House File 2261 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2261 BY BURT A BILL FOR An Act relating to requirements for certain interscholastic 1 athletic contests and competitions. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 6155HH (3) 83 kh/sc

H.F. 2261 Section 1. Section 256.46, Code 2009, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 256.46 Rules for participation in extracurricular activities 3 by certain children. 4 The state board shall adopt rules that permit a child who 5 does not meet the residence requirements for participation 6 in extracurricular interscholastic contests or competitions 7 sponsored or administered by an organization as defined in 8 section 280.13 to participate in the contests or competitions 9 immediately if the child is duly enrolled in a school, is 10 otherwise eligible to participate, and meets one of the 11 following circumstances or a similar circumstance: the child 12 has been adopted; the child is placed under foster or shelter 13 care; the child is living with one of the child’s parents 14 as a result of divorce, separation, death, or other change 15 in the child’s parents’ marital relationship, or pursuant to 16 other court-ordered decree or order of custody; the child is a 17 foreign exchange student, unless undue influence was exerted 18 to place the child for primarily athletic purposes; the child 19 has been placed in a juvenile correctional facility; the child 20 is a ward of the court or the state; the child is a participant 21 in a substance abuse or mental health program; or the child is 22 enrolled in an accredited nonpublic high school because the 23 child’s district of residence has entered into a whole grade 24 sharing agreement for the pupil’s grade with another district. 25 The rules shall permit a child who is otherwise eligible to 26 participate, but who does not meet one of the foregoing or 27 similar circumstances relating to residence requirements, to 28 participate at any level of competition other than the varsity 29 level. For purposes of this section and section sections 30 280.13 and 282.18, “varsity” means the highest level of 31 competition offered by one school or school district against 32 the highest level of competition offered by an opposing school 33 or school district. 34 Sec. 2. Section 280.13, Code 2009, is amended to read as 35 -1- LSB 6155HH (3) 83 kh/sc 1/ 3

H.F. 2261 follows: 1 280.13 Requirements for interscholastic athletic contests and 2 competitions. 3 1. A public school shall not participate in or allow 4 students representing a public school to participate in any 5 extracurricular interscholastic athletic contest or competition 6 which is sponsored or administered by an organization as 7 defined in this section, unless the organization is registered 8 with the department of education, files financial statements 9 with the department in the form and at the intervals prescribed 10 by the director of the department of education, and is in 11 compliance with rules which the state board of education adopts 12 for the proper administration, supervision, operation, adoption 13 of eligibility requirements, and scheduling of extracurricular 14 interscholastic athletic contests and competitions and the 15 organizations. 16 2. A student enrolled in a school district who failed 17 coursework for which credit is given at the end of a grading 18 period may be allowed by the school district to participate in 19 an athletic contest or competition other than at the varsity 20 level. For purposes of this subsection, “varsity” means the 21 same as defined in section 256.46. 22 3. For the purposes of this section “organization” means 23 a corporation, association, or organization which has as one 24 of its primary purposes the sponsoring or administration 25 of extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or 26 competitions, but does not include an agency of this state, 27 a public or private school or school board, or an athletic 28 conference or other association whose interscholastic contests 29 or competitions do not include more than twenty-four schools. 30 EXPLANATION 31 This bill permits a school district to allow a student to 32 participate in athletic contests and competitions at all but 33 the varsity level if the student failed coursework for which 34 credit is given. 35 -2- LSB 6155HH (3) 83 kh/sc 2/ 3

H.F. 2261 Administrative rules currently require all contestants 1 to pass all coursework for which credit is given and to be 2 making adequate progress toward graduation requirements at 3 the end of each grading period. A student who fails a course 4 is ineligible to dress for and compete in the next occurring 5 interscholastic athletic contests and competitions in which the 6 student is a contestant for 30 consecutive calendar days. 7 -3- LSB 6155HH (3) 83 kh/sc 3/ 3