At its regularly-scheduled meeting on July 16, the Solon Community School District’s Board of Education held a discussion regarding how to proceed in response to a new state law allowing eighth graders to participate in high school athletics.

The law, House File 2591, states eighth graders are allowed “to participate in any extracurricular interscholastic athletic contest or competition that is provided by a school district, non-public school, or charter school on the same basis as students who are enrolled in grades nine through twelve.” It was officially signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds on June 2.

Cassie Rochholz, a member of the school board, explained although this law allows eighth graders to participate in high school athletics, it does not require that a school district make this option available. Implementation — and to what extent — is completely optional.

“It is up to each district to decide whether or not they want to allow that,” she said. “Now, it’s up to the district as to whether or not this is something that we want to do.”

Overall, the school board has complete autonomy over how it will respond to this new allowance. Rochholz said before the board’s next meeting, members plan to discuss and determine whether this allowance will be adopted. In the case it is, the board will also be responsible for determining who is eligible, when, under what conditions, and more.

Rochholz said during the meeting that according to her understanding, the intent of HF 2591 is to assist schools in filling gaps in athletic programs that otherwise do not have enough students to fill a team. However, she said Solon has “not had a problem to date” when it comes to filling a full roster for both JV and varsity teams.

“As a result of that, I don’t find us to be in a situation where allowing eighth graders to fill a roster is something that we need to entertain,” she said.

According to the board’s first readthrough of its updated Policy 504.06, which is currently only in draft state, in the case the district decides to permit an eighth grader to play up, that student would not be able to compete in a middle school and high school sports program during the same sport season. The draft’s current language states it would have to be one or the other.

Dr. Tim Brown — vice president of the board — explained the board will have to make a quick — although careful and considerate — decision due to HF 2591.

“What’s in the best interest of all of our students has to be a primary concern,” he said.

Voicing a nuanced view on the subject, Megan Laing — board member — expressed that although allowing eighth graders to compete at the high school level could be equitable in some situations, it could also be the opposite in others.

“To me, perhaps using an eighth grader to complete a team at a high school level — that previously could not have been completed without an eighth grader — is potentially equitable because it allows those kids in high school to participate in a team or complete a team sport,” she said. “[However,] bringing someone up who shows excellence or a promise of excellence in a skill to surpass other kids that we said we would provide opportunities for in high school is problematic for me.”

Later on in the discussion, Dr. Davis Eidahl — superintendent — explained preferences regarding how to respond to this potential allowance varies from each coach and program. He outlined that for instance, some coaches may want to pull all eighth graders up to play at the high school level, whereas others may be against the idea unless a unique circumstance arises.

Eidahl and Laing also acknowledged that in the case of pulling all students up, this could increase costs due to having to hire more coaches and pay them for longer.

One final idea debated by the board was how to interpret “athletic contest or competition.” From the bill’s language, it is unclear as to exactly what programs this allowance encompasses. The board will be doing research and searching for clarification before the next meeting.

Altogether, the board’s view on how to approach this new allowance is nuanced, though there are multiple different perspectives and scenarios that will be considered before a decision is made.

“I am on the fence a little bit right now, and I just don’t have a really good perspective of what I feel,” Rochholz said. “I don’t want to prohibit an athlete from being able to reach their fullest potential. If this creates an opportunity, I am all for that.

At the same time, I also don’t want to prohibit an opportunity for a high schooler to engage in athletic sports or any sort of activity like this.” At its next meeting on August 20, the board will have a clearer idea regarding how it plans to approach this subject during the 2026-27 academic year.