| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE BILL 355 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By Powers |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | SENATE BILL 690 |
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| 6 | 6 | | By White |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | SB0690 |
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| 10 | 10 | | 000935 |
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| 11 | 11 | | - 1 - |
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| 12 | 12 | | |
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| 13 | 13 | | AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, |
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| 14 | 14 | | relative to virtual school students. |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 16, Part 2, is amended by |
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| 18 | 18 | | adding the following as a new section: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (a) If a public school established under the jurisdiction of an LEA is a member of |
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| 20 | 20 | | an organization or an association that regulates interscholastic athletic competition, and |
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| 21 | 21 | | if such organization or association establishes or maintains eligibility requirements for |
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| 22 | 22 | | virtual school students to participate in interscholastic athletics at a member school, then |
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| 23 | 23 | | the LEA shall permit participation in interscholastic athletics at the member schools by a |
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| 24 | 24 | | virtual school student who satisfies the eligibility requirements established by the |
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| 25 | 25 | | organization or association. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (b) If a public school established under the jurisdiction of an LEA offers students |
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| 27 | 27 | | the opportunity to participate in interscholastic athletic competition without the school |
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| 28 | 28 | | being a member of an organization or an association that regulates interscholastic |
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| 29 | 29 | | athletic competition, then the LEA shall permit participation in interscholastic athletics at |
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| 30 | 30 | | such school by a virtual school student who is zoned and is otherwise eligible to attend |
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| 31 | 31 | | the school. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (c) This section does not guarantee that a virtual school student trying out for an |
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| 33 | 33 | | interscholastic athletics team will make the team, nor does it supplant the authority of |
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| 34 | 34 | | coaches or other school officials in deciding who makes the team. This section is |
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| 35 | 35 | | intended to guarantee only that the virtual school student is not prohibited from trying out |
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| 36 | 36 | | |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | - 2 - 000935 |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | for an interscholastic athletics team, if the student is otherwise eligible to participate |
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| 41 | 41 | | under the rules of the organization or association, solely by reason of the student's |
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| 42 | 42 | | status as a virtual school student. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (d) This section must not be construed to limit or supplant the authority of the |
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| 44 | 44 | | organization or association to determine eligibility and to establish, modify, and enforce |
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| 45 | 45 | | its rules and eligibility requirements, including those applicable to virtual school students. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. |
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