The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association announced it has established a new committee that will review its 24 rules.
In a release Monday, the OSSAA said the committee will include 12-15 members and that it is accepting nominations from all 482 member schools, encouraging athletic directors, principals and superintendents to apply.
The group will meet once a month between May and December to take a look at rules and pitch changes to the OSSAA Board of Directors.
If approved by the board, member schools can pass those changes with a simple majority in a referendum vote.
“This is no small task in a state with such a diverse range of schools,” OSSAA executive director David Jackson said in the release. “We know this group of people who work with students every day will be able to truly understand the impact of these rules, find gaps and improve them for the betterment of our students and teams.”
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The OSSAA previously changed rules as needed.
Also, a group of school administrators chosen by the board review the OSSAA’s constitution and rules every five years.
The process will be different now.
“What makes this committee different is that it takes a fresh, thoughtful look at these rules and opens up each change to the board and then member schools for voting,” Jackson said. “We want everyone to know these decisions were made with students and families in mind. We’re working to make it easier to understand our processes and our rules.”
The OSSAA has been under scrutiny recently as Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt called for its termination during his final State of the State address in February.
His main complaint revolved around the OSSAA’s ruling in August that declared four Glencoe boys basketball transfers ineligible for the 2025-26 season.
The parents of those athletes sued the OSSAA before reaching a settlement in November.
Jackson addressed Stitt’s remarks during the OSSAA’s board meeting in February.
“Us being a target so to speak, none of us like that,” Jackson said. “And the first reaction being human is to get upset and bothered by it, so we’ve gone through that period. But here’s the thing that our staff has already talked about is we can use this as an opportunity for us to get better.”
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSSAA forming committee to review Oklahoma high school sports rules
