The state Board of Education in Charleston, West Virginia has initiated a 30-day comment period for an existing policy related to eligibility for school sports, following the approval of a bill by the legislature last year. The board made this decision after modifying the rule to align with HB 2820, which was passed during the 2023 legislative session and signed into law by Governor Jim Justice on March 11, 2023. This bill allows students enrolled in private schools, the Hope Scholarship Program, microschools, and learning pods to participate in extracurricular activities offered by public schools.
The revision of the policy and the decision to open it for a 30-day comment period were included in the board’s consent agenda on Wednesday. Board member Debra Sullivan emphasized the need for students from non-public schools who wish to benefit from this law to adhere to testing requirements. She clarified that home school, learning pod, and microschool students must take nationally normed standardized tests in order to engage in SSAC activities. Sullivan wanted to ensure that these students were aware of this requirement, as they may not currently be taking such tests under existing rules.
According to Sullivan, the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission (SSAC) has incorporated this new language into its regulations. She highlighted that students interested in SSAC sports must comply with the nationally standardized testing requirement. The approval of the revised policy is expected to take place during the state Board of Education’s meeting in June.