Parkway parent wants to use SAM Act for swimmer

ROCKFORD - A parent petitioned the board of education during the regular meeting on Wednesday to consider allowing her son to compete on a neighboring school's swim team.

Carolyn Whitaker asked the Parkway board members to allow her son, Magnus Whitaker, a junior, to compete on the Coldwater swim team through the Student Athlete Mobility (SAM) Act, which Gov. Mike Dewine signed into law via Senate Bill 276 in July.

"My petition today for the board is to consider my son to participate in the Coldwater Cavalier boys swim team during the winter season of 2026-27," she said.

Introduced to the House by Republican state Reps. Angie King, Celina, and Gary Click, Vickery, on Dec. 8, the SAM Act, or House Bill 625, allows students starting in the 2026-2027 school year to participate in team sports like baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and tennis at a neighboring school if it is not offered at their current school.

"The SAM Act actually allows Magnus to swim with the Coldwater swim team and help their team, as well. Magnus would be the fourth swimmer on their team, which qualifies them for a relay team," Whitaker said.

The junior athlete also plays football and track.

"It's just a tremendous opportunity for Magnus," Whitaker said. "He has competitive swam since he's been 8 years old and has excelled. Another reason why I want him to do high school swim is so that he can at least be seen and recruited by colleges because I think he's that good."

The legislation states that each school district's board of education that offers a team sport, and is a member school of an organization that regulates interscholastic athletics, shall adopt a policy that permits a student who is enrolled in a neighboring school that does not offer that team sport to petition to participate in that team sport at their high school, according to a previous Daily Standard article.

Each policy must include the form and manner in which a neighboring school student may petition to participate in a team sport; and allow approval from the neighboring school's superintendent or chief administrative officer, and the executive director of the organization that regulates interscholastic athletics, per the bill language.

Whitaker said she addressed the Coldwater Exempted Village Schools Board of Education Tuesday.

Students are not permitted to participate in the same team sport at more than one high school operated by a school district, or other public high school, in any one school year. Students also are not able to participate in a team sport at a neighboring high school solely because the student's home school doesn't offer the competition level in which the student wishes to play, like varsity, junior varsity or freshman teams.

The act also allows two schools that could not field sufficient teams individually to work together to provide opportunities for students. A "sufficient team" is defined as the minimum number of students required for competition in a team sport during play plus half that number, rounded up to the nearest whole.

The board did not indicate its position or possible action on the request.

In other business, board members approved a lease agreement between the school and the village to rent out the baseball diamonds in Shanes Park.

The village and the schools accepted a three-year lease agreement for the diamonds starting in 2027 at $5,833.33 per year. The fields include four baseball fields, a practice diamond, a concession stand and restrooms.

Board members also:

• approved the district's strategic plan.

• approved the five-year financial forecast.

• met in executive session to discuss personnel employment and discipline. No action was anticipated.