. Confirm clearance before practice

Ask the athletic office or coach to confirm that the student is cleared—not merely that the form was received. Keep a copy of the completed paperwork for your records, but remember that the school’s official file controls participation.

If the provider marked the student as eligible only for certain sports, pending further evaluation or not currently eligible, ask the school what documentation is needed before the student can participate. Do not treat a general “sports physical” receipt as proof of TSSAA clearance.

What Sumner County families should ask the school

Before a tryout, practice or team deadline, ask:

• What is the school’s deadline for physicals and parent-consent forms?
• Does the school use Final Forms or another online registration platform?
• Does the student need a school-specific physical form in addition to the TSSAA form?
• Are proof of insurance, concussion information, drug-testing consent or other forms required?
• Who reviews the physical: the coach, athletic trainer, school nurse or athletic office?
• How will the family know when the student is cleared?
• Does the school require additional testing before practice or competition?
• What happens if the provider requests follow-up care?

Some school handbooks publish additional participation requirements. Westmoreland High School, for example, describes school-level physical-file requirements, random drug-testing procedures and concussion baseline testing in its athletics information. These requirements should not be assumed to apply to every Sumner County school.

Sports physical checklist

Before the season begins, confirm that you have:

• [ ] A current TSSAA preparticipation medical evaluation form
• [ ] A physical examination dated April 15 or later for the upcoming school year
• [ ] The provider’s signature and medical-eligibility determination
• [ ] Parent or legal-guardian consent
• [ ] Any required emergency-treatment information
• [ ] Completed school or online athletic-registration forms
• [ ] Academic eligibility confirmed by the school
• [ ] Enrollment and course-load requirements confirmed
• [ ] Any school-specific insurance, concussion, testing or conduct forms completed
• [ ] Written or electronic confirmation that the student is cleared

For a Sumner County student-athlete, the safest approach is to treat the TSSAA form as the statewide baseline and the school athletic office as the final source for local deadlines and additional paperwork. Check the forms again before each new school year because TSSAA rules, school procedures and sports calendars can change.