Commentary: TSSAA should vote down division change for public charter schools

Today the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Legislative Council will consider a proposed by-law change that’s received very little attention despite having the potential for a devastating impact on public charter middle and high schools across our state.

The proposal was put forward last month at the TSSAA regional meetings by Copper Basin High School in Polk County, to remove public charter schools from Division I and shift them to Division II, the independent (private) schools’ division.  Neither public charter school leaders nor their coaches had any notice this major recommendation was coming before those meetings.

It’s also concern to us that this change was proposed by a school in a county with no existing or proposed public charter schools. Copper Basin does play public charter schools in their region, and its proposal seems to have clear and troubling motivations that represent a direct challenge to sportsmanship, and the values TSSAA upholds.

If this by-law change is passed by the TSSAA Legislative Council, it would negatively impact hundreds of student-athletes at public charter high schools across Tennessee, where more than 90% are students of color and more than 80% are economically disadvantaged.

As public schools, public charter schools are prohibited by law from charging tuition (or offering scholarships) and they do not have access to such funds to cover the costs of facilities, equipment, additional coaching staff, or other benefits. This puts public charter schools at a competitive disadvantage with private schools in Division II.

Public charter schools are also prohibited by law from choosing who can or cannot enroll and they must admit all students or operate an independently certified blind lottery for student enrollment. This precludes them from recruiting student-athletes like some private schools do.

Additionally, public charter schools may only enroll students in the geographic boundary of the district where they are located and do not have “access to a greater population of students,” as suggested in the rationale for the proposed change. Many districts offer magnet school options and have moved away from traditional “zoned” enrollment for all district schools, yet this proposal only singles out public charter schools.

This proposal is clearly misaligned with the spirit of state law and is not in the best interest of student-athletes.  As supporters of high-quality school choice, we know the important impact athletic competition can have on student outcomes and we strongly urge the TSSAA to reject this proposed by-law change to put public charter school students at an unfair disadvantage on the field.

To make your voice heard on this urgent issue, find more information here.