The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Central Board of Control and AHSAA Legislative Council approved Tuesday a bylaw that will grant athletic eligibility for non-traditional students.  Non-traditional students include students who are home school students, virtual school students or students attending a charter school.

The bylaw, Proposal 8, ratifies athletic eligibility for non-traditional students and will go into effect for the next school year.  Non-traditional students will be eligible to enroll at the public school that serves the district where their parents reside. All current AHSAA eligibility and transfer rules will apply equally to traditional and non-traditional students.  The complete guidelines can be found at www.ahsaa.com at the following link: http://www.ahsaa.com/New-By-Laws.

AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese said many hours have gone into developing the bylaw that addresses the concerns of non-traditional students and AHSAA member schools. “A lot of time and thought have gone into developing this important legislation,” he said. “We now are ready to move forward. This will give our outstanding coaches an opportunity to make a positive difference in even more students’ lives.” He thanked the Central Board and Legislative Council for its input and direction.

In other Central Board and Legislative Council business Tuesday, the Legislative Council approved eight proposals. To make a proposal a by-law, a two-thirds vote of the 32-member group is required.

“We appreciate the Legislative Council for their due diligence in making the tough decisions and doing what is right for the association as a whole,” AHSAA Central Board president Mike Welsh said. “I also want to thank the AHSAA staff for developing a bylaw that maintains the integrity of the AHSAA and its mission of fair play and educational athletics.