Waynesville High School

Updated July 23

Homeschool students invited to participate

Full-time homeschool students who reside in the Waynesville R-VI School District are invited to participate in district sports and/or activities by filling out the following form (one per child) at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6bMEKc-0UvqLg2H9r3ByKbPACKVtY6ZlXGO44mHouNdWMkg/viewform.

Missouri Senate Bill 63, which Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law, takes effect on Aug. 28,. Full-time home school students (defined as homeschool, Family Paced Education or virtual students*) may try out and fully participate in fall sports and activities beginning Aug. 11. MSHSAA will refer to students who meet eligibility requirements (Non Traditional Option 3) as resident participant students.
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Participation Principles
-*Only full-time students, who receive at least a portion of their education in a home school or FPE, or full-time virtual school students  will be eligible through the new law. 

- *Students enrolled in a full-time virtual school through MOCAP will have eligibility with their local school of residence. The student is enrolled through another Missouri public school district, but the school of enrollment is a virtual building which is not a MSHSAA member. Therefore, the student may participate with the local public school of residence. 
- Participation includes interscholastic athletics, MSHSAA activities, and other co-curricular activities
- Co-curricular requirement parity: If your school requires participation in a course for participation in the activity (e.g., band, career-tech education programs, etc.), the same requirement applies to resident participant students.
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Students must:
- Reside within the attendance boundary of Waynesville R-VI
- Adhere to eligibility standards (academic, conduct, physicals)
- Pay applicable participation fees
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Clarifications
- Schools may not require course enrollment beyond prerequisites.
- Schools may require participation in essential instructional components (e.g., band class for marching band).
- All participants are expected to meet discipline, attendance, and eligibility standards connected to the applicable sport or activity.
- Students who leave a school to become a resident participant student due to confirmed or anticipated academic or disciplinary ineligibility must wait 365 days before becoming eligible.
- Records created to determine eligibility must be protected by the school of participation unless otherwise required by law.
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FAQs
- Q1 Can resident participant students participate with a private school?
-- A1 No. The law only applies to public or charter schools of residence.

- Q2 Can a student who withdraws from our school and starts attending full-time at a home school continue to participate with our school?
-- A2 Yes, provided the student was eligible by the academic and citizenship standards at the time of withdrawal and meets all other eligibility standards.

- Q3 Must home/FPE/virtual school students meet co-curricular course requirements?
-- A3 Yes, they must meet the same requirements of course participation as students enrolled in your school.

- Q4 Do MSHSAA transfer rules apply to a home/FPE/virtual school student who is participating with our school for the first time?
-- A4 Yes, first-time participants with a MSHSAA member school will be granted initial eligibility, then standard transfer rules apply thereafter.

- Q5 Do all school policies related to participation in extra- and co-curricular athletics and activities apply uniformly to resident participant students?
-- A5 Yes, they apply uniformly to all students.

- Q6 Can resident participant students participate in tryouts before the law is in effect?
-- A6 Under the by-law relief window from Aug. 11–25, tryouts and practices may be held.

- Q7 What if the resident participant student is a high school student and lives in a K- 8 district? Can they participate and if so, where?
-- A7 Yes, the student can participate with any of the high schools which would accept enrollment for students from the K-8 district of residence.

- Q8 Can a resident participant student participate with both a MSHSAA member school and a home school association?
-- A8 No, a resident participant student is considered a bona fide student whose eligibility is tied to the MSHSAA member school with which they participate.

- Q9 What other requirements are there?
-- A9. The bill specifically requires that the home school or FPE schools not include more than four students who are not related by blood or marriage in the third degree. The bill also requires that the home school or FPE school not charge any form of tuition, fees, or other payment.

Fall sports tryouts/practice schedule

The tryout/practice schedule for fall sports is at https://5il.co/3m21e. (The first day of practice is also the first day of tryouts.)
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WHS (Grades 9-12)
The first practice/tryout date for fall HIGH SCHOOL sports will be Aug. 11, 2025. Please see the first page of the schedule at https://5il.co/3m21e for details.

High school fall sports: Cross Country (Boys & Girls), Cheer, Football, Boys Soccer, Boys Swim, Softball, Girls Golf, Girls Tennis, and Volleyball.
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WMS (Grades 7-8)
The first practice/tryout date for fall MIDDLE SCHOOL sports will be Aug. 18, 2025. Please see the second page of the schedule at https://5il.co/3m21e for details.

Middle school fall sports: Cross Country (Boys & Girls), Cheer, Football, and Volleyball.
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Physical required
Every athlete must have a MSHSAA physical on file. The link to the physical is at https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4597/WHS/3951205/MSHSAA_Physical_and_Participation_Form.pdf
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Athletic Participation Fee

An annual athletic participation fee of $25.00 will be charged for the 2025-26 school year. If a family has more than one child participating, the following rate schedule will apply:

$25.00 for the first child

$15.00 for the second child

$10.00 for each additional child

Payment (checks or cash) should be made to the Athletics Office at Waynesville High School, 200 G.W. Lane Street, Waynesville. For more information, call 573-842-2450.