State Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R-Geneva) said on Tuesday he was “tapping the brakes” on legislation he recently filed to overhaul the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA).
Under Senate Bill 73 a public K-12 school may not be a member of an athletic association unless the association's governing body, including a central board of control, is comprised of at least 50% of members who the governor appoints, speaker of the House of Representatives, president pro tempore of the Senate or the lieutenant governor, including four members who are appointed by the governor, four members who are appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, four members who are appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate and three members who the lieutenant governor appoints.
The bill would also prohibit public K-12 schools from being a member of an athletic association that enforces rules relating to student-athlete eligibility that were not adopted in accordance with the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act.
Chesteen, a former high school football coach, told AL(dot)com he had conversations on Friday with coaches, superintendents, and others who he believes could lead to positive change at the AHSAA.
“I thought it was a very productive day, to be honest with you,” Chesteen said.
Chesteen told the outlet he wants to continue conversations about problems at the AHSAA before advancing his bill. He said a lack of communication led to the issues between the AHSAA and some members.
“This has absolutely nothing to do with the CHOOSE Act,” Chesteen told al(dot)com. “We’re having conversations, and I expect the conversations will continue over the next few weeks. And then we will see where we want to go. Right now we’re slowing it down, and we’re going to listen.”
The AHSAA's rule-making body is the Legislative Council, composed of eight district boards, each with four members elected by member schools in that district. The 32-member council has the authority to make changes in the Constitution and bylaws. The executive board with the final authority in AHSAA matters is the Central Board of Control, consisting of one member of each district board, one board member from each of the four bi-districts, and one representative from the State Department of Education.
The AHSAA is currently being sued by Gov. Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) over their rule requiring transfer students using CHOOSE Act funds to sit out from athletics for a year. Montgomery County Circuit Judge J.R. Gaines recently granted a temporary restraining order against the AHSAA, allowing affected CHOOSE Act students to participate in sports while the lawsuit proceeds.
AHSAA is also rumored to be considering splitting up private and public school competition.
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