Before a student can try out, practice, or compete for a Loudoun County Public Schools team, the family has to get the Loudoun County sports physical form completed and on file. The form itself is the VHSL Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Evaluation Form, and LCPS requires the April 2025 revision for the 2025–26 school year and beyond.1Loudoun County Public Schools. Updated LCPS Athletics Practices and Processes Clearance takes three things: the paper physical delivered to the school’s athletic office, an online registration through ArbiterSports, and signed concussion and sudden cardiac arrest acknowledgments.
Where to Download the Form
Get the form from the VHSL physical form page, which links to a PDF hosted on Google Drive.2Virginia High School League. VHSL Physical Form Your school’s athletic department page may link to it as well. Print the full six-page document before the doctor’s appointment so the provider can complete their sections during the visit. Confirm the version reads April 2025; older editions will be rejected, and that means another trip to the provider if they filled in their part on an outdated copy.
Who Fills Out What
The form has sections for the family and sections for the medical provider. Knowing which is which before you start saves rework.
- Part I, Athletic Participation. Student and parent or guardian both sign, confirming intent to participate and acknowledging the printed eligibility rules.
- Part II, Acknowledgements of Risk and Insurance Statement. The parent reviews the risks of participation and enters medical insurance information. Every field has to be filled in.
- Part III, Emergency Permission Form. The parent lists two emergency contacts beyond the parent or guardian, plus the family’s preferred hospital, dentist, and primary care doctor.
- History Form. Student and parent answer a health history questionnaire covering past injuries, surgeries, medications, allergies, and family cardiac history.
- Physical Examination Form. The provider completes this during the appointment.
- Medical Eligibility Form, page 3. The provider signs and dates this page to certify the student is cleared. That signature date starts the form’s 14-month validity clock.
All sections must be fully completed with every checkbox marked. LCPS will delay clearance for any form with blank fields or missing signatures.1Loudoun County Public Schools. Updated LCPS Athletics Practices and Processes
What to Do Before the Doctor’s Appointment
Sit down with your student and work through Parts I, II, and III plus the history form at home. Have your insurance card ready: policy number, group number, and the insurer’s name. Line up two emergency contacts who are not the parent or guardian, along with the name and address of your preferred hospital and primary care physician.
Answer every history question honestly. Be prepared to explain any “yes” answers during the office visit or during the online registration. Cardiac-related items warrant extra attention, including personal or family history of heart conditions, fainting, chest pain during exercise, and unexplained shortness of breath. A yes answer does not disqualify a student; it flags the provider to look more closely and possibly order follow-up testing.
Both the student and the parent or guardian must sign each section that calls for a signature. Do not skip the checkboxes.
Who Can Perform the Physical
Virginia law limits the exam to three types of providers: a licensed physician (MD or DO), a licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or a licensed physician assistant working under a physician’s supervision.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 22.1-271.7 – Public Middle and High School Student-Athletes A registered nurse, medical assistant, or chiropractor cannot sign the form.
During the visit the provider checks blood pressure, heart and lung sounds, vision, and the musculoskeletal system, then completes the Physical Examination Form. If the student passes, the provider signs and dates the Medical Eligibility Form on page 3. The provider’s office should also print their contact information on the form so the school’s athletic trainer can follow up on any flagged conditions. If you do not have a regular pediatrician, walk-in and urgent care clinics commonly offer sports physicals, and many run discounted screening events between May and August. Many health plans cover the visit as a preventive screening.
How Long the Physical Is Good For
The physical expires 14 calendar months from the date the provider signed the Medical Eligibility Form on page 3.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 22.1-271.7 – Public Middle and High School Student-Athletes A physical signed June 1, 2025 is valid through July 31, 2026, which covers fall, winter, and spring sports for the full 2025–26 school year. If your student plays a spring sport and the physical was signed the previous May, look at the calendar. A physical that expires mid-season pulls the student from competition until a new one is on file.
Where to Turn In the Completed Form
The completed, signed physical must be hand-delivered to your school’s athletic office.4Google Sites. LCPS Athletics Do not leave it at the main office, and do not hand it to a coach. It has to go to the athletic office so the athletic trainer can review it.1Loudoun County Public Schools. Updated LCPS Athletics Practices and Processes The physical is the only paper piece of the process; everything else is online.
Keep a copy for your own records before you turn it in. If the school misplaces it or you need it for a club team, a backup saves another doctor’s visit.
Online Registration in ArbiterSports
Every family also has to complete an online registration through ArbiterSports. LCPS moved to this platform for 2025–26, and every family, including returning athletes, has to create a new account.5Arbiter. Loudoun County HS Athletics 25-26 SY One account covers all student-athletes in a household.
Registration collects medical history, current medications, allergies, your student’s last tetanus shot date, and emergency contacts. The parent or guardian and the student both provide electronic signatures confirming they have reviewed and accepted LCPS athletic policies.1Loudoun County Public Schools. Updated LCPS Athletics Practices and Processes Registration has to be fully completed before the student can try out, practice, or compete.
Concussion and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Acknowledgments
Virginia law requires two additional annual acknowledgments before a student-athlete can participate in any extracurricular physical activity.
The student and a parent or guardian must review concussion information provided by the school division and sign a statement confirming they received it.6Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 22.1-271.5 – Guidelines and Policies and Procedures on Concussions in Student-Athletes The LCPS ArbiterSports page links to separate concussion-awareness courses for students and parents, plus a VHSL Concussion Clearance Form.5Arbiter. Loudoun County HS Athletics 25-26 SY
Virginia Code § 22.1-271.8 also requires an annual review of information about symptoms that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest, followed by a signed acknowledgment from the student and a parent.7Newport News Public Schools. Sudden Cardiac Arrest Information Warning signs to learn to recognize include fainting during or after exercise, chest pain, racing heartbeat, unexplained dizziness, and a family history of sudden death before age 50.
Why Forms Get Sent Back
The athletic trainer reviews each physical for completeness: every field filled, every signature present, the correct April 2025 form version, and a provider signature date within the 14-month window.1Loudoun County Public Schools. Updated LCPS Athletics Practices and Processes The most common holdups are missing insurance information in Part II, unsigned sections, use of an outdated form version, and blank checkboxes on the history questionnaire. Catch these before your first submission and your student will not lose practice days waiting on a corrected form.
Students who are not fully cleared cannot participate in tryouts, practices, or competitions. If a form comes back for corrections, fix the issue and return it to the athletic office as soon as possible.