College students at a Seventh-day Adventist highschool went to federal courtroom Tuesday asking a choose to again their proper to play basketball and observe the Sabbath.
They allege the Alabama Excessive College Athletic Affiliation violated the First Modification’s non secular free train protections when the physique wouldn’t swap a championship semi-final recreation, even when the opposite competing colleges consented.
The dustup began Feb. 19 when the AHSAA balked at a compromise the Huntsville, Alabama, highschool had reached with Religion Christian College regarding a playoff recreation resulting from start at 4:30 p.m. that Saturday. The Oakwood workforce couldn’t play earlier than sundown on that day, when their Sabbath observance ends.
Religion Christian had agreed to swap the 4:30 begin time with a 7:30 recreation between Decatur Heritage Christian Academy and Cornerstone College. These groups had additionally consented.
However the AHSAA balked on the lodging. Government director Alvin Briggs, in a letter explaining the denial, asserted “granting an exemption or making an exception for any purpose, each time one is requested, can be chaotic.”
The Oakwood college students needed to forfeit the sport, after what one Adventist official stated was a season of exhausting work.
The AHSAA on Tuesday referred a reporter to their authorized counsel, lawyer C. Mark Bain of Melton, Espy & Williams, P.C., who didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Orlan Johnson, director of public affairs and spiritual liberty for the Adventist Church’s North American division, stated the scholars have been heartbroken and “to an individual, discovered themselves in tears” over the refusal.
“The truth that somebody was prepared to work out scheduling that didn’t appear to create any undue hardship to anybody else and to have that be completely rejected was simply heartbreaking,” Mr. Johnson stated in a phone interview.
One of many attorneys representing the varsity decried the AHSAA’s actions.
“It’s dangerous sufficient that AHSAA would deliberately exclude a non secular college for honoring the Fourth Commandment,” lawyer Eric Rassbach, senior counsel and vice chairman of Becket, a public curiosity legislation agency, stated in a press release.
“But it surely’s worse when the exclusion is fully pointless — like most People confronted with this concern, the faculties had labored out a easy, commonsense resolution. However the bureaucrats stated no. The First Modification calls for way more,” Mr. Rassbach added.
The scholars have one outstanding Alabaman of their nook, nevertheless. Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, wrote to AHSAA’s Mr. Briggs asking why the group couldn’t accommodate the change request.
“I’ve learn that the AHSAA denied Oakwood’s easy request — not as soon as however twice,” Ms. Ivey wrote. With no time change, she famous, the varsity must “forfeit the sport fully, and thereby lose the prospect to proceed a hard-fought and hard-earned profitable season.”
