To get an Albuquerque Public Schools student-athlete cleared to play, you need to complete the NMAA Pre-Participation Evaluation packet — the APS physical form set — with an exam dated on or after April 1, finish the NFHS online concussion course, and upload the right pages into DragonFly Max. No substitute forms from a doctor’s office or urgent care will be accepted.1Volcano Vista High School. Athletics – Section: 2025-2026 Medical Eligibility Until DragonFly shows your student as cleared, they cannot try out, practice, or compete.
The Six Forms in the NMAA Packet
Download the packet from the NMAA website or from inside DragonFly itself. A Spanish-language Medical History form is on the same NMAA forms page.2New Mexico Activities Association. NMAA Forms – Section: Medical Examination Form Under NMAA Bylaw 6.15, the packet contains six required forms:3New Mexico Activities Association. Section VI Eligibility Bylaws
- Emergency Information, signed by the parent or guardian.
- Medical History, filled out by parent and student together before the appointment.
- Physical Examination, completed and signed by the healthcare provider.
- Medical Eligibility, completed and signed by the provider after the exam.
- Consent to Treat, signed by the parent or guardian.
- Concussion Awareness, signed by both the parent and the student.
Only two of these — the Physical Examination and the Medical Eligibility — are the provider’s job. Everything else should be done at home before the appointment.4New Mexico Activities Association. NMAA Pre-Participation Evaluation PPE Packet
What You Fill Out Before the Appointment
Emergency Information
This page collects your emergency contact’s name, phone numbers, email, and address, along with your accident and injury insurance carrier, policy number, and group ID. Students must carry insurance coverage before they can participate — the form states this as a prerequisite.4New Mexico Activities Association. NMAA Pre-Participation Evaluation PPE Packet
Medical History
NMAA instructions say to fill this out with your child, not for them. You’ll report past surgeries, chronic conditions, allergies, medications, and any previous sports restrictions. The cardiac questions matter: whether your student has had chest pain during exercise, fainted or nearly fainted during activity, or been told they have a heart murmur. On the family side, you’ll note whether any close relative died suddenly before age 50 from heart disease or was diagnosed with conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or long-QT syndrome.4New Mexico Activities Association. NMAA Pre-Participation Evaluation PPE Packet
Be specific. A vague note about family heart problems helps less than a concrete one. If you’re not sure about an answer, write what you know and let the provider follow up during the exam.
Consent to Treat
Your signature authorizes qualified medical professionals, including school athletic trainers, to provide sports medicine care during practices and games. It also lets those providers share injury and treatment information with coaches and staff who need it to keep your student safe.5New Mexico Activities Association. Consent to Treat Form
Concussion Awareness
New Mexico law requires every district to give a brain injury information form to each student-athlete and parent at the start of the school year, and both must sign before the student can participate.6New Mexico Legislature. Senate Bill 38 – Section 22-13-31 That form is in the NMAA packet. Your signatures confirm you both understand concussion risks, symptoms, and return-to-play rules.
The Physical Exam
NMAA Bylaw 6.15 requires the exam to be performed by a licensed physician (MD or DO), physician assistant, or nurse practitioner. A licensed chiropractor may also perform the evaluation, but only to the extent authorized by their practice act and licensing authority under State Education Agency Regulation No. 95-11.3New Mexico Activities Association. Section VI Eligibility Bylaws
At the visit, the provider records heart rate, blood pressure, and vision, runs a musculoskeletal screening, and listens for heart murmurs. All findings go on the NMAA Physical Examination form. The provider then completes the Medical Eligibility form, choosing one of five clearance levels:4New Mexico Activities Association. NMAA Pre-Participation Evaluation PPE Packet
- Cleared for all sports without restriction.
- Cleared for all sports with recommendations for further evaluation or treatment.
- Cleared for certain sports only.
- Not cleared pending further evaluation.
- Not cleared for any sports.
Anything short of full clearance comes with next steps from the provider. “Not cleared pending further evaluation” is not a final no; it means more testing is needed. The provider can also rescind eligibility later if a new condition develops.
The April 1 Rule
The exam must be dated on or after April 1 of the previous school year. For the 2025–2026 season, the exam date must be April 1, 2025 or later.1Volcano Vista High School. Athletics – Section: 2025-2026 Medical Eligibility A physical dated March 31 will be rejected. One qualifying physical covers fall, winter, and spring seasons of that school year. Scheduling for mid-to-late April or early May avoids the rush before fall tryouts.
Cost and Free Physical Events
Walk-in sports physicals at commercial clinics typically run $35 to $75 without insurance. APS periodically partners with local organizations to offer no-cost physicals for district students, usually on weekends in late spring or summer at an APS high school campus. Bring a blank NMAA packet. Watch APS social media and your school’s athletics site for dates; spots fill quickly and are generally first-come, first-served.
The NFHS Concussion Course
Separate from the signed concussion page in the paper packet, APS requires every student-athlete to complete the online “Concussion in Sports” course through the NFHS learning portal.7NFHSLearn. Concussion in Sports Only the student takes the course; parents do not need to.8Albuquerque Public Schools. Albuquerque High School – Dragonfly Save or print the completion certificate. It’s one of the three documents you’ll upload to DragonFly.
Uploading Everything to DragonFly Max
DragonFly Max is the online platform APS uses to track athletic eligibility. A perfect paper packet still won’t count until it’s in DragonFly.
- Create a parent account at dragonflymax.com and verify through the confirmation email.8Albuquerque Public Schools. Albuquerque High School – Dragonfly
- Click “Connect to your school association” and pick the high school where your student will play. For eighth graders heading to high school next year, pick the high school, not the middle school.
- Use “Add Child” to add your student. You can start filling out forms while waiting for school approval of your access.
What to Upload vs. What to Enter Digitally
This is where most families get tripped up. Only three documents get uploaded to DragonFly:8Albuquerque Public Schools. Albuquerque High School – Dragonfly
- The Physical Examination form, completed by your provider.
- The Medical Eligibility form, completed by your provider.
- The NFHS Concussion in Sports course certificate.
Do not upload the full NMAA packet. The rest of the required information — emergency contacts, insurance, and medical history answers — gets typed directly into DragonFly’s digital tabs: Insurance, General Info, Heart Health, Bone and Joint, and Medical Questions.1Volcano Vista High School. Athletics – Section: 2025-2026 Medical Eligibility Fill out every tab. Skipping one leaves the profile incomplete and holds up clearance.
Image Quality and Review Time
Upload clear, high-resolution scans or photos. Blurry images or cut-off signatures get flagged, and your student stays ineligible until you re-upload. Allow at least 24 hours after submission for the school’s athletic trainer or director to review and approve.9Albuquerque Public Schools. Athlete Guide to DragonFly Desktop Version Your student cannot join any team activity until DragonFly shows them as cleared. If uploads or account linking give you trouble, the school’s athletic trainer can often fix it from the back end.
Privacy of the Health Records You Upload
Once uploaded, your student’s physical forms and medical history become education records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. FERPA, not HIPAA, governs health records held by schools that receive federal funding. DragonFly classifies the data it stores as FERPA-protected and encrypts information during transmission.10DragonFly Athletics. Privacy Policy Access inside the platform is limited to school staff with a business need, such as athletic trainers and directors reviewing eligibility, and medical details aren’t visible to coaches beyond what’s necessary for safe participation, as outlined in the Consent to Treat form.