Public schools would be required to let nonpublic school students play on their sports teams if the student’s school doesn’t offer the activity under legislation passed by the Iowa House Wednesday.
To be eligible to play, the student would have to live in the school district or a bordering district. Additionally, the student’s school has to have gone two years without offering the activity.
Currently, schools can have agreements with other schools — public, private or other — for students to join their sports teams.
Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, says the bill is not aimed at showing favoritism towards nonpublic schools. He claims some public schools severed their athletic agreements with nonpublic schools in recent years, like Clear Lake.
“It's being brought about because school districts started severing long-standing athletic agreements with nonpublic schools once nonpublic schools entered their accreditation process or after we passed ESAs [education savings accounts].”
Opponents of the bill say the proposal is unnecessary and a form of overreach.