House Bill 0273c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999              CS/HB 273

        By the Committee on Education/K-12 and Representatives
    Barreiro and Byrd





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; amending s.

  3         232.61, F.S.; revising provisions which require

  4         the Florida High School Activities Association

  5         to adopt specified bylaws relating to

  6         eligibility for participation in student

  7         athletic competition; providing for a period of

  8         ineligibility for students who transfer or

  9         relocate to another school; providing

10         exceptions; providing an effective date.

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12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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14         Section 1.  Section 232.61, Florida Statutes, is

15  amended to read:

16         232.61  Governing organization for athletics; adoption

17  of bylaws.--The organization shall adopt bylaws that, unless

18  specifically provided by statute, establish eligibility

19  requirements for all students who participate in high school

20  athletic competition in its member schools. The bylaws

21  governing residence and transfer shall provide that a student

22  who transfers or relocates to another school is ineligible for

23  participation in athletic competition for a period of 1 year

24  from the date upon which the student's transfer commenced.

25  Students transferring to and from private schools; to and from

26  home education programs; as a result of the relocation of a

27  parent or guardian; as a result of transfers to or from public

28  or private schools due to participation in the opportunity

29  scholarship program; or because of district reassignment due

30  to boundary changes and alignment shall not be subject to the

31  1-year period of ineligibility required pursuant to this

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999              CS/HB 273

    185-709-99






  1  section allow the student to be eligible in the school in

  2  which he or she first enrolls each school year, or makes

  3  himself or herself a candidate for an athletic team by

  4  engaging in a practice prior to enrolling in any member

  5  school. The student shall be eligible in that school so long

  6  as he or she remains enrolled in that school. Subsequent

  7  eligibility shall be determined and enforced through the

  8  organization's bylaws. Where the student lives, with whom the

  9  student lives, or which school the student attended the

10  previous year shall not be a factor in determining

11  eligibility. The organization shall also adopt bylaws that

12  specifically prohibit the recruiting of students for athletic

13  purposes. The bylaws shall prescribe penalties and an appeals

14  process for athletic recruiting violations.

15         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

16  law.

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