BLUFFTON, SC. () — South Carolina legislators tabled a bill that would eliminate the South Carolina High School League.
House Bill 4163, introduced in March and tabled in May, would abolish the South Carolina High School League, which has been around since 1913.
The proposed bill aims to disband the current South Carolina High School League and establish the South Carolina High School Athletic Association (SCHSL), which would be overseen by an 11-member board selected by the state government.
Current members of the SCHSL have spoken out against it.
“Having the government manage the high school association seems like a terrible idea to me,” expressed Bluffton Head Coach Hayden Gregory. “The management should be in the hands of athletic directors, coaches, and those familiar with sports, rather than people whose primary responsibility is lawmaking.”
The South Carolina High School League is currently governed by its member schools, with 220 high schools and 200 junior highs making up the league.
“To elevate South Carolina high school athletics, we should emulate successful states,” Gregory suggested. “In states like Texas and Georgia, their athletic associations operate independently of governmental control.”
If passed, the bill would also bar any current athletic director, coach and any other school leader from serving on the board.
Jerome Singleton, commissioner of the South Carolina Sigh School league, was called on in April by the South Carolina House Education and Public Works Committee to speak about the bill back in April.
“I believe in what the membership has in place,” said Singleton. “And I can speak to is what the membership has in place, so anytime I get an opportunity to promote what the membership has I like to take advantage of those kinds of things.”
Effort on the bill is paused for now and will resume in 2026.
