Major changes to the infrastructure in state high school sports were packaged into a massive education “school choice” bill passed on Friday, the last day of the state legislative session.

The bill allows a controlled open enrollment environment for all K-12 public schools that, on the surface, will allow students to attend any school in the state that is not at capacity and offers immediate athletic eligibility in most circumstances.

“You’re going to end up with high end and low end and nobody in the middle,” Sandalwood football coach Adam Geis said. “This is Pandora’s box. You could have a great team one day, make the wrong kid mad and be an 0-10 team 12 hours later. The kids hold all the cards. I still don’t see how this is a good thing.”

The athletics portion of HB 7029 was tied into a 168-page sweeping education bill that was approved by both the House and Senate this week. It went back and forth to both chambers Friday after each had added amendments to its versions of the bill. It passed the Senate on a 29-10 vote and then the House on an 82-33 vote.

It now goes to Gov. Scott’s desk for his signature to turn it into law. It will go into effect July 1 if Scott signs it.

While the bill contains numerous items, like funding and regulations for charter schools, the sports aspect of it has been a topic of conversation — and contention — among coaches, athletes, parents and administrators for months.

The Florida High School Athletic Association said in a statement that it is in the process of fact-gathering on the new bill.

“We will have further comment once the membership and FHSAA leadership have had the opportunity to discuss how to implement these new policies and adjust for their potential impact on high school athletics in Florida,” the FHSAA said.

Under the new bill, a student could realistically play sports in the fall, winter and spring at three separate schools in three separate counties.

Students will be immediately eligible to compete in sports at their new school, provided there is adequate room on the roster and they haven’t played the same sport at their old school.

But there’s a catch.

The bill outlines immediate eligibility, even if the athlete played the same sport at their previous school, under four relatively concrete parameters — a move due to military reasons, foster care issues, custody change or the death of a parent. The gray area comes in the verbiage of being “authorized for good cause in district or charter school policy,” essentially a blank check.

“I’m a big supporter of the FHSAA and the values, and I think the organization is critical to what we’ve done,” said Joe Joyner, St. Johns County School Superintendent. “I’m concerned about this bill. It goes against the philosophy of what high school sports is all about. For us, transferring schools for athletic reasons is not in the best interest of students in my opinion. When we deal with transfers, it is not a legitimate [hardship] reason.”

The bill will also permit schools within the FHSAA to join on a per-sport basis, not a one-size-fits-all model. It proposed significant fines for school district employees or contractors who were found to be guilty of recruiting, including a $5,000 fine for a first violation. A third recruiting violation by a someone who holds a teaching certificate could have it revoked for up to three years.

From an athletic perspective, Tammie Talley, athletic director for Duval County Public Schools, said the district was concerned about the bill and what it would entail for each individual school district regarding eligibility rulings and appeals.