H91 - Accountability and Fair Play in Athletics. (SL 2021-184)

Overview: S.L. 2021-184 creates new requirements for overseeing regulation of high school interscholastic athletics. These requirements include:

• The State Board of Education (SBE) must either enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a nonprofit to administer and enforce SBE requirements for high school athletics or require the Department of Public Instruction to administer high school athletics.
• The SBE must adopt rules in the following areas for public school unit (PSU) high school interscholastic athletic activities: student participation (including student health and safety), appeals, administering organizations, and reporting issues of concerns.
• The SBE may adopt rules in the following areas or may delegate those rules to the administering organization: penalties, administration, gameplay, and fees.
• Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, PSUs must conduct high school athletics in accordance with SBE rules as administered and enforced by the organization designated by the SBE. PSUs must also purchase catastrophic insurance for high school athletics through the Commissioner of Insurance.
• Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, the Commissioner of Insurance must offer catastrophic insurance coverage for students or school personnel participating in interscholastic athletic activities to participating schools.
• Beginning July 1, 2022, conforming changes to align with the law will become effective.

Except as otherwise provided, this act became effective November 23, 2021.