Students and families ask Anson County Schools to allow nonpublic students in extracurriculars

Dozens of students and family members addressed the Anson County Board of Education during the public-comment period to ask the district to allow nonpublic students to participate in Anson County Schools extracurricular activities. Nora Edwards, who introduced herself as a trailblazer at Apogee Anson Micro School, said the current rule keeps her classmates from "reaching our Apogee" and asked the board to begin changing policy so those students can join teams and clubs.

Several speakers cited a pending state policy conversation and local practice as context. Mason McClure, an 11-year-old who said he attends Apogee Anson, told the board he would meet the same eligibility and safety requirements as other students and asked trustees to "please consider changing the policy so kids like me could play the game we love while protecting the school system." Scott Carpenter, a parent and Apogee representative, pointed to North Carolina Senate Bill 48 (titled in the transcript as an access-to-sports proposal) and noted the legislation would allow schools to charge reasonable participation fees. Speakers repeatedly offered the district ways to verify eligibility (attendance and grade records) and said families were willing to sign liability waivers or provide private insurance coverage.

Why it matters: speakers said allowing nonpublic students would expand rosters, keep community teams intact and offer educational benefits such as teamwork and leadership. Board practice stated it would not respond to public comments during the meeting other than to clarify; no formal policy change or vote on the request occurred at this session. The group from Apogee concluded their remarks by asking the board to align practice with the district motto, "1 community, 1 mission."