The Alabama House of Representatives, this week, passed HB298 by Rep. Brock Colvin (R-Albertville). This legislation would exclude certain English language learner students from a public school’s average daily membership when determining athletic competition classification.
Rep. Colvin issued the following statement:
“I appreciate my colleagues for supporting HB298 and taking an important step to restore fairness and safety to high school athletics. For over three years, legislators have relayed their concerns regarding schools being forced to move up in classification due to a rise in English Language Learners (ELL) enrollment to the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA). Time and time again, our concerns of fairness, safety, and the discouragement of student athletes have fallen on deaf ears. Members of the Legislature would have preferred this issue be a priority of the association and handled through its governing body, so to say this legislation is the product of necessity is an understatement. All I can surmise from the AHSAA’s lack of support on HB298 is that its leadership does not view the safety of our student athletes as a high priority. Despite the AHSAA’s claims, this bill would not prevent ELL students from participating in athletics and would not treat public and private school members any differently than they are currently being treated under the 1.35x multiplier rule.
I would also like to point out that, at the association’s request, the Legislature previously passed legislation allowing AHSAA staff and its executive director to receive the same state-funded retirement benefits as school system employees – benefits granted in recognition of their service to public schools. The AHSAA depends on public school membership and the use of public-school facilities to function. So, for them to act as though they should be immune from legislation that governs their actions – which impact tens of thousands of Alabama’s student athletes – only further validates the need for HB298. The bottom line is that my only goal is to protect student athletes, and I feel we have taken a positive step in that direction.”
