A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 59-40-53 SO AS TO ESTABLISH A SEPARATE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS IN INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS AND TO PROVIDE POSTSEASON RANKING, SEEDING, AND ELIGIBILITY PROCEDURES; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 59-40-50, RELATING TO REQUIREMENTS FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS, SO AS TO MAKE A CONFORMING CHANGE.

 

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

 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 40, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

    Section 59-40-53.  (A) Notwithstanding another provision of law or any rule of the South Carolina High School League, charter schools that are members of the South Carolina High School League shall compete in a separate state championship playoff bracket for postseason interscholastic athletic competition as provided in this section. Charter schools are ineligible to participate in other postseason interscholastic competitions.

    (B) Charter schools shall compete in their assigned regions during the regular season in accordance with rules of the South Carolina High School League. For postseason competition in team sports designated by the league, all qualifying charter schools shall be placed in a combined statewide charter school championship playoff bracket separate from all other member schools.

    (C)(1) To qualify for the charter school state championship playoff bracket, a charter school must:

           (a) participate in a region schedule established by the league; and

           (b) meet the minimum number of contests for the applicable sport as determined by league regulation.

       (2) Charter school region champions shall automatically qualify for the charter school state championship playoff bracket.

       (3) All qualifying charter schools shall be seeded pursuant to the postseason ranking formula provided in subsection (D).

    (D)(1) The South Carolina High School League shall utilize a uniform postseason ranking formula to determine seeding for charter schools in applicable team sports. The formula must assign a numerical ranking score to each qualifying charter school based upon the following components:

           (a) Winning Percentage (WP), calculated by dividing a team's weighted wins by the total number of contests played. The League shall establish weight values for home, away, neutral site, and contests against nonmember schools. This component shall account for thirty-five percent of the final ranking score;

           (b) Opponents' Winning Percentage (OWP), determined by calculating the average winning percentage of each opponent, excluding contests played against the team being evaluated. This component shall account for thirty-five percent of the final ranking score; and

           (c) Opponents' Opponents' Winning Percentage (OOWP), determined by calculating the average opponents' winning percentage of each opponent. This component shall account for thirty percent of the final ranking score.

       (2) The League shall publish the formula methodology, formula weighting values, and resulting rankings on its official website.

    (E) In the event of identical ranking scores, ties must be broken in the following order:

       (1) head-to-head result;

       (2) higher winning percentage;

       (3) higher opponents' winning percentage;

       (4) higher opponents' opponents' winning percentage;

       (5) coin toss or other neutral method established by League regulation.

    (F) Charter schools shall comply with all scheduling, score-reporting, and data-submission requirements established by the league. All contests against league member schools must be included in ranking calculations, regardless of classification. Charter school athletes participating in interscholastic athletic competition, including postseason competition under this section, must meet the academic eligibility requirements of Section 59-39-160.

    (G) The South Carolina High School League shall promulgate rules consistent with this section to ensure uniform implementation beginning with the next reclassification cycle following July 1, 2026.

 

SECTION 2.  Section 59-40-50(C)(3)(a) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    (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, subject to the provisions of Section 59-40-53 regarding postseason playoffs.

 

SECTION 3.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies beginning with the next League reclassification cycle following July 1, 2026.

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