Athletic Participation Scrutinized in Utah

Athletic participation of home school and charter students is the focus of a Utah legislative hearing. The state high school athletic association “makes allowances for both types of students, but it is up to individual school boards to actually allow participation,” reports the Deseret News, but there is a conflict among the local districts as to how charter students are handled.

The state board of education even gets a mention in the basic review of the athletic association’s operations. “The UHSAA gets its power from its members, which are the participating high schools, including public, private and several charter schools. They are state actors, but they are not a state agency. Their relationship with the state school board is one of cooperation and trust. Board members sit on the UHSAA's executive committee and its board of trustees and have input into policies and rules. The state school board does not create rules of its own governing prep activities that are sanctioned by UHSAA.”