House Bill 2153 removed the state law that required most students to sit out for a year of athletics if they transfer to a district they do not live in. However, the organization governing athletics and other activities, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), still maintains a rule, “Rule 8,” that enforces the policy.
OSSAA Director David Jackson said in an email to StateImpact that families will not see any change in how transfer eligibility works. Member schools may vote on changing the rule in the future if they want. He said the rule was originally created and approved by member schools.
Jackson said the rule was created to prevent recruitment and pressure on families, and to keep a level playing field across districts.
“The rule is about protecting fairness for every student in every school,” Jackson said.
In a May 15 news release, Stitt said repealing the statute was about ensuring that “no child’s opportunities [would] be limited by their zip code.”
Stitt had hoped for harsher measures from the legislature this session regarding OSSAA. In his State of the State speech, he called for the elimination of the organization.
Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, said he believes the rule is headed to court.
“I think absent a law, there will be parents who rightly or wrongly believe that the rule itself is arbitrary and will take this to court,” Fugate said. “And absent a statute, I think a court might agree.”
Regarding legal challenges, Jackson said courts have historically affirmed OSSAA’s authority to administer eligibility rules.
Fugate said the rule prevents a “corrosive practice” of separating local families from their community’s schools.
“I don’t think it’s healthy for public education at all,” Fugate said. “Any time you have parents who divest themselves of their local schools and put their kids elsewhere, that just diminishes the fabric of the community.”
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