Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 248
       
       
        
       By Senator Simon
       
       
       
       
       
       3-00481-25                                             2025248__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to private school student
    3         participation in interscholastic and intrascholastic
    4         extracurricular sports; amending s. 1006.15, F.S.;
    5         revising the criteria a private school student must
    6         meet to participate in a sport at a Florida High
    7         School Athletic Association (FHSAA) member school;
    8         deleting a provision limiting which non-FHSAA member
    9         private school students are eligible to participate in
   10         FHSAA sports; providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Paragraphs (a), (e), and (g) of subsection (8)
   15  of section 1006.15, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   16         1006.15 Student standards for participation in
   17  interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular student
   18  activities; regulation.—
   19         (8)(a) The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)
   20  shall, in cooperation with each district school board and its
   21  member private schools, facilitate a program in which a middle
   22  school or high school student who attends a private school is
   23  eligible to participate in an interscholastic or intrascholastic
   24  sport at a member public high school, a member public middle
   25  school, a member 6-12 public school, or a member private school,
   26  as appropriate for the private school student’s grade level, if:
   27         1. The private school in which the student is enrolled is
   28  not a member of the FHSAA or the private school in which the
   29  student is enrolled is a member of the FHSAA and does not offer
   30  the sport in which the student wishes to participate.
   31         2. The private school student meets the guidelines for the
   32  conduct of the program established by the FHSAA’s board of
   33  directors and the district school board or member private
   34  school. At a minimum, such guidelines must provide a deadline
   35  for each sport by which the private school student’s parents
   36  must register with the member school in writing their intent for
   37  their child to participate at that school in the sport.
   38         (e) Any non-FHSAA member private school that has a student
   39  who wishes to participate in this program must make all student
   40  records, including, but not limited to, academic, financial,
   41  disciplinary, and attendance records, available upon request of
   42  the FHSAA.
   43         (g) Only students who are enrolled in non-FHSAA member
   44  private schools consisting of 200 students or fewer are eligible
   45  to participate in the program in any given academic year.
   46         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.