Fast Report - Districts can set role of sports in school
0707 -- NSBA applauds a 9-0 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in June that upheld the right of state athletic associations to enforce student anti-recruitment rules by member schools. The decision supports the ability of school districts to determine the role that sports play within their schools.
At issue was whether an association of secondary schools violated the First Amendment rights and due process rights of one of its member schools when it imposed contractual penalties for a sports recruiting violation.
The ruling in Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association v. Brentwood Academy “furthers the ability of public schools to protect their students from unfair and predatory recruiting practices,” said NSBA General Counsel Francisco M. Negrón Jr. “The court correctly understood that hard-sell tactics directed at middle school students is antithetical to the school mission, leading to student exploitation, distortion of sportsmanship principles, and raising athletics over academic study.”
NSBA had filed a brief in support of the athletic association, noting that “sports are a powerful tool for imparting the values of teamwork, discipline, and integrity.” The Supreme Court agreed with NSBA’s arguments that “school leaders must have the flexibility to structure rules of play to attract and retain as many students as possible to public school sports and to protect them once they decide to play.”