Princeton hosted the final stop on a statewide Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) administrator tour Tuesday, Sept. 15. A petition to separate public and private high school state tournaments topped the agenda.

The petition, first reported by WCPO reporter Mike Dyer, asks whether the OHSAA should split its postseason tournaments so public and private schools compete separately. Organizers need 75 principal signatures — five from each of the OHSAA's six districts — by December to place the question on the May 2027 ballot for a full membership vote.

Only principals can sign. If the referendum passes, the split would take effect in the 2028-29 school year.

The push comes from superintendents, principals and athletic directors at Northeast Ohio schools in the Suburban League. The OHSAA has 812 member high schools, including 691 public and 121 non-public. Only four or five other states separate public and private tournaments, according to the OHSAA.

Not the first attempt

Ohio has been here before. Petition drives to separate public and private tournaments failed in membership votes in 1978 and 1993. Discussions in the late 2000s led to a competitive balance committee in January 2010.

In May 2014, member schools approved a competitive balance system. It adjusts how schools are placed into tournament divisions in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball based on actual roster composition. That system took effect in the 2017-18 school year.

Whether the current petition gains enough traction to reach the ballot remains an open question. The December deadline gives organizers roughly three months to collect signatures across all six OHSAA districts.

Student Athlete Mobility Act also on the agenda

The Princeton meeting also addressed the Student Athlete Mobility (SAM) Act, a new state law taking effect for the 2026-27 school year. Under the SAM Act, a public school student whose school does not offer a sport can petition to play at a neighboring public school. Both superintendents must approve. Schools can also combine teams when neither has enough athletes to field a roster, according to Sports Illustrated.

The law applies only to public school students. It supersedes an OHSAA membership vote on the same issue held earlier in 2026.

What's next

The OHSAA holds its annual referendum vote each May. Each member school gets one vote, cast by the principal. This past May, member schools passed 11 of 12 proposed revisions to the OHSAA Constitution and Bylaws.

If petition organizers hit 75 signatures by December, the public-private split question joins the May 2027 ballot.