[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6650261,"mediaKeyId","2508515-abdf55f4f5adc5a54f0ad220c7eb5125","parentId",2508515,"title","Committee hears bill to let nonpublic, virtual and Kansas Academy students join district activities; KSHSAA raises competitive-balance concerns","audioSeconds",3481,"startMs",2119000,"endMs",5600000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2508515-abdf55f4f5adc5a54f0ad220c7eb5125&start=2119&end=5600","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2508515-abdf55f4f5adc5a54f0ad220c7eb5125/thumbnail_2119000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6650261/Kansas/Committee-hears-bill-to-let-nonpublic-virtual-and-Kansas-Academy-students-join-district-activities-KSHSAA-raises-competitive-balance-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650261-f72e51c4fa0670dea9bd12706ad5a475/orig.mp4?Expires=1775411522&Signature=YzpepHTviYwh0aLMEg3PD4XBx-glq3X3xYnSf9Ndnh9yB6duV8roGHKJPhCFBDx~dIFAZwxmB7mPQilqF2XSWlN~nbn1nq8Aq4xUdGDjWnFy0UgE1nuSYprOJD9VDAYHMFSy2xYJfMW0nL~qHi4XoSRPih7lVOEAUVDG71AnWJSp3AJtct86XN7nFZruxh4N20nwajC-R5YCOB6PBdGG0AAa0fTrnJlZ-7I4wVCFUCqKxU84etdIkWMjq-6vCRsnEiipE4M-wGoh2Fvuf1~tOujS9wDusR~KqUnh3IYSE~TNSm0YROOKhj57wceC2AF325Sqfpkpp9FZhXhKcqt49A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kansas Legislature","date","2025-03-05T21:56:05.213Z","article","Senate Bill 114 would amend KSA 72-71-21 to authorize nonpublic and virtual-school students to participate in ancillary activities at the public school district where they reside and to prohibit discrimination by districts or the Kansas State High School Activities Association based on enrollment status, the bill's reviser told the House Committee on Education.

The bill's language also was amended to make students enrolled at the Kansas Academy of Math and Science (CAMS) eligible to participate on the same basis as resident students; the reviser said the Senate passed SB 114 on a final vote of 32 to 8 and the changes would take effect July 1.

Students and families described local incidents they said the bill would prevent. Bryce Stephan and another CAMS student described being barred from CASSA‑regulated postseason participation and asked lawmakers to make the change immediately so they could compete this season. Aubrey and Kira Richardson, parents and homeschool advocates from Wallace County, testified that homeschool athletes who competed for their local public school were excluded from senior night and from lettering and that local administrative decisions had denied recognition despite coaches and leagues awarding honors.

Attorney Josh Nye said his office sent a demand letter to a school district after the Richardson family's incident and that the district revised its policy. He said the bill stems from a desire to put an explicit statutory prohibition on district-level exclusion so similar disputes do not recur.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) opposed the version of the bill that adds CAMS students, saying the change would create a competitive advantage for Hays High School because CAMS students live and study on or near the Fort Hays campus and could constitute an 80-student pool available only to that receiving public high school. KSHSAA's representative said approved schools and member schools differ: approved schools may participate in regular-season activities but do not receive full post-season membership rights unless they become a member school that follows KSHSAA's full rules.

Committee members pressed witnesses on residency and classification effects. KSHSAA and others said residency is typically where a student \"lays their head at night\" for eligibility purposes, but that the association also has rules to determine eligibility for its events. Witnesses noted CAMS is an early-college program with on‑campus housing (40 students per incoming class; roughly 75 enrolled total was cited by students) and that classification changes for Hays would not likely be affected by adding that number, though witnesses said roster displacement and recruiting concerns could occur in particular sports or events.

Administrators and a USD 241 representative who testified by phone asked for clearer statutory definitions of \"ancillary activities,\" \"district activities\" and what it means for a student to be \"entitled to all rights and subject to all responsibilities\" under the proposed language.

The committee did not vote on the bill at the hearing; the chair said the committee will \"work\" the measure at a later meeting.

