MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WDNews) — Governor Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter have renewed their legal fight with the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), filing an amended complaint and a motion for preliminary injunction to protect students transferring under the CHOOSE Act from being sidelined in school athletics.
On Sept. 5, a Montgomery County judge issued an order blocking AHSAA from enforcing its “Financial Aid Rule,” which denied eligibility to student-athletes who received CHOOSE Act funds. The new filings argue that AHSAA’s so-called “Restitution Rules” still threaten students and schools with penalties even if they play under a valid court order, should that order later be reversed.
“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,” Governor Ivey said. “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 filings stress that the CHOOSE Act’s nondiscrimination provision clearly states that “nothing” in the law shall “affect or change the athletic eligibility of student athletes” in Alabama.
The case, Ivey v. AHSAA, continues in Montgomery County Circuit Court.
