Education, Culture & the Family

Amid state and national backlash, OSSAA still touts DEI

August 20, 2025

Ray Carter

During the Biden administration, government officials and some business entities loudly touted “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) policies. But the substance of DEI has caused strong public backlash in recent years because DEI programming commonly portrays groups as either an oppressor or oppressed based entirely on an individual’s sex, skin color, romantic interests, and similar categories, rather than actions.

DEI programs had been publicly cited, repeatedly, as a cause of growing anti-Semitism on college campuses. When researchers recently examined DEI trainings, they found that many increased prejudice.

As a result, those policies today are facing strong pushback from the public that has translated into a legal ban on DEI at colleges in Oklahoma and executive orders banning DEI at the federal level.

But in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) continues to tout DEI on its website, declaring that promotion of “groups that have social and cultural differences is an integral part of education-based activities” and indicating DEI is part of that effort.

“Every student participating in activities at an OSSAA member school is entitled to participate in a safe school environment that is free from bias,” the OSSAA statement declares.

DEI has been a focus of the OSSAA, which regulates athletic and academic competitions among more than 400 schools in Oklahoma, in ways that extend beyond a statement of support.

In 2022, the OSSAA required all media, including photographers, to undergo implicit-bias training before they could receive credentials to cover high-school playoff sporting events.

Beyond its DEI focus, the OSSAA has come under fire for prohibiting students from playing sports if they use the state’s “open transfer” process to move to a new school district. That the group is simultaneously touting DEI is pouring salt on an open wound to some critics.

“As if we needed more proof that OSSAA is out of touch with Oklahoma families, their website still features a DEI statement—despite Oklahoma banning DEI in government and higher education,” said state Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore. “Parents deserve the freedom to choose the school that fits their child, and no unelected board should stand in the way. Sports are essential for building leadership and character, yet OSSAA repeatedly rules against parents and keeps kids from competing. It’s time for reform that’s fair, transparent, and accountable to the people of our state.”

Recently, the OSSAA voted to ban four teenage boys from playing basketball at Glencoe High School because the four boys had transferred into the district via the open-transfer process. OSSAA officials argued the boys were recruited but produced little evidence.

The boys’ families have sued. The OSSAA has declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The case is only the latest in which OSSAA has been sued for the group’s alleged efforts to prohibit student athletes from playing sports at the school of their choice.

The OSSAA has been criticized by Gov. Kevin Stitt and several lawmakers for its actions in the Glencoe case, and state Rep. Ty Burns, R-Pawnee, has declared that it is “time to dismantle the OSSAA.” Burns has vowed to file legislation to achieve that goal, and Seifried is working with him on that effort.

Awareness of the OSSAA’s continued promotion of DEI comes as state officials are cracking down on those practices.

Earlier this week, Gov. Kevin Stitt held a ceremonial bill signing for Senate Bill 796, by state Sen. Adam Pugh and state Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader. The new law states that no Oklahoma college or university “shall utilize state funds, property, or resources to grant or support diversity, equity, and inclusion positions, departments, activities, procedures, or programs” and bars state colleges from mandating training based on DEI.

The law also prohibits state colleges and universities from requiring job applicants to submit DEI statements as a condition of employment.

The legislation makes permanent restrictions imposed on state colleges through an executive order issued by Stitt.

Pugh, R-Edmond, said the law reaffirms Oklahoma’s commitment “to an education system rooted in merit, hard work and opportunity for every student.”

“By ending divisive DEI programs, we are ensuring that our higher education institutions focus on preparing students for the workforce and for life, not political agendas,” Pugh said. “Senate Bill 796 is about putting students first and preserving fairness, equality and academic excellence.”

Hader, R-Piedmont, said, “Taken on their own, the words diversity, equity and inclusion sound wonderful, but as a philosophy these programs are embedded with an artificial preference system that detracts from the core mission of our higher education institutions. Our students should be focused on academics and workforce training and not delayed by an additional requirement for graduation.”

State Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, an Elgin Republican who chairs the House Postsecondary Education Committee, added, “Oklahoma’s universities should be centers of academic excellence that prepare students for careers and civic life, not places where taxpayer dollars fund ideological programs. Higher education must remain focused on merit, scholarship and workforce development. Senate Bill 796 protects academic freedom while keeping our institutions aligned with their core mission.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon also attended the bill signing.

On Jan. 21, President Trump issued an executive order regarding DEI in colleges. The order noted that federal civil-rights laws protect individual Americans from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

“Yet today, roughly 60 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, critical and influential institutions of American society, including the Federal Government, major corporations, financial institutions, the medical industry, large commercial airlines, law enforcement agencies, and institutions of higher education have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation,” the order stated.

In April, Trump signed an Executive Order to overhaul the higher education accreditation system to ensure colleges and universities deliver high-quality education free from unlawful discrimination and ideological overreach.