Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2023 SENATE BILL 531
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5 By: Senator B. King
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7 For An Act To Be Entitled
8 AN ACT CONCERNING CHAMPIONSHIP ATHLETIC GAMES HELD
9 BETWEEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS; AND FOR
10 OTHER PURPOSES.
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13 Subtitle
14 CONCERNING CHAMPIONSHIP ATHLETIC GAMES
15 HELD BETWEEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PRIVATE
16 SCHOOLS.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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21 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 18, Subchapter 1, is amended
22 to add an additional section to read as follows:
23 6-18-114. Athletic activity — State championship.
24 (a) The Arkansas Activities Association shall create two (2) separate:
25 (1) Athletic conference systems for public schools and private
26 schools; and
27 (2)(A) Play-off systems for public schools and private schools.
28 (B) The winner of the public school play-off game shall be
29 the public school champion.
30 (C) The winner of the private school play-off game shall
31 be the private school champion.
32 (b) The association may establish an overall state championship system
33 according to how the association classifies the teams.
34 (c)(1) If a public school athletic team wins a state championship game
35 against a private school athletic team, then the public school athletic team
36 shall be considered the overall state champion and the public school state
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1 champion.
2 (2)(A) However, if a public school athletic team loses a state
3 championship game against a private school, the public school athletic team
4 shall be considered only the public school state champion.
5 (B) This subsection (c) shall be retroactive to a public
6 school athletic team that has played against and lost to a private school
7 athletic team before the effective date of this act.
8 (d)(1) If a private school athletic team wins a state championship
9 game against a public school athletic team, then the private school athletic
10 team shall be considered the overall state champion and the private school
11 state champion.
12 (2)(A) However, if a private school athletic team loses a state
13 championship game against a public school, the private school athletic team
14 shall be considered only the private school state champion.
15 (B) This subsection (d) shall be retroactive to a private
16 school athletic team that has played against and lost to a public school
17 athletic team before the effective date of this act.
18 (e) As used in this section, "athletic team" means the student or
19 group of students who participate in a school-affiliated sport at the school
20 in which he or she is enrolled.
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