ATHLETICS: Prohibits schools from being members of, or participating in competition sponsored by, any intrastate interscholastic extracurricular athletic association or organization that does not provide for certain student eligibility procedures

HLS 26RS-210 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 644
BY REPRESENTATIVE WYBLE
ATHLETICS: Prohibits schools from being members of, or participating in competition
sponsored by, any intrastate interscholastic extracurricular athletic association or
organization that does not provide for certain student eligibility procedures
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 17:176(G), relative to interscholastic high school athletics; to prohibit certain
3 schools from being members of, or participating in any competition sponsored by,
4 associations or organizations that do not provide for certain student eligibility
5 procedures; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 17:176(G) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 §176. Extracurricular activities; interscholastic athletics; participation; standards;
9 prohibitions; filming or videotaping; definitions
10 * * *
11 G. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no public school or
12 nonpublic school that receives state funds may be a member of, or participate in any
13 competition sponsored by, any intrastate interscholastic extracurricular athletic
14 association or organization that does not provide for the following relative to
15 eligibility to participate in interscholastic athletics for students in grades seven
16 through twelve:
17 (1) An otherwise eligible student who has not previously been enrolled in
18 any member school is eligible to participate without delay upon enrollment in a
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-210 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 644
1 member school. For purposes of this Subsection, a "member school" is a school that
2 participates in such competition.
3 (2) An otherwise eligible student may transfer from one member school to
4 another without delay in eligibility to participate as follows:
5 (a) He may transfer to the public school to which he would be assigned
6 based on the attendance zone designated by the city, parish, or other local school
7 board of the school system in which the student resides, referred to in this
8 Subparagraph as his "home school". He shall be immediately eligible to participate
9 at his home school regardless of grade level or previous transfers as provided in
10 Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph or any other previous transfers.
11 (b) He may transfer to any other member school, public or nonpublic,
12 subject to the following limitations:
13 (i) He may use this transfer option only one time unless otherwise
14 authorized.
15 (ii) He may transfer only through the completion of his eleventh grade year
16 and only if the transfer request is submitted on or before the final day of student
17 attendance of the school year at the school where he is enrolled.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 644 Original 2026 Regular Session Wyble
Abstract: Prohibits schools from being members of, or participating in competition
sponsored by, any intrastate interscholastic extracurricular athletic association or
organization that does not provide for certain student eligibility procedures,
including regarding transfers.
Proposed law prohibits schools from being members of, or participating in competition
sponsored by, any intrastate interscholastic extracurricular athletic association or
organization that does not provide for the following with respect to student eligibility:
(1) An otherwise eligible student who has not previously been enrolled in any member
school is eligible to participate without delay upon enrollment in a member school
(a "member school" is a school that participates in such competition).
(2) An otherwise eligible student may transfer from one member school to another
without delay in eligibility to participate as follows:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-210 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 644
(a) He may transfer to the public school to which he would be assigned based on
the attendance zone designated by the city, parish, or other local school board
of the school system in which the student resides, referred to in proposed law
as his "home school". He shall be immediately eligible to participate at his
home school regardless of grade level or previous transfers as provided
below or any other previous transfers.
(b) He may transfer to any other member school, public or nonpublic, subject to
the following limitations:
(i) He may use this transfer option only one time unless otherwise
authorized.
(ii) He may transfer only through the completion of his eleventh grade
year and only if the transfer request is submitted on or before the
final day of student attendance of the school year at the school where
he is enrolled.
(Adds R.S. 17:176(G))
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.