Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) executive director Heath Harmon recently stated that the association would comply with the law recently signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, clarifying the participation of student-athletes who receive funds from the state's school choice program.
In September, 2025, Ivey joined House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) in a lawsuit against AHSAA after AHSAA issued a ruling related to the state's Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education (CHOOSE) Act. The 2024 law established education savings accounts for students who pursue alternative schooling methods or attend a school outside their zone.
The ruling required student-athletes who transfer to sit out for one year before competing in athletics solely because they participate in the school choice voucher.
A judge granted an injunction prohibiting ASHAA from enforcing the rule while the matter was worked out in court. However, lawmakers addressed the issue in the regular session earlier this year.
The bill, also known as the "Let the Kids Play Act," was signed into law by Ivey on Tuesday and took effect immediately. The new law allows CHOOSE Act participants to sue AHSAA in certain circumstances.
In response to the new law, Harmon said in a statement that AHSAA had removed Choose Act funds from consideration as financial aid, which it had used to attempt the one-year sit-out period.
"Now that the law has been clarified, today the Alabama High School Athletic Association followed its own longstanding legislative process and removed the Choose Act Funds from the definition of financial aid," Harmon said. "No student will be ruled ineligible based solely on his or her receiving Choose Act funds. However, as stated in the new law, all AHSAA rules on eligibility with transfers and residency still apply."
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