MSHSL changes online extracurricular eligibility guidelines for 2027-28
Reported bySouthernminn.com
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At a Monday work session, the Owatonna School Board heard about an upcoming Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) policy on extracurricular eligibility for online students in grades nine through 12. An ad hoc committee was appointed by the MSHSL Board of Directors during the 2025-26 school year, and the board has since approved its proposal. The policy starts in 2027-28 and is meant to answer eligibility questions and widen access for fully online students.
Under the change, transfer rules for varsity athletes still apply. Students in districts with a superintendent's agreement can take part in activities even if they are enrolled academically elsewhere. A student enrolled in an online program run by a school that has no such agreement with their home district would not be eligible. Students already participating before the change would be grandfathered in. The article gives an example: a Byron resident enrolled in Owatonna's online program could join Byron activities because the two districts have an agreement.
The article says these agreements can also split funding between the online school and the school where the student is eligible, such as 60/40 or 50/50. The superintendent said one unnamed school left its agreement, and affected students enrolled in Owatonna's online program, leaving them eligible only for Owatonna activities and Owatonna receiving all the funding. Owatonna currently has agreements with 16 districts, and the superintendent said the list is fluid. It is unclear whether the MSHSL will audit the agreements.
Why it matters
Families with students in online programs may find their eligibility for school activities depends on whether their districts have signed an agreement. The agreements also affect how per-student funding is divided between districts, which matters to board members and taxpayers.
- Online learning
- State funding formula
- Board policy
Written with AI from the publisher's article and may contain errors. The original reporting is the authoritative source.
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- How should districts decide whether to enter or leave superintendent's agreements, and what should families be told about those decisions?
- What might be the effects on families if eligibility for activities depends on an agreement between two districts?
- How should districts weigh funding splits against access to activities for students who learn online?
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