How to Complete the DeKalb County Athletic Participation & Physical Evaluation Form

To play an interscholastic sport in the DeKalb County School District, your student must complete the DeKalb County Athletic Participation and Physical Evaluation form packet: the GHSA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation, a signed medical history, DeKalb’s own consent and liability form, and proof of insurance. Everything gets uploaded to a platform called DragonFly Max, and your child cannot try out, practice, or compete until the school’s athletic staff reviews the submission and marks the profile as cleared.¹

The Two Forms You Need

The first is the GHSA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation. The Georgia High School Association requires every member school to use the specific version it posts, and the current edition is the 2023 revision available as a fillable PDF on the GHSA forms page.²³ This single document contains both the medical history pages you fill out at home and the exam pages the doctor completes.

The second is the DeKalb County Preparticipation Consent Form. It covers consent to compete, consent for team travel, a release and waiver of liability, and the insurance declaration.⁴ Both documents, properly signed, must be on file before your student participates in any athletic or auxiliary activity.⁵

Filling Out the Medical History

The medical history pages of the GHSA form are your job as the parent or guardian, not the doctor’s. The form instructs you to complete and sign this section before the appointment.⁶ It covers past surgeries, allergies, chronic conditions such as asthma or diabetes, any history of concussions or fainting, and family heart health. Answer every question honestly. The physician uses these answers to decide what to examine more closely.

Both the student and a parent or guardian must sign the history section. If your child is under 18, your signature is required in addition to theirs.⁶ Blank questions and missing signatures are among the most common reasons athletic directors bounce submissions back, so check every line before you head to the doctor’s office.

Getting the Physical Exam

The GHSA limits who can perform and sign the physical. The exam must be done by a licensed medical physician (MD), doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO), nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. The signature itself must come from an MD, DO, PA, or advance practice nurse delegated that authority by an MD or DO.³ A physical signed by a chiropractor, naturopath, or any other provider outside those categories will be rejected.

During the appointment, the provider checks cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal function, and overall physical development, then either clears your child for full participation or notes restrictions on the evaluation pages. Bring the completed medical history pages with you so the doctor can review your answers and address concerns on the spot.

A standard sports physical at a primary care office or urgent care clinic typically runs between $25 and $75 without insurance. Hospitals and clinics in metro Atlanta also run free sports physical events in the spring and summer; if you attend one, bring the GHSA form with the history section already completed.

The DeKalb Consent Form and Insurance Proof

DeKalb’s consent form asks you to circle every approved sport your child will play, acknowledge the district’s travel arrangements, and sign a release and waiver of liability covering injuries sustained during participation.⁴ Read the waiver language carefully; it broadly covers claims related to athletic activities, associated trips, and emergency medical treatment.

You must then indicate one of two insurance options and initial next to the one that applies. Either your child already has accident coverage that will cover injuries during interscholastic athletics, or you have purchased the benefit plan offered through the district.⁴ If you use existing private coverage, attach a copy of the insurance card or policy benefits page. If you need the district’s plan, DeKalb offers voluntary student accident insurance through K&K Insurance, with enrollment on the district’s student insurance page.⁷ No insurance documentation, no clearance.

You also sign a verification statement confirming that everything on the form is correct. The form warns that false information, particularly fraudulent enrollment outside the student’s attendance zone, can result in the student being declared ineligible for GHSA competition for a full year.⁴

Uploading to DragonFly Max

DeKalb schools collect and review athletic eligibility documents through DragonFly Max. All forms go through the platform; handing paper copies to a coach does not count.¹

Create a parent account at dragonflymax.com using your own name and a working email address, then confirm with the verification code sent to that email.
Add your child by clicking “Add a Child,” entering their name, selecting Georgia, searching for the specific DeKalb school they attend, and choosing the sports they plan to play.
From the child’s profile, click “Submit Paperwork” and upload clear images or PDF scans of each page of the completed GHSA physical, the signed medical history, the DeKalb consent form, and your insurance documentation.
Watch the dashboard. The school’s athletic director or designated staff member reviews every submission for missing signatures, expired exam dates, and incomplete sections. Status stays “pending” until review is finished.

Once the submission passes review, the status changes to “cleared” and your student can take part in tryouts, practices, and games.¹ If something is kicked back, the dashboard shows what needs to be fixed. Keep the profile active through the year; if your child switches sports between seasons, the new coaching staff checks the same profile for current clearance.

How Long the Physical Stays Valid

A physical is good for twelve months from the date the doctor signs it, with one important exception: any physical taken on or after April 1 of the preceding year is accepted until that school ends classes the following spring or concludes its final spring sports season for participating students.³ A physical dated April 15, 2025, therefore covers your student for the entire 2025–2026 school year across fall, winter, and spring, even though twelve calendar months would technically end in April 2026 before spring sports wrap up.

Timing matters. If your child plays a fall sport, scheduling the exam in April or May means the clearance will carry through every season of the coming school year. Students must undergo a new evaluation every year to maintain eligibility for any practice or competition.³

Concussion Acknowledgment

Separate from the physical, Georgia law requires every school board to adopt a concussion management and return-to-play policy. Before each athletic season, the school must give parents an information sheet explaining the nature and risk of concussion and head injury.⁸ You will likely be asked to sign an acknowledgment that you received and read it. Check with your child’s school for the specific form; it may be bundled into the DragonFly Max paperwork or handed out separately by coaches.

Under the same statute, any student athlete who shows concussion symptoms during a game, tryout, or practice must be removed immediately and evaluated by a health care provider. The student cannot return until a licensed provider clears them for a full or graduated return to play.⁸ For this law, a “health care provider” includes a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or certified athletic trainer with concussion training.

If the Doctor Restricts or Denies Clearance

If the examining provider identifies a concern, such as an irregular heart rhythm, an unresolved injury, or something flagged on the medical history, they may clear your student with restrictions or decline to clear them. A restriction might limit your child to non-contact sports or require a follow-up with a specialist. Schedule the specialist visit, get the additional evaluation, and if the specialist clears your student, have them put that clearance in writing. Upload the specialist’s letter alongside the original physical in DragonFly Max.

If you disagree with the initial finding, you can seek a second opinion from another qualified provider: another MD, DO, NP, or PA. The new provider conducts an independent exam and, if they clear the student, signs a fresh GHSA form that you submit in place of the original. Athletic directors care about the documentation, not which doctor performed the exam, as long as the signer falls within the GHSA’s approved categories.

1
Miller Grove Middle School. Miller Grove Middle School – Athletics
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Georgia High School Association. GHSA Forms
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Georgia High School Association. By-Law 1.00 – Student
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DeKalb County School District. Preparticipation Consent Form
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DeKalb County School District. DeKalb County Athletic Participation and Physical Evaluation Form
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Georgia High School Association. Preparticipation Physical Evaluation
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DeKalb County School District. Student Accident Insurance
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-2-324.1 – Concussion Management and Return to Play