Lawrence school board to consider adding esports to schools – The Lawrence Times

The Lawrence school board on Monday will consider implementing esports teams at middle and high schools.

Kansas State High School Activities Association board members voted in April to sanction esports as an interscholastic activity beginning in the 2025-26 year.

If given approval Monday, the district would begin registering buildings based on student interest and available resources, according to the meeting agenda item. The agenda says the growing sport lends itself to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning, and students who aspire to compete in college could be recruited or offered scholarships.

The administration does not propose outside hiring but training existing district staff to coach or sponsor teams and offering them payment via a stipend.

Most schools have computer labs or classroom setups suitable for esports, but the district would likely need to purchase headsets, game licenses and other equipment. An annual licensing fee is required to participate. 

Costs are comparable to other KSHAA activities and could be partially funded by grants or sponsorships, according to the agenda.

According to the KSHAA projected calendar, esports teams could start practice in November and compete December through January. In partnership with PlayVS, KSHAA plans to offer at least Rocket League, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

“Esports aligns with our district’s goals to support a broad range of student interests, promote 21st-century learning skills, and offer equitable access to extracurricular involvement,” the agenda item says.

Board members will vote on the initiative as part of their consent agenda — a list of business routinely approved in one motion unless a board member or the superintendent pulls an item for discussion.

Following the consent agenda vote, the board will hear a report from a Lawrence Virtual School student on their experience with esports. LVS has a program with teams that compete in Rocket League and Fortnite, among other games.

In other business:

• Back to school report: The board will also hear a “Back to School Highlights 2025” report. The 2025-26 academic year kicked off last week. Information about the report was not included on the agenda item as of Friday morning.

• Executive session: A 20-minute executive session, or closed-door meeting, to discuss personnel matters is at the top of the agenda. Invited to be present with the board are Larry Englebrick, deputy superintendent; Samrie Devin, human resources administrator; and Cynde Frick, executive director of finance. No action is set to follow.

The school board meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

Meetings are open to the public, livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@USD497, and broadcast on Midco channel 26. Full meeting agendas are available on BoardDocs, via go.boarddocs.com.

To give public comment, sign up by noon the day of the meeting by emailing PublicComment@usd497.org. Commenters may request to participate by Webex video/phone conferencing.

Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

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