Two bills designed to make sure students don’t have to choose between academics and athletics is beginning its way through the Georgia General Assembly.
State Rep. Brian Strickland and State Sen. Burt Jones introduced companion bills last week that they hope will even the playing field for all athletic teams across the state, and will ensure the student athlete’s rights to express their religious beliefs. Both HB 870 and SB 309 are being sponsored by some of the state’s most powerful legislators. And both Jones and Strickland say Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has been supportive of their efforts.
Both bills state any high schools “that receive state funding cannot participate in an athletic association which prohibits religious expression on the clothing of student athletes,” and that “high schools that receive state funding cannot participate in an athletic association which prohibits member schools from organizing and playing scrimmage matches, games, or other athletic competitions with nonmember schools.”
“There appears to be a matter of turf wars,” said Sen. Jones, (R-Jackson). “The Georgia High School Association refuses to allow its members to compete with or even hold scrimmages with any school that is not a member — and this includes all the small private Christian schools. This forces these small schools to travel across the state to have a track meet, softball game, or volleyball match.
“A lot of these kids grew up together, played recreation ball together, and live in the same neighborhoods,” said Jones. “However, because one school isn’t a member of the Georgia High School Association, they can’t compete against each other — even in a scrimmage or practice match.”
“I wish it didn’t have to come down to this — to be forced to legislate something like this.”
Rep. Strickland (R-McDonough) said he was approached by a local school in Henry County — a small school that belongs to a different athletic association that the GHSA — who was having trouble scheduling games in their area.
“They are being forced to travel across the state to have a meet or game,” said Strickland. “If two schools want to play each other, and they have the same safety standards, they should be allowed to do that. We don’t want parents to have to choose between academics and athletics.”
The second aspect of the two bills addresses the religious freedoms of student athletes.
“This grew from an issue last fall when a high school cross country runner was kicked out of a meet because of a headband with John 3:16 written on it,” said Jones. “We want to make sure that no student is singled out or disqualified because they are expressing their religious beliefs. This is an issue that Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has been very passionate about.”
The first reading of each bill is set for Monday, and then will be assigned to the education committees. Co-sponsors of HB 870 are Rep. Terry England, Re. John Meadows, Rep. Mike Dudgeon, Rep. Bert Reeves and Rep. Jon Burns.
Co-sponsors of SB 309 are: Sen. Charlie Bethel, Sen. Hunter Hill, Sen. Rick Jeffares, Sen. Jeff Mullis and Sen. Bill Ligon.
