Charter School and Online Students Now Eligible for Public School Activities

May 05, 2008 by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) Starting today, a new law that allows charter school and online school students in Utah to participate in extracurricular activities at public schools goes into effect.

"We just feel like it's a great thing. We look at this legislation as a way to make sure that all students have the same opportunities that our kids have had in the Jordan District. They've been willing to let our students participate," says Carolyn Sharette, Director of the American Preparatory Academy in Draper.

Sharette says the Jordan School District already allows her school's students to participate. However, that wasn't the case for some charter schools located within districts that did not allow participation. Rob Cuff, Assistant Director of the Utah High School Activities Association, says the new law leaves the State Board of Education and school districts with some bugs to work out.

"The districts are still trying to figure out the cost ratio when they have a student that is participating in activities at their school but is not a student at their school. Supervision sometimes becomes a challenge because if a student isn't really theirs, does the coach have the right to supervise that student on a road trip. Those are some of the challenges that are there," says Cuff.

Under Senate Bill 36, online and charter school students are able to participate in extracurricular activities at the school located within the boundaries of their parent or guardian's residence, or at the public school from which they withdrew to attend the charter or online school.

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