Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), the statewide governing body for secondary school activities, is launching a new initiative to perform a comprehensive review of the organization’s 24 rules.

OSSAA is accepting nominations from all 482 member schools, inviting athletic directors, principals and superintendents from across the state to weigh the merits of every rule. The final 12-15 committee members will be announced in the coming weeks.

The group will meet monthly, May through December, to review each rule and propose changes to the board of directors. If elevated by the board, the changes will be put to a referendum vote among member schools, which can pass with a simple majority.

“This is no small task in a state with such a diverse range of schools,” said David Jackson, executive director of OSSAA. “We know this group of people who work with students every day will be able to truly understand the impact of these rules, find gaps and improve them for the betterment of our students and teams.”

OSSAA is a member-led organization founded more than 110 years ago to facilitate and safeguard fair competition through rules approved by its member schools, its board, the courts and the communities it serves. It oversees 27 interscholastic activities ranging from athletics to debate and music.

New rules were previously adopted on an as-needed basis, with some going as far back as the 1960s. OSSAA currently reviews the rules annually for clarity and updates required by changes in activities or national safety recommendations. The board also appoints a small group of school administrators who conduct a review of the organization’s constitution, rules and policies every five years, as dictated by the constitution.

“What makes this committee different is that it takes a fresh, thoughtful look at these rules and opens up each change to the board and then member schools for voting,” Jackson said. “We want everyone to know these decisions were made with students and families in mind. We’re working to make it easier to understand our processes and our rules.”

OSSAA will announce the proposed rule changes after each meeting.

To learn more about OSSAA, visit ossaaillustrated. com. About OSSAA The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is the governing body for secondary school athletics and activities in the state. OSSAA serves member schools statewide through the facility and oversight of competition, eligibility, classifications, schedules, postseason events and educational resources across 27 athletic and academic activities. The organization was created more than a century ago with the goal of maintaining organized, competitive and educational extracurricular opportunities throughout the state.