DANVILLE — For Ohio students, the answer to “What sports does your school offer?” could soon be a little more complicated, and a lot more interesting.
Danville Local Schools has not yet had students ask to take advantage of Ohio’s new Student Athlete Mobility Act, but district officials say the law could open doors for students.
The SAM Act allows eligible students to participate in extracurricular activities, including athletics, at neighboring public schools if their home district does not offer the activity.
The law took effect at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.
SAM is limited to grades 9-12 and applies exclusively to public high schools. Students are only able to request a transfer to another school if their home school does not sponsor that sport, and a transfer can only take place between adjacent school districts.
Most importantly, superintendents from both districts must agree to the transfer.
Danville Supt. Jason Snively has yet to receive a student request for transfer, but does see how the law could be useful for his district.
“Anything we can do for a student to be involved in an extracurricular activity, we will work (for) that,” Snively said.
Snively said he expects athletic directors in the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference to discuss the law and how it could work between neighboring districts. The districts will have several details to work out before students begin participating under the new law.
“There’s a lot of questions we’ll have to answer for ourselves,” Snively said.
An opportunity for smaller programs
Among the teams Snively said may bring in interest to Danville, wrestling came to the top.
Danville currently has a small wrestling program and has previously worked with East Knox Local School District. In the past, an East Knox student wrestled with the Danville team.
Additional athletes could also help Danville strengthen its own programs.
“(SAM) would give us an opportunity to build a team and maybe have different weight classes to help qualify for team recognition,” Snively said.
The law could also be particularly useful for Danville because the district offers fewer varsity sports than larger schools such as the Mount Vernon City School District.
Danville does not offer golf but has seen students express interest in the sport in the past. The new law could give those students another option without requiring them to leave their home school.
“This is an advantage opportunity for our kids,” Snively said.
