The U.S. Supreme Court declined a case Monday that challenged the amount of merit-based financial aid student-athletes in Kentucky could receive, my colleague Mark Walsh reported yesterday on The School Law Blog.
Back in 2009, four parents sued the state athletic association over a bylaw that, they argued, forced students to choose between participating in school sports and receiving financial assistance.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Bylaw 13 prevents private school student-athletes from receiving merit-based scholarships covering more than 25 percent of their tuition.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the parents’ claims of unconstitutionality back in December, saying that the rule only restricted the financial aid a student-athlete could receive.
“The fundamental right of parents to control the education of their children does not extend to a right to demand that their children be allowed to participate without restrictions in extracurricular sports,” the court ruled.
That ruling only caused the parents to take the case to the highest possible court.
In their appeal there, the parents argued that the bylaw specifically singles out Roman Catholic private schools, according to Mark.
However, to the parents’ likely chagrin, the Supreme Court dismissed their case without comment.