Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 248
By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Simon
581-02301-25 2025248c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to student participation in
3 interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular
4 sports; amending s. 1006.15, F.S.; specifying
5 conditions for a home education student to participate
6 in interscholastic athletics; revising the criteria a
7 private school student must meet to participate in a
8 sport at a Florida High School Athletic Association
9 (FHSAA) member school; deleting a provision limiting
10 which non-FHSAA member private school students are
11 eligible to participate in FHSAA sports; providing an
12 effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) and paragraphs
17 (a), (e), and (g) of subsection (8) of section 1006.15, Florida
18 Statutes, are amended to read:
19 1006.15 Student standards for participation in
20 interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular student
21 activities; regulation.—
22 (3)
23 (c)1. An individual home education student is eligible to
24 participate at the public school to which the student would be
25 assigned according to district school board attendance area
26 policies or which the student could choose to attend pursuant to
27 s. 1002.31, or may develop an agreement to participate at a
28 private school, in the interscholastic extracurricular
29 activities of that school, provided the following conditions are
30 met:
31 a.1. The home education student must meet the requirements
32 of the home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41.
33 b.2. During the period of participation at a school, the
34 home education student must demonstrate educational progress as
35 required in paragraph (b) in all subjects taken in the home
36 education program by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the
37 parent and the school principal which may include: review of the
38 student’s work by a certified teacher chosen by the parent;
39 grades earned through correspondence; grades earned in courses
40 taken at a Florida College System institution, university, or
41 trade school; standardized test scores above the 35th
42 percentile; or any other method designated in s. 1002.41.
43 c.3. The home education student must meet the same
44 residency requirements as other students in the school at which
45 he or she participates.
46 d.4. The home education student must meet the same
47 standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required
48 of other students in extracurricular activities.
49 e.5. The student must register with the school his or her
50 intent to participate in interscholastic extracurricular
51 activities as a representative of the school before
52 participation. A home education student must be able to
53 participate in curricular activities if that is a requirement
54 for an extracurricular activity.
55 f.6. A student who transfers from a home education program
56 to a public school before or during the first grading period of
57 the school year is academically eligible to participate in
58 interscholastic extracurricular activities during the first
59 grading period provided the student has a successful evaluation
60 from the previous school year, pursuant to sub-subparagraph b.
61 subparagraph 2.
62 g.7. Any public school or private school student who has
63 been unable to maintain academic eligibility for participation
64 in interscholastic extracurricular activities is ineligible to
65 participate in such activities as a home education student until
66 the student has successfully completed one grading period in
67 home education pursuant to sub-subparagraph b. subparagraph 2.
68 to become eligible to participate as a home education student.
69 2. An individual home education student is eligible to
70 participate on an interscholastic athletic team at any public
71 school in the school district in which the student resides,
72 provided the student meets the conditions specified in sub
73 subparagraphs a. through g.
74 (8)(a) The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)
75 shall, in cooperation with each district school board and its
76 member private schools, facilitate a program in which a middle
77 school or high school student who attends a private school is
78 eligible to participate in an interscholastic or intrascholastic
79 sport at a member public high school, a member public middle
80 school, a member 6-12 public school, or a member private school,
81 as appropriate for the private school student’s grade level, if:
82 1. The private school in which the student is enrolled is
83 not a member of the FHSAA or the private school in which the
84 student is enrolled is a member of the FHSAA and does not offer
85 the sport in which the student wishes to participate.
86 2. The private school student meets the guidelines for the
87 conduct of the program established by the FHSAA’s board of
88 directors and the district school board or member private
89 school. At a minimum, such guidelines must provide a deadline
90 for each sport by which the private school student’s parents
91 must register with the member school in writing their intent for
92 their child to participate at that school in the sport.
93 (e) Any non-FHSAA member private school that has a student
94 who wishes to participate in this program must make all student
95 records, including, but not limited to, academic, financial,
96 disciplinary, and attendance records, available upon request of
97 the FHSAA.
98 (g) Only students who are enrolled in non-FHSAA member
99 private schools consisting of 200 students or fewer are eligible
100 to participate in the program in any given academic year.
101 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.