Outcry has emerged from the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) board meeting this week. Rep. Ty Burns, R-Pawnee, a former public school teacher and coach, attended the Wednesday meeting and expressed serious concerns about the organization's structure and priorities. According to a report by the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Burns believes the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association is putting bureaucracy before the needs of students and families.
The tipping point for Burns came when the board rejected an appeal on the eligibility of Glencoe High School basketball players and a hardship request from another student. "The OSSAA is structured in a way that is unfair to student athletes and families," Burns told the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His critique pointed towards an instance where the board voted unanimously, an action he interprets as protection of establishment over the well-being of young athletes.
Burns, who delved into Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association policies via an interim study in 2022, has been critical of the association for some time. The study scrutinized Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association's finances, governance, and the rules affecting student eligibility for transfers. It also included testimony from concerned parents and attorneys discussing the hurdles involved in obtaining hardship waivers and the issue of transparency within the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, as reported by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Describing the existing system as broken, Burns asserted the necessity for reform. With a board comprising mainly of school superintendents, Burns argued that the organization operates with little accountability, affecting young people across the state. "It’s time to dismantle the OSSAA and build a new system that stands independently, not controlled by the hierarchy of superintendents," Burns argued. In 2022, he authored House Bill 3968, which did not pass but proposed to ease transfer restrictions for student-athletes, as stated by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Burns pointed out an alarming statistic, highlighting the state's priority misalignment, “We are 50th in the nation in education," he said, as per the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His stance is for empowerment and enacting policies that put students and their needs at the forefront of educational extracurricular activities. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association currently oversees a vast network of school districts, impacting athletics, fine arts, and other activities for more than 430 statewide, and its policies significantly influence the lives of Oklahoma's youths.