Ending: Supporters urged prompt enactment to avoid excluding students from postseason events; KSHSAA urged the committee to preserve competitive balance and proposed membership or approved‑school solutions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Education 03/05/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 114 would amend KSA 72-71-21 to authorize nonpublic and virtual‑school students, and students at the Kansas Academy of Math and Science, to participate in ancillary activities at the public school district where they reside and to prohibit discrimination based on enrollment status, witnesses told the House Committee on Education.","taxTitle","Senate, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",15103,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650265,"Committee hears bill to expand Kansas Promise Scholarship to additional accredited institutions and raise annual cap to $15 million",141,120000,261000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2508515-abdf55f4f5adc5a54f0ad220c7eb5125&start=120&end=261","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2508515-abdf55f4f5adc5a54f0ad220c7eb5125/thumbnail_120000.jpg","/articles/6650265/Kansas/Committee-hears-bill-to-expand-Kansas-Promise-Scholarship-to-additional-accredited-institutions-and-raise-annual-cap-to-15-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650265-85db3ed7d08429b454703d5a9c81c7b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1775411522&Signature=HUSZT-hwV1eoey7JBVNBtZ6LUKiRY2SFLiae0M37q-4H9kmMokJTfRIyX~TBdaCto8Uk6rCpAgmzKg7YilP1~dEYko~jm82IVCirNh0AWqxvaD2P5mBJGH8zRYUEBNnN5idqyq56M54lBGdiVrbitrTs-JOQWkSIDbJTSDcx7mS4Mf0i8yOEuxybygKif1vxhHRvLUe6cEpmKiQoInjeMAxzyrYj4S86X7wemOcI54bjXzH8xhbLlfQ7YPBTvxTVhjFXjofepuJ~QH9YehwGdwpjb2e5S0PdPGduqOTm3MsttKkOOI6JgbfTPlhHVI0Futxs3TvZYsb4Ru~oy6imZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 44 would broaden which postsecondary institutions may accept Kansas Promise Scholarship awards and increase the program's annual appropriation limit from $10 million to $15 million, proponents told the House Committee on Education during a hearing.

The reviser explained the bill would allow any institution with its main campus or principal place of operation in Kansas that offers a Promise-eligible program, is accredited, is recognized by the Kansas Board of Regents and is eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid to participate. The reviser also noted the Senate on final passage approved the measure 37 to 3 and the bill would take effect July 1 if enacted.

Supporters said expanding the program would make workforce training more accessible to Kansans seeking credentials in high-demand trades and technical fields. Charles Friedrichs, owner and managing director of Hartland Welding Academy in Andover, told the committee the school is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education and that \"the money will not be wasted.\" He said his program graduates roughly 40 welders per year and tracks an employment rate of about 87 percent.

Wichita Technical Institute corporate director of admissions Jenna Akpan said her school has provided short-term technical training in the Wichita area for decades and that graduates typically remain in-state; she said WTI's 2024 graduation and placement figures include an average graduation rate of about 62 percent and a placement rate of 78 percent for that year. Jason Watkins of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce described the Promise Act as \"literally a life changer,\" and urged lawmakers to consider broader eligibility in future years to attract workers to Kansas.

Officials who oversee the program warned of operational limits. Elaine Frisbie, vice president at the Kansas Board of Regents, said the Promise Scholarship is a last-dollar service scholarship and that her agency now must verify two years of living-and-working requirements for awardees. \"This is our most complicated program,\" Frisbie said, and she cautioned that increased volume would create substantial additional back-office work without corresponding funding for Regents staff.

Heather Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Community College Association, said community colleges support expanding opportunity but are concerned that the current appropriation and the program's administrative rules could create a wait list without an adequate funding increase. She noted private institutions that receive Promise funds would be reimbursed at the average community and technical college tuition rate under current law.

The reviser's summary and supporters' testimony also noted the Senate amended the bill to raise the appropriation cap from $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. Representatives asked the Board of Regents for figures on program participation; Frisbie said that in academic year 2024, 2,654 students received Promise awards and in 2023 the figure was 1,843, and that the program was created in 2021.

No committee action was recorded at the hearing. The committee chair said the bill will be worked in a future meeting.

Ending: The hearing record includes proponent testimony from vocational and technical training providers, a business group, neutral testimony from the Board of Regents about administrative burden, and a neutral statement from the Kansas Community College Association requesting additional appropriation if the law expands eligibility.","Senate Bill 44 would broaden which postsecondary institutions may accept Kansas Promise Scholarship awards and raise the program's annual appropriation limit from $10 million to $15 million, proponents told the House Committee on Education during a hearing.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee hears bill to let nonpublic, virtual and Kansas Academy students join district activities; KSHSAA raises competitive-balance concerns

Committee hears bill to expand Kansas Promise Scholarship to additional accredited institutions and raise annual cap to $15 million