Access to Sports and Extracurriculars for All.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 48

Short Title: Access to Sports and Extracurriculars for All. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Hise, Ford, and Galey (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
February 5, 2025
*S48-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PERMIT STU DENTS WHO ATTEND A P UBLIC SCHOOL, PRIVAT E 2
SCHOOL, OR HOME SCHO OL WITHOUT AN INTERS CHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 3
PROGRAM IN A GIVEN SPORT OR PARTICULAR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY 4
TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT ACTIVITY AT A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. G.S. 115C-407.55(1)b. reads as rewritten: 7
"b. Enrollment and transfer requirements, including the following: 8
… 9
3. If a public high school does not offer a particular sport, a 10
student from that school may participate in the sport at the 11
public high school closest to the student 's school that has a 12
program in that sport, subject to the terms and conditions 13
applicable to a regularly enrolled member of that high school's 14
student body, exc ept that the high school may charge a 15
reasonable fee for participation to a student who is not enrolled 16
in the high school as established by the local board of education 17
in accordance with G.S. 115C-47(6). 18
4. A private school or home school student may par ticipate in a 19
sport at the base public high school for the student 's address, 20
subject to the terms and conditions applicable to a regularly 21
enrolled member of that high school 's student body. If the 22
student's base public high school does not have a program in a 23
particular sport, the student may participate in the sport at the 24
public high school closest to the student 's base public high 25
school that has a program in that sport, subject to the terms and 26
conditions applicable to a regularly enrolled member of t hat 27
high school's student body. The public high school may charge 28
a reasonable fee for participation to a student who is not 29
enrolled in the high school as established by the local board of 30
education in accordance with G.S. 115C-47(6)." 31
SECTION 2. G.S. 115C-47(6) reads as rewritten: 32
"(6) To Regulate Fees, Charges and Solicitations. – Local boards of education shall 33
adopt rules and regulations governing solicitations of, sales to, and 34
fund-raising activities conducted by, the students and faculty m embers in 35
schools under their jurisdiction, and no fees, charges, or costs shall be 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 48-First Edition
collected from students and school personnel without approval of the board of 1
education as recorded in the minutes of said board; provided, this subdivision 2
shall not apply to such textbooks fees as are determined and established by the 3
State Board of Education. The local board of education shall publish a 4
schedule of fees, charges, and solicitations approved by the local board board, 5
including fees established to allow students not enrolled in a particular public 6
high school to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities, on the 7
local school administrative unit's Web site by October 15 of each school year 8
and, if the schedule is subsequently revised, within 30 days following the 9
revision." 10
SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 11
the 2025-2026 school year. 12