IGHSAU Guidance for House File 189

House File 189 Overview- Effective August 1, 2025

Iowa House File 189, 2025-2026, allows students enrolled in nonpublic schools to participate in extracurricular athletic activities offered by public schools, including those in neighboring districts, under certain conditions. It also outlines how these nonpublic school students will be counted for school district classification purposes (see below).

A complete description of the signed bill can be found here: House File 189

When Cooperative Sharing Agreement already exists:

1.     Counting enrollments for the purpose of classification:

a.     When the total enrollment of the host school is greater than the total enrollment of the non-host school(s):

i.     The entire enrollment (1.0) of the host school will be counted.

ii.     One-fourth (.25) of the enrollment of the non-hosting school(s) will be counted.

b.     When the total enrollment of a non-host school is larger than the host school:

i.     The largest school in the agreement will count all (1.0) of enrollment.

ii.     The smaller school(s) in the agreement will count (.25) of enrollment. 

2.     Fees- The host school in a cooperative sharing agreement may charge the non-host school(s) a reasonable “per student fee” for each student who participates in the program. This “per student fee” will be included in the Cooperative Sharing Agreement form.

3.     For guidance on how this rule impacts football, please contact the IHSAA.

When No Cooperative Sharing Agreement exists:

1.     A student in a non-public school which does not offer the sport (in the two preceding years) will be permitted to participate in that sport in the public district of residence.

2.     If a school in an individual students’ district of residence does not offer the sport, the non-public school student will be permitted to participate in the sport in a contiguous district.

3.     If a school district charges its own students a fee to participate, it may also charge the non-public school student the same participation fee. 

For questions regarding how this may impact your district, please contact Erin Gerlich at erin@ighsau.org