State Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity) is hopeful that state lawmakers will address the recent controversial issues parents have had the the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
State lawmakers are expected to discussed reforms to the AHSAA during the next legislative session. This comes after AHSAA tried to implement a new rule that required student-athletes who transfer schools using new school choice funds to sit out for one year before competing.
Earlier this month, a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge granted their motion put forward by Gov. Kay Ivey for a temporary restraining order against the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) rule on Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education Act (CHOOSE Act) student transfers.
Yarbrough, who has been a strong school choice advocate in the Yellowhammer State, discussed the issue during a Thursday appearance on FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show.”
“I think that they are anti-school choice,” Yarbrough said.
“The Alabama High School Association is, I believe you’re dead on, they’re anti-school choice, and this is just one of the ways that it’s manifested, right? There’s more of a concern to hold on to the what you feel like maybe is cornering your market of football or sports or whatever, then the free flow of people, ideas, information and education for the benefit of the child. And this is why you continue to see alternative forms of education. People go into those in growing numbers because they’re sick and tired of being dictated to what they can or can’t do. What choices they can or can’t make for the good of their children.”
The state lawmaker explained what they might do to reform the AHSAA in the future.
“So I think, from what I understand, there are a couple things on the table,” he said. “One is, there’s conversations about stripping the AHSAA of their of their power and or going in and adding strength to the language to the bill to strengthen the rights of Alabama’s parents to make decisions and make it exceedingly clear. As you know, they were trying to say that, you know, the HSA was trying to, you know, play fast and loose with words.”
On the issue of school-choice itself, Yarbrough said he’s already seen the positive effects of the CHOOSE Act in his district.
“When I go and speak to the classrooms, we have a lot of tremendous teachers, coaches, principals, superintendents, and by and large, they want faith in the Lord and character and discipline in the schools,” he explained. “And so I think that for too long, the anti-school choice has been in the context of, ‘We want control, we want money.’ But that’s also led to us saying, ‘You know what? We want money from the federal government.’ Doesn’t matter if we have to let our kids have trashy books. Doesn’t matter if we have to let our kids be taught that they can be a furry our boys can be girls or vice versa.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
