Eligibility exceptions?

[tiwonge]

One of our students is taking the semester off because of COVID, but says he plans to return for the spring semester.

I know that in the reverse case (taking classes in the fall but not the spring), players are generally eligible to play in the spring. Is there any way we can petition for an exemption for him so that he can compete in the fall? I realize that "planning to enroll in the spring" is hard to prove, especially before the enrollment process starts at school, but I wanted to at least raise the possibility, for him and for others who might be in a similar situation.

[Father of the Ragdoll]

One of our students is taking the semester off because of COVID, but says he plans to return for the spring semester.

I know that in the reverse case (taking classes in the fall but not the spring), players are generally eligible to play in the spring. Is there any way we can petition for an exemption for him so that he can compete in the fall? I realize that "planning to enroll in the spring" is hard to prove, especially before the enrollment process starts at school, but I wanted to at least raise the possibility, for him and for others who might be in a similar situation.

By my understanding, ACF and NAQT rules would prohibit this but they both (I believe) also have exception request procedures. For any set not directly tied to either of them, I imagine you could petition the set editors and the hosts and given the circumstances, many of them may sympathetic and allow it.

[Important Bird Area]

A player may appear in an event prior to undertaking the course or engaging in non-course work; teams should note that failure to undertake the required course or non-course work renders a player retroactively ineligible and subjects the team to the penalty described in Eligibility Rule 10.