Bill > SB234

This bill, known as the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission Reform Act, makes several changes to how athletic and extracurricular activities are managed for secondary school students in West Virginia. It clarifies that public charter schools will now have direct control over their own secondary school activities, similar to county boards of education. The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC), which oversees these activities, will now have its members primarily consist of athletic directors, or their designees, from schools whose governing bodies have delegated authority to the commission. A significant change is that the WVSSAC will transition from a nonprofit corporation to a state agency directly under the state board, but separate from the State Superintendent and the West Virginia Department of Education, effective July 1, 2026. The bill also introduces a competitive balance formula for school classifications based on factors like student transfers, and the Executive Director of the WVSSAC will be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, with their decisions on rule violations appealable only to the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Furthermore, the bill expands eligibility for extracurricular activities to include organized groups of nonpublic school students, such as home-schooled students, participants in the Hope Scholarship Program, and those in microschools or learning pods, provided they meet certain academic and behavioral requirements and pay applicable fees. Finally, students enrolled in private schools may participate in extracurricular activities at their local public school if the activity is not offered at their private school, and preparatory athletic programs will be recognized as nonparticipating members for national-level competition.

Education

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=234&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill