CONTRIBUTED BY OFFICE OF GOV. KAY IVEY
MONTGOMERY — On Sept. 5, Gov. Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter secured a court order blocking the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s (AHSAA) enforcement of a rule preventing students transferring under the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education Act (CHOOSE Act) from participating in school athletics for one year.
The Governor’s Press Office issued a news release announcing that on Sept. 19, Ivey and Ledbetter filed an amended complaint and a motion for preliminary-injunction “to keep up the fight against the AHSAA’s policy denying eligibility to CHOOSE Act students.”
The filings challenge the AHSAA’s “Restitution Rules,” which opponents say threaten students and schools with penalties for ineligible participation — even if they play pursuant to the Sept. 5 court order if that court order is for some reason later reversed or vacated.
Ivey issued the following statement:
“It was bad enough when the AHSAA decided to sideline CHOOSE Act student-athletes in violation of state law. It is even worse to learn that the AHSAA will penalize schools and students for playing pursuant to the court order Speaker Ledbetter and I obtained just two weeks ago. I remain steadfast in support of the CHOOSE Act and its promise of true school choice, even when it comes to participation in athletics. I look forward to the court righting this wrong as soon as possible.”
The Montgomery County Circuit Court is expected to hold a hearing on the preliminary-injunction motion within the next few weeks.
