High school sports: OSSAA director says organization emphasizes fairness, safety

“Participation in extracurricular athletics can be a critical part of a student's overall educational experience,” said Seth Galanter, acting assistant secretary for the Office for Civil Rights. “Schools must ensure equal access to that rewarding experience for students with disabilities.”

Sheakley said he had been in contact with several directors of other states' high school athletic associations after the guidelines were released nationally early Friday.

Neither Sheakley nor any other directors he spoke with had any prior knowledge that the guidelines were going to be released, and Sheakley is continuing to study the lengthy document sent out by the Department of Education.

But he doesn't see anything that points to drastic changes for the member schools of the OSSAA.

“I think our schools are doing a good job with disabled students and their participation in activities,” Sheakley said. “What we look at with disabled students, are reasonable accommodations being made to allow that student to participate, and make sure there's no unfair advantage on either side in those accommodations.

“And we can't compromise safety in those situations. Safety has to be first and foremost. We're all about inclusion, and being able to accommodate disabled students so they can participate.”