Missouri schools prep for change as new law allows home-school students to participate in extracurriculars
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
With classes officially underway across Missouri, schools are bracing for changes to the sports and extracurricular landscape
The Missouri State High School Activities Association is finalizing bylaw changes to comply with Senate Bill 63, which expands eligibility for homeschool, Family Paced Education and full-time virtual students to participate in public and charter school activities.
The law, which takes effect Aug. 28, 2025, applies to athletics, fine arts and other activities. Students who join under the statute will be referred to as “resident participant students,” according to MSHSAA.
MSHSAA Executive Director Jennifer Rukstad said the association worked quickly with its member schools to prepare for the new law's implementation. Schools now have an opportunity to vote on those changes. A special ballot on bylaw changes opened Aug. 11 and will close Aug. 22, with certification expected on Aug. 25.
According to a letter MSHSAA sent to all of its members, schools must do the following before Aug. 28:
- Align local board policies and school procedures with the new law
- Clearly outline all participation requirements with your students, staff, and families
- Educate coaches and staff regarding eligibility for resident participant students
- Determine and implement any changes in internal procedures necessary
“We’ll continue to engage the membership on any other changes that will need to happen,” Rukstad said. “We’ve worked very hard in a short period of time to make sure our rules reflect what is being expected by the law. But there will be other changes in the future, I am certain.”
The law requires schools to verify eligibility through academic checks. Rukstad said schools will verify eligibility by checking with parents during regular academic reviews. High school students must have completed and be working toward at least one-eighth of their four-year coursework, while junior high students must be enrolled full-time and passing all classes. The new language also allows homeschool families to apply those standards within their own systems.
By statute, schools may not charge participating students more than what a traditionally enrolled student would pay. Southern Boone District spokesman Matt Sharp told ABC 17 News that all students participating in extracurricular activities must pay a $50 fee.
Rukstad said MSHSAA is already processing requests from students seeking to participate under SB63, with more than 100 applications statewide and the expectation of additional growth. She compared the process to how the association manages transfer requests.
“What’s been the most difficult is there’s an underlying set of philosophies to all of our rules that our members have had for a hundred years,” Rukstad said. “Once we kind of changed the way we think about interscholastic competition, then we have to continue to consider what that does to our rules.”
She added that the law has raised broader questions about participation, particularly regarding students who attend nonmember schools that fall outside MSHSAA’s existing framework.
“It opens the door to several other questions that the law doesn't contemplate. And our association will need to contemplate,” Rukstad said. “There's a whole other population of students who attend nonmember schools. They are not homeschooled, but they're not MSHAA members and there's an intersection between those non-member schools. In many areas of our state, there's an intersection between those schools and to homeschool population in that area. And we're seeing some effects there as well. So we've got there's more to come here as we try to navigate a new system.”
MSHSAA plans to allow early relief for resident participant students to align with the fall sports season.
Check back for updates.
