JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — School officials in Petersburg want clarification on a decades-old law their attorney reads as leaving districts responsible for the cost of school entrance physicals, an interpretation that could have financial implications for school districts statewide.

The issue was raised by parents, prompting Petersburg school officials to seek an attorney’s opinion. “He said, Yep, they’re right,’’ superintendent Robert Thomason said.

School officials believe they must follow the law but they also contend the law needs to be updated, he said. The original law dates to...