OKLAHOMA CITY - Saying representatives of the “unelected and unaccountable” association had too much power, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt called on state lawmakers to eliminate the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association and adopt an open-transfer policy between all schools.
Stitt made the call during his final State of the State address Monday at the state Capitol.
“At the end of it all, a student can transfer to a new school, but if they want to excel in athletics, their opportunity may be blocked by an unelected and unaccountable high school sports association, the OSSAA,” the governor said.
Stitt pointed to a 2025 controversy involving the OSSAA and students from Glencoe High School.
The OSSAA sent a letter to the parents of four high school students who were transferring to Glencoe, telling them their sons would be ineligible to participate in athletics in the small school located east of Stillwater because of alleged viola tions of the OSSAA’s Rule 24, which governs recruiting and is known as the “linked” rule The association said the boys’ previous coach had recruited them. The OSSAA said it was acting on a tip it received.
The boys had transferred to Glencoe from Morrison and Perry, using a one-time transfer exemption allowed under OSSAA rules. The players said their experiences with coaches at their former schools had sparked them to transfer.
Not long after the OSSAA acted, the boys’ families and the Glencoe School District filed a lawsuit in Payne County. Last September, Payne County Associate District Judge Michael Kulling granted a temporary restraining order against the OSSAA.
At the same time, the state Attorney General’s office weighed into the fight.
“But Rule 24’s heavy-handedness dissuades student-athletes from moving or transferring, fearing that they may be declared ineligible to participate in varsity sports,” the Attorney General’s office said Then, in November, attorneys for the families and Davis Jackson, the OSSAA’s executive director, said they had reached an agreement, ending both the lawsuit and the incident. Under the agreement, the lawsuit would be dismissed with prejudice, meaning it could not be refiled. At the same time, the OSSAA said it would drop its efforts to prevent the four students for playing for the Glencoe basketball team.
Monday, Stitt said it was unacceptable that parents had to hire an attorney to fight the ruling.
“Last year, we heard stories of students who followed the rules and did everything right to transfer schools,” the governor said. “And yet the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association denied them the chance to play basketball at their new school. Their parents had to hire a lawyer and go to court just to get to play at their new school.”
Stitt said a student’s ability to play sports shouldn’t be contingent on the parents’ ability to afford an attorney.
“It’s time to eliminate the OSSAA and secure our progress with open transfer,” the governor said.
Officials from the OSSAA said Monday they were disappointed by the governor’s statement.
“While we are disappointed that Governor Stitt did not reach out to learn more about how the OSSAA operates, we welcome the opportunity to visit with him at any time,” Jackson said in a statement posted on the OSSAA website. “We would be glad to help him better understand our member-governed structure and the work our schools do collectively to support students across Oklahoma.”
Jackson said the OSSAA is a member- driven organization governed by 482 Oklahoma schools that “voluntarily choose to join the association.”
He said every major decision, policy and rule is shaped by these member schools and the OSSAA Board of Directors is composed entirely of elected school leaders - superintendents, principals and athletic directors - who are chosen by their peers to represent them.
Current estimates report that there more than 105,000 student-athletes in public schools in the state. Of that figure, more than 59,000 are boys and more than 46,000 are girls. Reports say the number of student-athletes has been increasing since 2021.
State lawmakers will have until late May to decide on the fate of the OSSAA and any open transfer policy.