A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 59-40-50, RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY IN INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, SO AS TO PROVIDE CHARTER SCHOOLS ONLY MAY PARTICIPATE IN POSTSEASON ATHlETICS COMPETITIONS COMPRISED EXCLUSIVELY OF CHARTER SCHOOL PARTICIPANTS, AND TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS FOR ATHlETICS REGULATORY ENTITIES.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.  Section 59-40-50(C) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

    (C)(1) If a charter school denies admission to a student, the student may appeal the denial to the sponsor. The decision is binding on the student and the charter school.

       (2) If a charter school suspends or expels a student, other charter schools or the local school district in which the charter school is located has the authority but not the obligation to refuse admission to the student.

       (3)(a) A charter school is eligible for federally sponsored, state-sponsored or district-sponsored interscholastic leagues, competitions, awards, scholarships, grants, and recognition programs for students, educators, administrators, staff, and schools to the same extent as all other public schools; provided, however, that a charter school may not participate in postseason playoff or championship competitions for athletics unless the playoff and championship competitions only include charter schools as participants. A charter school may not join, affiliate with, pay dues or fees to, or in any way financially support the High School League or any similar interscholastic regulatory entity unless the High School League or entity:

               (i) recognizes, sanctions, and regulates a separate system of postseason playoff and championship competitions exclusively for charter school participation; and

               (ii) mandates that its member charter schools only may, for postseason purposes, be eligible to participate in these charter school playoff and championship competitions.

           (b) A charter school student is eligible to compete for, and if selected, participate in any extracurricular activities not offered by the student's charter school which are offered at the resident public school he would otherwise attend. A charter school student is eligible to compete for, and if selected, participate in an activity governed by the South Carolina High School League offered at the resident public school he would otherwise attend if the league-governed activity is not offered at the student's charter school.

           (c) A charter school student is eligible for extracurricular activities at the student's resident public school consistent with eligibility standards as applied to full-time students of the resident public school.

           (d) A school district or resident public school may not impose additional requirements on a charter school student to participate in extracurricular activities that are not imposed on full-time students of the resident public school.

           (e) Charter school students shall pay the same fees as other students to participate in extracurricular activities.

           (f) Charter school students shall be eligible for the same fee waivers for which other students are eligible.

SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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