DATE:
May 20, 2021
TO:
High School Administrators
High School Athletic Directors
High School Sport/Activity Coaching or Directing Staff
FROM:
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment
SUBJECT:
Participation of Non-Boundary Charter School Students on School Teams/Groups
Utah Code 53G-6-704 and USBE Board Rule R277-494-3 allow a charter or online school student to participate in an extracurricular activity not offered by the student’s charter or online school, provided certain eligibility requirements are met. Most importantly, the student must be “eligible for extracurricular activities at a public school consistent with eligibility standards as applied to full-time students of the public school.” (see UCA 53G-6-704(4))
School administrators (or, by delegation, athletic directors or coaching and directing staff) must ensure that students who try out for a sports team or group are eligible for participation by being an enrolled student of the school. Charter school students are eligible by participation either by residence in the boundaries of the high school or through having been granted an out-of-boundary permit following all established District procedures for granting permits. While building administrators have significant discretion in policy and Utah law in granting permits, Utah Code 53G-6-403(3)(a) specifically prohibits using “athletic or other extracurricular ability” as grounds for awarding a permit. Boundary residency or an out-of-boundary permit qualify a student for tryout and team/group participation; qualifying for or being offered a spot on a team/group alone DOES NOT QUALIFY the student for an out-of-boundary permit.
