High school sports in South Carolina could soon see major changes as lawmakers move forward with a bill to restructure the state’s high school league and add new rules aimed at fairness and accountability.
The proposal would keep the current system in place but increase government oversight of the South Carolina High School League, which sets rules for everything from eligibility to competition. It was passed by the House and advanced out of a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday.
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Lawmakers say they have received complaints for years from parents who argue the league has not upheld safety standards or enforced rules fairly, including those involving player eligibility.
“I don’t want to see things continue to fail and go back to the way they were, where some schools actually were fearful of action being taken while other schools believe [they] can get an advantage,” said Sen. Larry Grooms, (R)-Berkeley.
The latest version of the bill would restructure the league’s governing board, keeping some seats appointed by lawmakers, the Governor and the Superintendent of Education. It would codify some new rules passed in the League’s by-laws earlier this year into law, while adding in more oversight and structure.
It implements term limits for members, creates new transfer rules and allows lawmakers to review the league’s operations, including requiring leaders to appear before a House committee.
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League officials argue that level of oversight is unnecessary, noting the organization does not receive state funding.
Originally, the bill would have eliminated the league entirely and replaced it with a board of appointments. However, the league made changes in March, adopting some of the ideas in the bill into its new by-laws. Former Commissioner Jerome Singleton also stepped down. After the changes, lawmakers scaled back the proposal.
Some athletic directors said the bill should be put on pause while those changes come about.
“What we’ve seen with the changes added in March is a reaction and a response to make us more accountable, to make us a little more flexible and make us a little more transparent,” said Darryl Nance with the South Carolina Athletic Administrator Association.
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But lawmakers have criticized the League, saying the changes also came after the legislature forced its hand. They ultimately advanced the bill out of subcommittee, saying that they need to make sure those changes are permanent.
“if we take the pressure off, it will revert back to the way it was. It may not happen immediately, but it will happen,” said Sen. Michael Johnson, (R)-York.
The proposal also includes a new safety rule tying a school’s classification to whether a team has enough players to compete safely.
