By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
A bill that’s cleared the Iowa House would mandate that Iowa’s public school districts let local private school students join the district’s sports teams if the private school isn’t offering the sport.
Representative Henry Stone, a Republican from Forest City, said kids should be allowed to compete in sports, whether they’re enrolled in a public or a private school.
“The impetus of this bill is not to show favoritism or to elevate non-public schools,” he said. “It’s being brought about because school districts started severing longstanding athletic agreement with non-public schools once non-public schools entered their accredidation process or after we passed ESAs.”
ESAs are state-funded Education Savings Accounts to cover private school expenses. Stone said the Clear Lake and Garner School Districts are not allowing students from the private Clear Lake Classical school to play sports.
“We have got to quit looking at every issue as a public versus a non-public school issue,” Stone said. “…What we’re talking about today are issues that are affecting our kids and affecting our grandkids. My two grandsons live in the Garner School District. In my opinion, we need to push past our differences and squabbles as adults and not take those differences out on our kids.”
The bill passed with the support of 63 House Republicans. The 33 Democrats in the House opposed it. Representative Heather Matson, a Democrat from Ankeny, said public school officials should be able to make local decisions based on serving students from families who’ve chosen to send their child to the public school.
“Our schools are in survival mode. Iowa also has a teacher shortage,” she said. “We cannot assume this requirement won’t be a problem.”
Matson said the bill applies to middle school as well as high school students. “Public schools will be required to have agreements on every sport they offer to those private school students who don’t have the sport at their school, regardless of capacity,” Matson said. “…If the team is full, would new sections be required? What about finding additional spaces to practice? The cost of adding staff members? The fact that it is already difficult to find volunteers to coach?”
The mandate in the bill also applies to other extracurricular activities. If the bill becomes law, private school students would have to be allowed to join competitive groups like show choirs or marching bands if their private school doesn’t offer it.
