Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Jonathan Small yesterday criticized the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) for arbitrarily banning four teenagers from playing basketball for Glencoe High School. The four youth used the state’s open-transfer process to attend the Glencoe district in the 2025-2026 school year.
Glencoe is located in northern Payne County, Oklahoma. The population was 601 at the 2010 census, an increase of 3.1 percent from the figure of 583 in 2000.
“Unelected, taxpayer-funded bureaucrats at OSSAA appear to constantly scheme up ways to undermine and ignore state law, which allows students to transfer to public-school districts regardless of where they live,” Small said. “OSSAA produced no evidence of any ‘recruitment’ of student athletes at Glencoe, closed their eyes to reams of evidence indicating that no recruitment occurred, and even ignored the fact that at least one of these young men sought a transfer due to alleged mistreatment by a coach at his former school. The OSSAA is a quasi-state entity and must be brought under serious state oversight. The OSSAA’s war on parents and students must be defeated.”
To reach OSSAA on social media and directly:
- Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/OSSAAOnline
- X page is here: https://x.com/OSSAAOnline
- Instantgram is here: https://www.instagram.com/ossaaonline/
- OSSAA Staff listing: https://ossaaillustrated.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/MF_2025-26_Staff.pdf
- All staff may be contacted at 405-840-1116 during office hours
This isn’t about fair play. It’s about power and control. OSSAA’s board—made up mostly of school superintendents—operates without real accountability. Families are forced to follow vague rules that change on a whim, leaving kids without opportunities and parents without recourse.
One student transferred to escape an abusive coach, only to have OSSAA punish him further. Another was told he broke a rule that doesn’t even exist in writing. OSSAA’s decisions are arbitrary, inconsistent, and harmful to kids.
Oklahoma lawmakers passed open transfer to give parents real choice. OSSAA is blocking it.
Oklahoma’s students and families deserve better. It’s time for lawmakers to step in and ensure OSSAA can no longer ignore the law, harm children, and undermine parental school choice.
Please take a moment to email your state legislators and urge them to hold the OSSAA accountable and please contact the organization, staff, and Board of Directors directly and you may have time.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION to email your state legislators and urge them to act.
It is time to end the lawlessness of Oklahoma’s Educational Industrial Complex.