As of August 1, 2024, students enrolled in an approved home study can participate in interscholastic athletics on the same basis as public school students.
La. § R.S. 17:176.2
A public school shall not disqualify a student from participating in extracurricular activities or interscholastic athletics solely because the student is enrolled in an approved home study program, so long as the student lives in the attendance zone of the public school.
(1) A student who is enrolled in an approved home study program shall try out or apply for extracurricular activities or interscholastic athletics at the public school in the same manner, time, and place as the students who attend the public school.
(2) After the try out or application, should the approved home study student meet the qualifications for an extracurricular activities club or an interscholastic athletics team, the approved home study student shall be required to maintain all requirements for participation that a public school student would have to meet in order to participate in the extracurricular activity or the interscholastic athletics activity, including but not limited to maintaining a minimum grade point average and complying with disciplinary standards. Failure to meet the requirements with respect to a minimum grade point average or failure to adhere to the disciplinary standards shall be grounds for the school to remove the approved home study student from participation in the extracurricular activities club or the interscholastic athletics team.
Things to keep in mind:
Public school access includes participation in public school classes, sports, activities, etc.
States use a unique vocabulary in this area: “extracurricular,” “cocurricular,” “curricular,” “interscholastic,” “program,” “activity,” etc. Care should be taken to distinguish one from another. When a state defines a word, it is important.
While athletic association rules are not “law,” public schools are generally constrained to operate within them, or their teams could be disqualified.
We strive toward keeping this information 100% up to date in this rapidly changing area of the law. However, this post should not be considered authoritative because of the possibility of unobserved changes in association rules, statutes, regulations, or case decisions, and because of lag time between changes and the publication of updates.
Please note: The information on this page has been reviewed by an attorney, but it should not be taken as legal advice specific to your individual situation.