OKLAHOMA CITY – A state lawmaker has gone public in his criticism of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, saying the association’s structure prioritizes bureaucracy over the needs of students and families.
State Rep. Ty Burns, a Republican from Pawnee, examined the association in a 2022 interim study. Burns, a former public school teacher and coach, said the earlier study examined the association’s finances and governance, student eligibility rules for transfers and included testimony from parents and attorneys who raised concerns about hardship waivers and transparency.
Burns’ complaints follow the debate over whether or not to reinstate the basketball eligibility of several student athletes at Glencoe, a small town just west of Stillwater.
Last week, Burns said the board voted unanimously to deny an appeal on the eligibility of Glencoe High School basketball players and to reject a hardship request from another student. The OSSAA rejected the athletes’ appeal. Last week, the Glencoe student took the OSSAA to court. The families are seeking a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction against this rule.
Burns said these are just two examples of why the current system should be dismantled.
“The OSSAA is structured in a way that is unfair to student athletes and families,” Burns said in a media statement about the issue. “They make families jump through hoops and waste time and money just to keep overwhelming power and control in the hands of their board. When the board votes unanimously to protect the status quo, it proves they are protecting the establishment, not the kids.”
Burns said the 12-member board, composed mostly of school superintendents, operates with little accountability while controlling decisions that affect students statewide.
“It’s time to dismantle the OSSAA and build a new system that stands independently, not controlled by the hierarchy of superintendents,” he said.
Officials with the association could not be reached for comment.
Burns sought to address the issue with House Bill 3968, authored in 2022, which would have allowed students transferring during the summer to a school district outside their residence to remain eligible for sports, with exceptions for dependents of active military personnel.
“We are 50th in the nation in education,” Burns said last week. “We should be empowering kids rather than sacrificing them. The only way forward is to abolish this broken system and replace it with one that puts students and families first.”
Burns isn’t the only state official to raise concerns about the organization. Several lawmakers from both the Oklahoma House and the Senate said the legislature should consider changing how these decisions are made and Gov. Kevin Stitt told a Tulsa television state he, too, was disappointed by the OSSAA’s decision.
“When I fought for open transfer, it was to ensure that every student in Oklahoma had equal opportunity to succeed, whether that be in academics. For many students, athletics are an essential part of a well-rounded education,” the governor said in a statement to KOTV Channel 6. “It is disappointing that OSSA would continue to perpetuate a system that bars students from the opportunity to compete – especially when many students rely on the opportunity athletics provides to pursue higher education. I urge the OSSA to reconsider their position and let all eligible students compete.”
Currently the OSSAA oversees athletics, fine arts and other extracurricular activities for more than 430 school districts statewide. The association’s policy requires certain student-athletes transferring outside their home district to wait one year before regaining eligibility.