The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association was sued this week by Glencoe Public Schools, coach Garrett Schubert and some student-athletes’ families after the OSSAA barred four student-athletes from playing basketball due to a transfer portal rules violation.
According to Oklahoma Voice, three of the four students named in the lawsuit entered the transfer portal when it opened in June, but they were not yet unenrolled at their previous districts. The student-athletes had participated in a camp with Schubert and sought a transfer to the high school where he coached.
OSSAA got involved because it said “the students should have unenrolled from their previous districts first.”
However, Glencoe Public Schools — where the students had transferred — maintained that there is no OSSAA provision requiring students to unenroll from a former school district before entering the transfer portal.
“There’s been no requirement to unenroll your kid before the school year starts and before the transfer portals open,” said Glencoe’s attorney, Hannah Whitten. “So they did everything to the letter of the law.”
The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction on OSSAA’s enforcement of the transfer portal rules so that the student-athletes may continue to compete. All involved gave testimony that the student-athletes were not recruited and confirmed that summer participation did not affect student eligibility.
Even governor Kevin Stitt has weighed in on the issue, asking OSSAA to allow the students to compete.
“When I fought for open transfer, it was to ensure that every student in Oklahoma had equal opportunity to succeed. For many students, athletics are an essential part of a well-rounded education,” Stitt said. “It is disappointing that OSSAA 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.”
