Eric Dompierre who suffers from Down syndrome pours his heart into playing high school sports. Unfortunately, the school is barring him from participating in any sport due to his age.

The high school junior has been participating on his high school’s football and basketball teams. As of now, he will be unable to play either sport during his senior year, as regulations state that students who turn 19 before September 1st cannot play sports in that school. Unfortunately, Eric who turned 19 in January was held back a year due to his disability.

Eric’s dad, Dean Dompierre explained that sports was critical to his son’s development. “If he’s told that he’s not allowed to play anymore, I think he’s going to lose a lot of that confidence. And that’s been a key to his development,” the worried dad said.

The family and school district have since put in requests for the school to provide concessions for Eric.

“Our heart goes out to this man and his family. We know it’s a difficult decision, and when it hits home, it’s hard,” Tom Rashid, associate director of the school, tells Fox News. “But there are concerns when you begin to go in this direction.”

An online petition for Eric’s case has garnered more than 82,000 signatures urging the school to create an exemption for Eric, as well as other students with disabilities.