January 30, 2026
Sen. Dave Murman, Chairperson
Sen. Danielle Conrad
Sen. Jana Hughes, Vice Chairperson
Sen. Glen Meyer
Sen. Margo Juarez
Sen. Megan Hunt
Sen. Dan Lonowski
Sen. Rita Sanders
Chairman Murman and members of the Education Committee:
The Lincoln Public Schools opposes LB 742 the bill that seeks to give seventh and or eighth grade students the opportunity to participate in High School Sports.
LPS opposes LB 742 because it circumvents established athletic governance and introduces significant operational challenges regarding equity, transportation, and student-athlete eligibility.
- With 12 middle schools and 8 high schools in the Lincoln Public system this creates difficulty for any large district with multiple high schools and even more middle schools. LPS allows a 9th grader to attend ANY of our high schools when they first enroll/enter high school. Would we allow this only at grade 7? Or re-open the option in grade 9? Not something that this bill should answer but an example of an unintended consequence.
- Would a HS coach be desperate to get the best players to try to stockpile 7th graders for fear they may lose them to another school?
- How does this impact option enrollment? Currently, LPS accepts ALL option students. What if the building they want to attend is at capacity? Does this force us to accept them? Can we offer them another building that is not at capacity?
- Transportation for practices. Is the District responsible to transport a middle school student from their building to the high school site for practice?
- If the team leaves early for a game, the transportation issue is compounded.
- Can a middle school student play a fall sport at one high school then at semester transfer to another district site and take part in another sport?
- If I am a 7th grader and play high school football in the fall, but want to play middle school basketball in the winter, can I go back and forth between high school and middle school activities? Or, if I am on the high school basketball team starting in November then I find out I am not playing or contributing, can I go back and play middle school ball that begins in January? Can I play on both a middle school and a high school team?
- When would the decision have to be made? Is it a decision when they elect to try out, get invited by the coach, or actually try out and make a team? Can they change their mind?
- NSAA by-laws 2.6.3 and 2.6.4 govern high school eligibility and only playing in high school for 4 years so this bill would force a change to NSA by-laws that have already been agreed upon by member schools.
These questions are reasons for LPS to ask this to be put on hold. Rather than a legislative mandate, we believe the NSAA’s member-driven process is the appropriate venue for this discussion. They are best equipped to study the long-term impact on ‘four-year eligibility’ rules and ensure a level playing field across all Nebraska districts
Sincerely,
Brad Jacobsen
Associate Superintendent of Civic Engagement
Lincoln Public Schools
