High School

MSHSAA Breaks Silence, Issues Rare Statement as Missouri Lawmakers Advance Oversight Bill

On its 100th anniversary, MSHSAA is urging Missouri schools to speak out as lawmakers push a bill that could reshape how high school athletics are governed.

Levi Payton

A battle rages on in Missouri as state legislators push a bill that could reshape how the state's athletics are governed for the first time in 100 years.
A battle rages on in Missouri as state legislators push a bill that could reshape how the state's athletics are governed for the first time in 100 years. / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Missouri high school sports face major shift as MSHSAA marks 100 years with statement opposing SB 863

As it marked its 100th anniversary Wednesday, the Missouri State High School Activities Association issued a public statement urging its 724 member schools to oppose Senate Bill 863, legislation that would place statewide activities associations under a governor‑appointed oversight board.

In a message sent statewide and accompanied by a video statement from Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, MSHSAA called on school leaders to contact lawmakers as the bill advances through the Missouri Senate.

“On February 4, 1926, the superintendents voted unanimously to approve the constitution, and our association was born,” Rukstad wrote. “For a century, our member schools have governed their association. It is time to fight for the future of high school sports and activities in our state.”

“If our 724 member schools want to retain their ownership and governance of their association, we must engage,” she added, encouraging schools to contact their senators and oppose SB 863.

What Senate Bill 863 would do

Senate Bill 863 would require the governor to appoint a board of directors to oversee any statewide nonprofit activities association that facilitates interscholastic athletic activities for public secondary school students. While the bill does not name MSHSAA, the measure applies to organizations that meet that definition.

See the full-length video of Dr. Ruckstad's statement by clicking this link.

Under the proposal, the oversight board would be administratively housed within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The board would be responsible for employing an executive director overseeing operations that affect public schools, serving as the appellate body for decisions made by an activities association, and acting as the intermediary for the collection and transfer of public school funds to an activities association.

The bill would prohibit public schools and districts from making direct payments to an activities association and would require the association to submit comprehensive financial statements to the oversight board three times per year.

SB 863 was approved by the Senate Education Committee on Jan. 29 and has been placed on the Senate’s informal calendar.

Lawmakers cite accountability and appeals concerns

Supporters of the legislation have said the proposal is intended to address concerns about transparency, governance and the appeals process for decisions affecting students and schools statewide.

During his State of the State address in January, Gov. Mike Kehoe voiced support for establishing an oversight board, saying organizations overseeing student activities must operate with transparency and accountability.

“This is not happening now,” Kehoe said. “Unelected bureaucrats cannot act like kings.”

Sen. Jason Bean, the bill’s sponsor, has said the measure is not intended to replace MSHSAA or its current board but to create an independent avenue for appeals of association decisions.

“Parents, students, coaches, school districts, etc., need an avenue to appeal decisions made by MSHSAA to an independent oversight board,” Bean told lawmakers during committee hearings.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Rick Brattin and other supporters have also argued that MSHSAA effectively holds a monopoly over high school athletics in Missouri, leaving schools without another statewide governing option for interscholastic competition.

Investigation and lawsuit increase scrutiny of association

Legislative efforts to create an oversight board intensified following an investigation launched by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway into MSHSAA’s board selection policies.

Hanaway filed suit alleging the association violated federal anti‑discrimination laws by tying eligibility for two at‑large board seats to race and sex. The investigation followed a whistleblower complaint involving Cassville superintendent Merlyn Johnson, who said he was informed he was ineligible for an at‑large position because the board already had a majority of male members.

“MSHSAA’s nomination policies and actions are racist and unlawful,” Hanaway said when announcing the lawsuit.

MSHSAA has said it does not discriminate and has stated that the policy applies only to two at‑large positions, not the eight regional seats elected by member schools.

Rukstad previously told lawmakers that the association operates as a member‑governed organization, with schools voting on bylaws and policies and the association enforcing those rules.

Similar reform efforts emerge beyond Missouri

Missouri Sen. Rick Brattin speaks at a podium
Sen. Rick Brattin (center) and other supporters have also argued that MSHSAA effectively holds a monopoly over high school athletics in Missouri, leaving schools without another statewide governing option for interscholastic competition. / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Missouri’s debate over SB 863 comes as other states are also considering changes to how high school athletics associations are governed. In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt called for the elimination of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association during his State of the State address Monday, and state lawmakers introduced legislation the following day, Tuesday, that would dissolve the organization and replace it with a state‑run commission overseeing interscholastic athletics and activities.

While Missouri’s proposal would create a governor‑appointed oversight board rather than eliminate the existing association, both efforts reflect growing legislative scrutiny of the private, member‑governed organizations that regulate high school sports in many states.

A pivotal debate as MSHSAA reaches its centennial

By issuing its statement on the day of its 100th anniversary, MSHSAA positioned the debate over SB 863 as a significant moment for the future governance of high school sports and activities in Missouri.

The association said it will continue engaging with lawmakers and plans to provide updates to member schools as the legislative process continues. SB 863 must still be perfected and approved by the full Senate before moving to the House, where similar legislation has also been filed.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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