ENROLLED
2025 Legislature CS for CS for SB 248, 1st Engrossed
2025248er
1
2 An act relating to student participation in
3 interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular
4 sports; amending s. 1006.15, F.S.; providing that an
5 activity or a sport must meet specified requirements;
6 specifying conditions for a home education student to
7 participate in interscholastic athletics; revising the
8 criteria a private school student must meet to
9 participate in a sport at a Florida High School
10 Athletic Association (FHSAA) member school; deleting a
11 provision limiting which non-FHSAA member private
12 school students are eligible to participate in FHSAA
13 sports; amending s. 1006.20, F.S.; requiring the
14 publication of appeal decisions online; providing
15 requirements for such publication; providing an
16 effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Subsection (2), paragraph (c) of subsection (3),
21 and paragraphs (a), (e), and (g) of subsection (8) of section
22 1006.15, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
23 1006.15 Student standards for participation in
24 interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular student
25 activities; regulation.—
26 (2) Interscholastic extracurricular student activities are
27 an important complement to the academic curriculum.
28 Participation in a comprehensive extracurricular and academic
29 program contributes to student development of the social and
30 intellectual skills necessary to become a well-rounded adult. As
31 used in this section, the term “extracurricular” means any
32 school-authorized or education-related activity occurring during
33 or outside the regular instructional school day. In the
34 determination of whether a school offers an activity or a sport,
35 the activity or sport must meet the designation requirements of
36 s. 1006.205(3)(a).
37 (3)
38 (c)1. An individual home education student is eligible to
39 participate at the public school to which the student would be
40 assigned according to district school board attendance area
41 policies or which the student could choose to attend pursuant to
42 s. 1002.31, or may develop an agreement to participate at a
43 private school, in the interscholastic extracurricular
44 activities of that school, provided the following conditions are
45 met:
46 a.1. The home education student must meet the requirements
47 of the home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41.
48 b.2. During the period of participation at a school, the
49 home education student must demonstrate educational progress as
50 required in paragraph (b) in all subjects taken in the home
51 education program by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the
52 parent and the school principal which may include: review of the
53 student’s work by a certified teacher chosen by the parent;
54 grades earned through correspondence; grades earned in courses
55 taken at a Florida College System institution, university, or
56 trade school; standardized test scores above the 35th
57 percentile; or any other method designated in s. 1002.41.
58 c.3. The home education student must meet the same
59 residency requirements as other students in the school at which
60 he or she participates.
61 d.4. The home education student must meet the same
62 standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required
63 of other students in extracurricular activities.
64 e.5. The student must register with the school his or her
65 intent to participate in interscholastic extracurricular
66 activities as a representative of the school before
67 participation. A home education student must be able to
68 participate in curricular activities if that is a requirement
69 for an extracurricular activity.
70 f.6. A student who transfers from a home education program
71 to a public school before or during the first grading period of
72 the school year is academically eligible to participate in
73 interscholastic extracurricular activities during the first
74 grading period provided the student has a successful evaluation
75 from the previous school year, pursuant to sub-subparagraph b.
76 subparagraph 2.
77 g.7. Any public school or private school student who has
78 been unable to maintain academic eligibility for participation
79 in interscholastic extracurricular activities is ineligible to
80 participate in such activities as a home education student until
81 the student has successfully completed one grading period in
82 home education pursuant to sub-subparagraph b. subparagraph 2.
83 to become eligible to participate as a home education student.
84 2. An individual home education student is eligible to
85 participate on an interscholastic athletic team at any public
86 school in the school district in which the student resides,
87 provided the student meets the conditions specified in sub
88 subparagraphs 1.a.-g.
89 (8)(a) The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA)
90 shall, in cooperation with each district school board and its
91 member private schools, facilitate a program in which a middle
92 school or high school student who attends a private school is
93 eligible to participate in an interscholastic or intrascholastic
94 sport at a member public high school, a member public middle
95 school, a member 6-12 public school, or a member private school,
96 as appropriate for the private school student’s grade level, if:
97 1. The private school in which the student is enrolled is
98 not a member of the FHSAA or the private school in which the
99 student is enrolled is a member of the FHSAA and does not offer
100 the sport in which the student wishes to participate.
101 2. The private school student meets the guidelines for the
102 conduct of the program established by the FHSAA’s board of
103 directors and the district school board or member private
104 school. At a minimum, such guidelines must provide a deadline
105 for each sport by which the private school student’s parents
106 must register with the member school in writing their intent for
107 their child to participate at that school in the sport.
108 (e) Any non-FHSAA member private school that has a student
109 who wishes to participate in this program must make all student
110 records, including, but not limited to, academic, financial,
111 disciplinary, and attendance records, available upon request of
112 the FHSAA.
113 (g) Only students who are enrolled in non-FHSAA member
114 private schools consisting of 200 students or fewer are eligible
115 to participate in the program in any given academic year.
116 Section 2. Paragraph (h) is added to subsection (7) of
117 section 1006.20, Florida Statutes, to read:
118 1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
119 (7) APPEALS.—
120 (h) Decisions made by the committee on appeals, the
121 executive director or his or her designee, and the FHSAA board
122 of directors must be posted online in a searchable format and be
123 in compliance with ss. 1002.22 and 1002.221.
124 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.