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As Introduced
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
H. B. No. 625
2025-2026
Representatives Click, King
Cosponsors: Representatives Williams,
Newman
To
enact section 3313.5321 of the Revised Code
to
enact the Student Athlete Mobility (SAM) Act regarding student
petitions to participate in team sports at neighboring public
schools.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section
1.
That
section 3313.5321 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec.
3313.5321.
(A)
As used in this section:
(1)
"Community school" means a community school established
under Chapter 3314. Of the Revised Code.
(2)
"High school" means a school that serves any of grades nine
through twelve.
(3)
"Neighboring school" means either of the following:
(a)
For a board of education, any of the following:
(i)
A high school operated by the board of education other than the high
school in which the student is enrolled;
(ii)
A high school operated by a school district that directly borders the
board of education's school district;
(iii)
If the board of education's school district borders Lake Erie, a high
school operated by an island school district;
(iv)
Any other public high school that is located within the territory of
either the board of education's school district or a school district
that directly borders the board of education's school district.
(b)
For a school governing body, any of the following:
(i)
A high school operated by the board of education of the school
district in which the other public high school is located;
(ii)
A high school operated by a school district that directly borders the
school district in which the other public high school is located;
(iii)
A different other public high school that is located within the
territory of either of the following:
(I)
The school district in which the other public high school is located;
(II)
A school district that directly borders that school district in which
the other public high school is located.
(4)
"Other public high school" means a community school or STEM
school that is a high school.
(5)
"School governing body" means the governing authority of a
community school or the governing body of a STEM school.
(6)
"STEM school" means a STEM school established under Chapter
3326. of the Revised Code.
(7)
"Team sport" means baseball, basketball, field hockey,
football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, or
any other sport that requires cooperative participation by multiple
students and would be impractical to compete with a single student.
(B)
Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, each school district board
of education and school governing body that operates a high school
that offers a team sport and is a member school of an organization
that regulates interscholastic athletics shall adopt a policy that
permits a student who is enrolled in a neighboring school that does
not offer that team sport to petition to participate in that team
sport at the board of education's or school governing body's high
school. Each policy shall include all of the following:
(1)
The form and manner in which a neighboring school student may
petition to participate in a team sport;
(2)
A requirement that both of the following approve the student's
participation in the team sport:
(a)
The neighboring school's superintendent or chief administrative
officer;
(b)
The executive director of the organization that regulates
interscholastic athletics.
(3)
A requirement that, if the student is enrolled in a school district
that operates multiple high schools, the student must first petition
to participate in a team sport at another high school operated by the
district if one offers the team sport. If a student is not approved
to participate in a sport at another school operated by the student's
district, the student may petition to participate in the team sport
under the policy at a high school that is not operated by the
student's district.
(C)
A student shall not participate in the same team sport under this
section at more than one high school operated by a school district or
other public high school in any one school year.
(D)
If a high school operated by a school district or other public high
school participates in any regular season contest for a team sport
and subsequently ceases offering that team sport before the
conclusion of the athletic season, a student enrolled in that school
is not eligible to petition to participate in that team sport under
this section until the next school year.
(E)
A student is not eligible to petition to participate in a team sport
under this section solely because the school in which the student is
enrolled does not offer the competition level at which the student
wishes to participate, such as a varsity, junior varsity, or freshman
team.
(F)
A board of education or school governing body that operates a high
school and is a member school of an organization that regulates
interscholastic athletics may partner with a neighboring school to
establish a single team if neither school has a sufficient number of
students willing to participate in the team sport. A sufficient
number of students shall mean the sum of:
(the
minimum number of students required for competition in a team sport
during play) + (half of that number, rounded up to the nearest
whole).
Section
2.
This
act shall be known as the Student Athlete Mobility (SAM) Act.