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Subcommittee advances bill letting students at very small private schools play public high school sports under residency limits
Summary
HB 1785 would allow students enrolled in private schools with fewer than 200 students to play on their zoned public high school’s teams for sports the private school does not offer, while retaining residency requirements; the subcommittee advanced the bill after legal clarification about residency limits.
Representative Reeves (speaker 12) described HB 1785 as an effort to give students at very small private schools the same opportunity homeschool and virtual students have to participate in public-school athletics when their own schools do not offer a sport.
"It allows those students to participate in sports at the public high school that they are zoned to attend and only in sports that are not offered by that student's particular school," the sponsor said. Legal counsel clarified that while the amendment deletes the requirement that the private school be located inside the LEA, the student must still reside within the LEA’s geographic boundaries and be zoned to attend the public school.
Members raised questions about liability, insurance and whether the receiving school receives state funding for those students; the sponsor replied that districts receive funding associated with the child who lives in the LEA. The clerk recorded five ayes, no nays and one present not voting; HB 1785 moves to full Education.
Provenance: topic introduced SEG 571; discussion and vote concluded SEG 760.
