Sahuarita board affirms policy excluding ESA-funded students from extracurriculars

The Sahuarita Unified School District governing board on Jan. 14 affirmed an administrative plan that will not permit students funded through Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) to participate in district extracurricular programs going forward.

Superintendent Dr. Manuel Valenuela told the board the district had granted a one‑year grace period for ESA students who were already enrolled in activities but that, by law, ESA participants are legally distinct from homeschool students and have effectively severed their ties with the district. Valenuela said the district relies on average daily membership (ADM) funding to cover the costs of programs and that allowing ESA participants to use extracurricular services without generating full ADM creates financial and programmatic risks, including additional liability exposure for which the district is not receiving corresponding state funding.

During public comment before trustees’ discussion, student Khloe Scott, an ESA recipient, said the policy would prevent her from competing on the high‑school golf team next year after she had been preparing to play. Parents and other residents urged the board to consider pay‑to‑play or other cost‑recovery options so ESA recipients could remain in activities.

Trustees discussed competing priorities: support for parental choice on the one hand and fiduciary responsibility to enrolled students and district operations on the other. One board member moved to “affirm the administrative determination and action plan as presented tonight,” a motion that was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The board did not record a detailed roll‑call vote on the motion in the meeting transcript beyond the voice‑vote outcome. Administration said it will continue to accept students who are homeschooled under the county superintendent’s certificate (the statutorily recognized homeschool path) and reiterated invitations to families to enroll in district programs or use district options such as the digital academy where eligibility rules differ.

Next steps: the administration will implement the affirmed policy for future extracurricular participation and continue to field questions from affected families and the community.