A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT relating to participation in public school interscholastic programs by students attending home schools.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑12(23) reads as rewritten:
"(23)	Power to Adopt Eligibility Rules for Interscholastic Athletic Competition. – The State Board of Education shall adopt rules governing interscholastic athletic activities conducted by local boards of education, including eligibility for student participation. Students attending home schools shall be permitted to participate in interscholastic athletic activities in accordance with the requirements of this subdivision. With regard to middle schools and high schools, the rules shall provide for the following:
a.	All coaches, school nurses, athletic directors, first responders, volunteers, students who participate in interscholastic athletic activities, and the parents of those students shall receive, on an annual basis, a concussion and head injury information sheet. School employees, first responders, volunteers, and students must sign the sheet and return it to the coach before they can participate in interscholastic athletic activities, including tryouts, practices, or competition. Parents must sign the sheet and return it to the coach before their children can participate in any such interscholastic athletic activities. The signed sheets shall be maintained in accordance with sub‑subdivision d. of this subdivision.
For the purpose of this subdivision, a concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a direct or indirect impact to the head that results in disruption of normal brain function, which may or may not result in loss of consciousness.
b.	If a student participating in an interscholastic athletic activity exhibits signs or symptoms consistent with concussion, the student shall be removed from the activity at that time and shall not be allowed to return to play or practice that day. The student shall not return to play or practice on a subsequent day until the student is evaluated by and receives written clearance for such participation from (i) a physician licensed under Article 1 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes with training in concussion management, (ii) a neuropsychologist licensed under Article 18A of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes with training in concussion management and working in consultation with a physician licensed under Article 1 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, (iii) an athletic trainer licensed under Article 34 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, (iv) a physician assistant, consistent with the limitations of G.S. 90‑18.1, or (v) a nurse practitioner, consistent with the limitations of G.S. 90‑18.2.
c.	Each school shall develop a venue specific emergency action plan to deal with serious injuries and acute medical conditions in which the condition of the patient may deteriorate rapidly. The plan shall include a delineation of roles, methods of communication, available emergency equipment, and access to and plan for emergency transport. This plan must be (i) in writing, (ii) reviewed by an athletic trainer licensed in North Carolina, (iii) approved by the principal of the school, (iv) distributed to all appropriate personnel, (v) posted conspicuously at all venues, and (vi) reviewed and rehearsed annually by all licensed athletic trainers, first responders, coaches, school nurses, athletic directors, and volunteers for interscholastic athletic activities.
d.	Each school shall maintain complete and accurate records of its compliance with the requirements of this subdivision pertaining to head injuries.
The State Board of Education may authorize a designated organization to apply and enforce the Board's rules governing participation in interscholastic athletic activities at the high school level. The State Board of Education shall not designate any such organization that does not deem eligible for participation a student who (i) is attending a home school in accordance with Part 3 of Article 39 of this Chapter; (ii) has met established academic eligibility requirements for athletic participation in all subjects taken in the home schooled program by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the parent and the school principal; (iii) meets the residency criteria of G.S. 115C‑366; and (iv) meets the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required of enrolled public school students participating in interscholastic athletics, except that a home schooled student shall not be required to meet school enrollment requirements. Eligibility of a student attending a home school shall be limited to participation in interscholastic programs at the school serving the attendance zone in which the student lives. Nothing in this section shall require a local school board to establish a policy permitting participation in interscholastic programs at its schools by students attending home schools.
Reasonable fees may be charged to students receiving home instruction to cover the costs of participation in such interscholastic programs, including the costs of additional insurance, uniforms, or equipment."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2015‑2016 school year.