Ivey and Ledbetter battle with AHSAA

Governor Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter are pressing forward in their legal battle with the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) over student eligibility under the state’s new school choice law.
On September 5, 2025, the two leaders secured a court order blocking the AHSAA’s enforcement of its rule that prevents students transferring under the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act from participating in athletics for one year.
On Friday, Ivey and Ledbetter filed an amended complaint along with a preliminary-injunction motion, seeking to ensure CHOOSE Act students are allowed to compete without penalty. Their latest filing also challenges the AHSAA’s so-called “Restitution Rules,” which would impose sanctions on students and schools if ineligible participation occurs—even if athletes competed under the September 5 court order, should that order later be reversed or vacated.
Governor Ivey sharply criticized the AHSAA’s stance in a statement released Friday.
“It was bad enough when the AHSAA decided to sideline CHOOSE Act student-athletes in violation of state law. It is even worse to learn that the AHSAA will penalize schools and students for playing pursuant to the court order Speaker Ledbetter and I obtained just two weeks ago,” Ivey said. “I remain steadfast in support of the CHOOSE Act and its promise of true school choice, even when it comes to participation in athletics. I look forward to the court righting this wrong as soon as possible.”
The matter now returns to the courts as the state’s leaders seek a broader injunction against AHSAA policies that they argue run counter to the CHOOSE Act and its guarantee of school choice.