The Florida House has approved an overhaul of the state’s system governing high school athletics, but in the Senate, some key lawmakers warn the bill could have unintended consequences that could hurt the students it sets out to help.
Supporters say the bill is intended to prevent high school sports and other extracurricular activities from becoming a barrier to school choice. It easily passed the House Wednesday in a vote that broke largely along party lines, though several Democrats supported it, and a couple Republicans voted no.
One of the bill’s goals is to prevent students from being declared ineligible just because they switch to schools outside their assigned zone. Sponsor Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, said a baseball scholarship helped him pay for college, and that high school sports can benefit students in other ways, like allowing them to bond with adult mentors. For that reason, he said, students shouldn’t be unfairly sidelined.
“If parents have a choice of making a decision on their child’s education, we should not stop those children from participating,” he said.
Sen. John Legg, R-Trinity, is a vocal supporter of school choice, and said he understands the sentiment behind the push to overhaul a sports governing system that has not caught up to its spread in Florida.
But he voted against a version of the legislation in committee, and said in an interview that he is worried the bill could sideline disadvantaged students.
If students have more freedom to move among school for athletic programs, he said, affluent parents would be most likely to move their students to schools with sought-after athletic programs. That, in turn, could displace students who already attend those schools.
There are only so many slots on each high school tennis team, for example. If a powerhouse program starts to draw students whose families have the means to easily move among schools and support lavish booster programs, Legg said the effect could be “school choice for the wealthy,” with less privileged students pushed off their rosters. In other words, it could ultimately undermine supporters’ goal of letting the kids play.
As a result, Legg said, lawmakers should proceed with caution, and consider safeguards to ensure students whose families lack the resources to shop among school athletic programs won’t be “crowded out” by more advantaged peers.
“Until we can make sure that we do no harm to low-income kids, I can’t support it,” he said.
While the House spent weeks vetting the legislation and made changes to placate the Florida High School Athletic Association, the Senate hasn’t had a chance to sound out its the finer points. Legg isn’t the only one who has concerns.
On Wednesday , when the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, said he intends to raise several issues when the bill gets heard on the floor. Legg said that could entail delaying the changes and ordering a study to examine the potential impact on students who want to participate in high school sports.
Note: This post has been updated to clarify the first sentence.
