Requires the state Dept. of Education to conduct a study and issue a report relative to interscholastic high school athletics

House Bill 406 enacts Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:176.3 to require the state Department of Education to conduct a study on transferring the governance of interscholastic high school athletics from the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, a private entity, to a cooperative endeavor agreement between the Department of Education and a nonprofit corporation. The statute mandates that the Department of Education complete this feasibility study and submit a written report to four legislative committees—the House and Senate Committees on Education, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Finance—by March 1, 2027. The report must address potential nonprofit partners, a detailed implementation plan and timeline for adoption beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, funding and cost analysis, transitional considerations, and legislative recommendations necessary to effectuate the proposed governance change.

The practical effect of this legislation falls primarily on the Department of Education, which must dedicate resources to conducting comprehensive research on this governance transition. High school athletics programs statewide, particularly those in public schools and nonpublic schools receiving state funds, stand to be affected once potential legislation is drafted in the 2027 session based on this study's findings. Student athletes, school administrators, coaches, and parents may experience changes in how athletic eligibility, competitions, rule enforcement, and appeals are administered. The legislation assumes that any new governance structure would prohibit public and state-funded nonpublic schools from participating in competitions sponsored by any private interscholastic athletic association, effectively ending or severely limiting the role of the current private regulatory organization in Louisiana high school athletics.

This bill responds to findings from Louisiana House Concurrent Resolution No. 24 of the 2025 Regular Session, which created a special legislative committee to study the Louisiana High School Athletic Association's governance and identified concerns about the lack of public accountability mechanisms—specifically the absence of legislative auditor oversight, the Open Meetings Law compliance, and Public Records Law access. By requiring the Department of Education to study implementing governance through a cooperative endeavor agreement, the legislation operates within the existing statutory framework that allows public entities to enter such agreements with nonprofit corporations under Louisiana law. The study assumptions establish that any resulting nonprofit partner would become subject to these public accountability laws, state board rules adopted pursuant to the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's authority, and applicable state law, creating a hybrid regulatory model that would transform high school athletics from private association governance to state-supervised nonprofit management.