Late Tuesday night, the House passed legislation excluding non-athletic English language (ELL) learner students from being counted toward a school's daily average for the first five years of enrollment.
Colvin proposed HB298 to boost athletic programs at schools such as his alma mater, Albertville City Schools. The school transitioned from a 5A to a 7A classification due to an influx of immigrant students, many of whom chose not to participate in sports.
"I appreciate my colleagues for supporting HB298 and taking an important step to restore fairness and safety to high school athletics," Colvin said in a Facebook post Tuesday. "For over three years, legislators have relayed their concerns regarding schools being forced to move up in classification due to a rise in English Language Learners (ELL) enrollment to the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA)."
AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon issued a statement condemning the bill.
"A classification directive that does not go through our democratic legislative process and classification committee lacks the support and thorough vetting that is necessary for successful implementation," Harmon said. "As an Association, we are committed to supporting all member schools in all sports in addition to promoting participation. This bill is in direct opposition to those commitments."
Colvin hit back at Harmon for not supporting the bill and for falsely claiming it would prevent ELL students from participating in athletics.
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