The Warren County R-III School Board has approved a new policy which will allow homeschooled, family paced education or virtual school students to participate in school activities and athletics, following the passage of Senate Bill 63. 

SB 63 provides families residing within the district the opportunity to participate in sports, band, choir and other clubs. The bill will become law on Aug. 28.

Some homeschooled students have already begun participating as of Aug. 19, including one at Warrenton High School and a few at the middle school. 

This new law does not provide total access to all of the district’s activities. For example, RP (resident participant) students could be excluded from graduation, field trips, class parties and school dances. 

The district may also require these students to attend classes in some instances, like band. 

RP students are expected to comply and abide by the district’s code of conduct and meet the same participation and behavior requirements. 

The district will also require that an RP student provides proof of residency, age, immunizations, emergency contacts and disciplinary information from previous schools.

Additionally, these students are expected to adhere to academic, attendance, responsibility, performance and behavior requirements. If the activity is governed by MSHSAA, then these students must comply with the organization’s regulations and rules. 

Students who attend a virtual school need to provide the district with applicable academic information. Students educated in an FPE or a home school need to provide timely information to the district as well, so eligibility can be determined. 

The board also clarified that under state law, students may only compete in athletic programs aligned with their biological sex. 

However, female athletes can compete in male sports if there is no corresponding athletic activity available. For example, a female can try out for football but they cannot try out for boys soccer since there is a girls soccer team at Warrenton.