The Alabama High School Athletic Association uses a classification system ranking schools from 1A to 7A based on enrollment numbers, but now, the state House of Representatives has passed a new bill that seeks to change how schools are classified for sports.
According to WSFA, “House Bill 298 would exclude certain English language learner students when determining athletic competition classification.”
The Bill would apply to all public high schools in the state, with lawmakers suggesting that the AHSAA should recount student-body populations at each school and disregard any EL students as they “do not participate in any interscholastic athletic events.” Representative Brock Colvin, the bill’s sponsor, said the current enrollment-based classification puts some schools at a competitive disadvantage.
In response, the AHSAA has expressed its disappointment and identified several areas for concern within the bill, namely that it is not true that EL students do not participate in athletics. The AHSAA worries that this rule discourages EL students from participating in athletics, which they are not barred from.
The AHSAA also believes that “sports with a high percentage of EL students would have an advantage over areas of the state with few EL students.”
According to Alabama Daily News, some Alabama communities have seen a large increase in immigrant communities in recent years. As a result, Colvin said some high schools are struggling to field deep enough teams to compete with the divisions they are in based on enrollment numbers that include EL students.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter told WSFA that this bill is an important step in restoring safety and fairness to high school athletics. “It’s something that the Alabama High School Association should already have addressed. I’m disappointed they hadn’t. And you know, the stance that they had taken today with what they had sent out, really is embarrassing to them in my opinion.”
Colvin agreed with Ledbetter. “I just think one issue that’s been overlooked is how the immigration issue has affected high school athletics,” he said.
The bill to reclassify high schools comes just as the state’s CHOOSE Act is about to take effect, allowing eligible students to transfer to other school districts and offering an education savings account for students to attend private schools.
In a meeting between AHSAA and legislators prior to the vote, AHSAA director Heath Harmon made it clear that the organization did not support the bill.
