The PIAA recertification form is Section 7 of the Comprehensive Initial Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation (CIPPE) packet, and it lets a Pennsylvania student-athlete who already has a valid physical on file join a second or third sport in the same school year without repeating the full exam. A parent or guardian answers six yes-or-no health questions, signs the page, and turns it in to the school principal or the principal’s designee before the next season’s first practice.1Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. PIAA CIPPE Forms Sections 1-10 If any answer is “yes,” a physician must also complete Section 8 before the athlete can participate.
When Recertification Replaces a Full Physical
Under PIAA By-Laws Article V (Health), no CIPPE physical may be given before June 1 for the upcoming school year, and every physical expires on May 31 of the following year.2Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Comprehensive Initial Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation A physical done any time between those dates covers the whole school year. So an athlete who played a fall sport and already has a valid CIPPE on file does not need another full exam to join a winter or spring team. The parent completes Section 7 instead, once for each additional season.
Recertification only works for subsequent seasons within the same school year. If the original CIPPE has expired, or the student is entering a new school year, the full physical (Sections 1 through 6) is required again.
Where to Get the Form
The current CIPPE packet, which includes the recertification pages, is posted in PDF and Word format on the PIAA’s official forms page at piaa.org.3Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Forms Many school athletic departments also hand out printed copies or link the file through their team registration portal. Recertification uses two sections of the larger packet: Section 7, the parent/guardian portion, and Section 8, the physician portion, which only comes into play if Section 7 triggers it.
Filling Out Section 7
Section 7 must be completed no earlier than six weeks before the first practice day of the upcoming sport season.1Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. PIAA CIPPE Forms Sections 1-10 Filling it out months in advance defeats the purpose. The questions are meant to catch health changes that happened since the original physical.
The top of the page updates personal and emergency contact information. Below that, the Supplemental Health History asks the parent or guardian to check “yes” or “no” for each of the following:
- Has the student had a serious illness or injury requiring treatment from a licensed physician since completing the CIPPE?
- Has the student had a concussion or traumatic brain injury since completing the CIPPE?
- Has the student experienced dizzy spells, blackouts, or loss of consciousness?
- Has the student had unexplained shortness of breath, wheezing, or chest pain?
- Is the student taking any new prescription medications?
- Does the student have any concerns they would like to discuss with a physician?
If you are unsure of an answer, the form tells you to circle that question rather than guess. For any “yes” answer, write a brief explanation at the bottom of the page covering the injury or condition, the treatment received, and the name of the medical professional who treated the student.1Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. PIAA CIPPE Forms Sections 1-10
Both the student and the parent or guardian must sign and date the form. The signature certifies that the information is true and complete to the best of your knowledge. An unsigned form will not clear the athlete.
When Section 8 Is Also Required
If any Supplemental Health History question is checked “yes” or circled, the student must submit a completed Section 8 before returning to competition.1Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. PIAA CIPPE Forms Sections 1-10 Section 8 is a physician clearance focused on the flagged condition, not a full physical.
Only a licensed physician of medicine (MD) or osteopathic medicine (DO) can complete Section 8. That is a narrower group than the “Authorized Medical Examiner” list allowed to perform the initial CIPPE, which also includes certified physician assistants, certified registered nurse practitioners, and school nurse practitioners.2Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. Comprehensive Initial Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation A nurse practitioner who did your child’s original physical in the fall cannot sign the Section 8 recertification for a winter sport.
The physician reviews the injury or illness, decides whether the student can safely return to activity, and issues either a general clearance (full participation for the rest of the school year) or a limited clearance (restricted to specific sports or activities). The physician signs, dates, and provides license information on the form. Without this clearance, the school principal must exclude the student from competition until a physician pronounces the athlete fit.1Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. PIAA CIPPE Forms Sections 1-10
Where to Submit the Form
Turn in the signed Section 7, and Section 8 if it applies, to the principal or the principal’s designee at your child’s school. In most districts, the athletic director or head athletic trainer is that designee. Some schools use online registration portals where you upload scans, but the PIAA rule itself only requires that the documents reach the principal or designee before the athlete takes part in any practice, scrimmage, or contest.1Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. PIAA CIPPE Forms Sections 1-10
PIAA does not set a uniform number of days you must submit in advance. Individual schools set their own internal deadlines, so contact your athletic department early in the preseason to confirm the date they need paperwork by. An athlete whose recertification has not been processed is ineligible for sanctioned team activities until the school clears them.
Students at Charter, Cyber Charter, and Faith-Based Schools
Pennsylvania’s PIAA rules let students at charter, cyber charter, and faith-based schools play interscholastic sports that are not offered at their own school. If the student’s school has an agreement with a neighboring school district, the student plays under that agreement. If no agreement exists, the student may participate in the sport at the public school district where they reside, as long as all eligibility requirements are met, including the same CIPPE and recertification forms required of any other student-athlete.4Athletic Business. PIAA Approves Eligibility Rules for Cyber, Charter and Faith-Based Student-Athletes These students submit their forms to the principal or designee at the school where they will compete, not their home school.