HF 392 (LSB 1942YH (2) 90)

HOUSE FILE 392

BY  GUSTOFF

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to interscholastic activities provided by school districts and nonpublic schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 280.13A, subsection 1, Code 2023, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  If a school district or nonpublic school does not provide an interscholastic activity for its students, the board of directors of that school district or the authorities in charge of the nonpublic school may shall complete an agreement with another school district or nonpublic school to provide for the eligibility of its students in interscholastic activities provided by that other school district or nonpublic school. A copy of each agreement completed under this section shall be filed with the appropriate organization as organization is defined in section 280.13 not later than April 30 of the school year preceding the school year in which the agreement takes effect, unless an exception is granted by the organization for good cause. An agreement completed under this section shall be deemed approved unless denied by the governing organization within ten days after its receipt. A governing organization shall determine whether an agreement would substantially prejudice the interscholastic activities of other schools. An agreement denied by a governing organization under this section may be appealed to the state board of education under chapter 290.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to interscholastic activities provided by school districts and nonpublic schools. 
   Current Code section 280.13A provides that if a school district or nonpublic school does not provide an interscholastic activity for its students, the board of directors of that school district or the authorities in charge of the nonpublic school may complete an agreement with another school district or nonpublic school to provide for the eligibility of its students in interscholastic activities provided by that other school district or nonpublic school. The bill modifies this provision to require the school district or nonpublic school that does not provide an interscholastic activity to complete an agreement with another school district or nonpublic school to provide for the eligibility of its students in interscholastic activities provided by that other school district or nonpublic school. The bill does not affect the authority of an organization to deny such an agreement if the agreement would substantially prejudice the interscholastic activities of other schools. For purposes of Code section 280.13A, “organization” means an organization which has as one of its primary purposes the sponsoring or administration of extracurricular interscholastic athletic contests or competitions, but does not include an agency of this state, a public or private school or school board, or an athletic conference or other association whose interscholastic contests or competitions do not include more than 24 schools.