As you may or may not know, private schools are proposing a change to Texas state law allowing private schools (who can recruit and choose their athletes) to compete on the same level as public schools.  The Texas Senate has already passed the law and it now moves to the house.

The Texas High School Coaches Association feels that this gives private schools an overwhelming advantage.  To find out more information and ways to contact your representative, please continue reading.

THSCA LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Private School Bill Has Been Passed by the Senate and Will Now Move to the House for Consideration

We need your help to contact your state representatives to show a strong opposition to opening the U.I.L. membership to private schools!

S.B. 1214, by Patrick and H.B. 2322, by Garza are companion bills relating to allowing participation of private schools in U.I.L. sponsored activities. S.B. 1214 passed out of the Senate last Friday, May 6^th and is headed to the House of Representatives. It is of extreme importance for all of our coaches to ­IMMEDIATELY contact their state representative in the House as well as the representatives on the Public Education Committee, the speaker of the House (Joe Straus) and the representatives on the Calendars Committee (see lists below). We also need to get the parents in our communities, as well as friends of athletics and all extra-curricular activities, to help in our efforts to voice opposition to S.B. 1214 and H.B. 2322.

We are asking each of you to use the following bullet points and contact your representatives to express your opposition to both S.B. 1214 and H.B. 2322.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO FRIENDS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL ATHLETICS.
Note we have a hard time reaching many people through the e-mail filters;
please forward this even if you think a colleague may have already received it!

Bullet points in opposition to Private School Membership in all U.I.L. Activities:

• Private schools must recruit to exist. (Impossible to comply with recruiting rules because recruiting is critical to their very existence.)
• Private schools do not have to admit all children. (Public schools are required to take all comers; private schools are able to create a select environment.)
• Private schools do not comply with parent residence boundaries whereas public schools must. (How do you solve the issue of boundaries with private schools?)
• Academic standards are not mandated by statute, while public schools are heavily regulated.
• Private schools control the number of students who attend and would control their U.I.L. classification, while a public school cannot. (The smaller the classification the greater the impact of private schools.)
• Private schools have an unfair competitive advantage in that they have a unique situation — they can establish a select environment.

It is critical to act immediately, the quicker that you respond, the better!