Filed Oklahoma bill that furthers Governor Stitt’s call to eliminate OSSAA

Legislation that would take that step was unveiled a day after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt called for the elimination of the state’s governing body for high school sports.

Sen. Casey Murdoch, R-Felt, introduced a bill on Jan. 15 that would create a new entity to replace the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association and end its “unchecked authority over students’ ability to participate in school sports.”

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“The OSSAA is governed by a group of unaccountable, out-of-touch bureaucrats who continue to make arbitrary decisions that prevent students from participating in school sports while making money off the backs of Oklahoma’s children,” Murdoch said in a news release. “Past efforts to reform the OSSAA have failed, and its board of directors has been impossible to reason with. It is clear that the Legislature must start fresh and create a new, more accountable and transparent organization to oversee school sports and other after-school activities.”

Senate Bill 1890 would create the Oklahoma Athletics and Activities Commission to “supervise, regulate and coordinate school sports and other secondary school activities.”

The new commission will include the state’s superintendent of public instruction, as well as parents, school administrators and athletic directors appointed by the governor, the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House, the release said.

SB 1890 must appear in the Senate Education Committee before moving forward in the Legislature.

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More: Govt. Stitt calls for the elimination of the OSSAA, Oklahoma’s governing body for high school sports

The OSSAA declined to offer further comment, standing by a statement released Monday, Feb. 2, in response to Stitt’s State of the State speech.

“OSSAA is a member-driven organization governed by the 482 Oklahoma schools that voluntarily choose to join the association,” the statement said. “Every major decision, policy and rule is made by these member schools. The OSSAA Board of Directors is made up of fully elected school leaders – superintendents, principals and athletic directors – who are chosen by their peers to represent them.”

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A new bill has come from Murdock. Co-authored with Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, the measure prevents local schools or broadcasters from airing their teams’ games to ensure that school districts can live stream school sporting events by barring the OSSAA from entering into exclusive broadcast agreements. It passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Stitt in May.

OSSAA was formed in 1911 and is a private, non-profit organization. Funding is often awarded through gate admission to state playoff events. The OSSAA is governed by a 15-member board of directors composed of athletic directors, high school principals and school district superintendents.

OSSAA is also a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations, the national governing body for high school sports and activities.

In Stitt’s final State of the State address at the Capitol, he focused on the OSSAA and its handling of transfers, specifically referencing a recent case involving Glencoe High School basketball players in which the OSSAA disqualified four players for violating its link rule by barring student-athletes from transferring to follow a coach at a new school.

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A lawsuit was filed and a Payne County judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing the student-athletes to play for Glencoe. Parents and student-athletes reached a settlement with the OSSAA on Nov. 5. Under the settlement, the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it could not be refiled, and the OSSAA would drop its efforts to prevent the four student-athletes from competing for the Glencoe basketball team.

After the initial decision, Stitt encouraged the OSSAA to reconsider its decision.

“Last year, we heard stories of students who followed the rules and did everything right to transfer schools,” Stitt said in his Feb. 2 speech.

“Their parents had to hire a lawyer and go to court so they could play at their new school. That’s unacceptable. Your ability to play doesn’t depend on your parents’ ability to pay for a lawyer. It’s time to get rid of the OSSAA and protect our progress with open transfer.”

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In 2021, legislation was passed to allow open transfer of students from across the state if the district has capacity. It came into force in July 2022.

OSSAA rules require student-athletes who have established athletic eligibility at another member school to sit out for one year unless a hardship waiver is applied for and granted.

In 2024, the OSSAA adopted a new policy allowing student-athletes a one-time transfer exception if they have never transferred schools and meet other criteria. The deadline for free transfers is July 15th each school year.

Rule 24, known as the linked rule, was added to discourage student-athletes from following a coach and/or instructor to another school. If that rule is broken, the student-athlete may lose eligibility for one year.

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OSSAA Executive Director David Jackson welcomed the conversation with Stitt after the speech.

“While we are disappointed that Governor Stitt has not reached out to learn more about how OSSAA operates, we welcome the opportunity to meet with him at any time,” Jackson said in a news release. “We will be delighted to help him better understand our member-governed structure and the work our schools do collectively to support students across Oklahoma.”

More: Governor Stitt gave the final push to these policies last year as governor

Jacob Unruh is deputy sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or @jacobunruh on X/Twitter. Support Jacob’s work and the work of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a Digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared in The Oklahoman: Oklahoma Senator Introduces Bill to Repeal, Replace OSSAA