BOE approves plan to sign petition regarding sports classifications

‘Anderson County, Knox County, all surrounding systems are doing it’- Dale Cantrell, BOE attorney

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- After a request from its attorney, Campbell County Board of Education members approved at Tuesday’s meeting, to join surrounding school systems in signing a petition. The petition asks the state general assembly, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) and the Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA) to consider a mid-year reclassification so that rural schools would not be competing against much larger schools and to “re-establish a competitive margin.” The school board has not received the petition yet but approved its signing for when it does come at the urging of BOE Attorney Dail Cantrell.

“There has been a substantial change in enrollment throughout the state of Tennessee as it relates to secondary and middle schools. We now have schools throughout the state that are over 3,000 member schools. Rural schools are seeing their numbers drop precipitously,” Cantrell said.

He gave the example that Clinton High School, which had never been below 1,000 students, would probably drop to under 900 this year and that Anderson County had dropped to below 1,000 already and was at around 920.

“The more rural schools are losing numbers much greater than these monster schools that are now popping up,” Cantrell said, explaining that the classification system for the TSSAA and the TMSAA “was not prepared for the sudden explosion of new smaller, private schools that have come up this year and this massive expansion, for some reason, of these huge schools in urban areas.”

“You have 3A classifications for certain sports, 4A classifications for certain sports and 6A classifications for football. There is a proposal that has been circulated for the rural systems to appeal to the Tennessee General Assembly, and the TSSAA and TMSAA for a reassessment for all sports to go to a 4A classification to re-establish a competitive margin; it would affect Campbell County High School for sure, dropping you from 4A in basketball to 3A, so you wouldn’t have to go up against Science Hill and those monsters up in the Tri-Cities. Jellico would probably stay where they are in single A, so it would affect one of your schools; LaFollette and Jacksboro would probably drop down in division TMSAA,” Cantrell said, adding that all it took as far as action by the board was a ‘yes vote” to sign the petition once it was sent to the director of schools and the BOE.

“All it takes is a yes vote to sign on to request the TSSAA to consider a mid-year reclassification for next year as opposed to three more years of what’s going to be growing disparity,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell said Anderson County, Knox County, and all the surrounding systems are doing it.

“I don’t think there is any resistance from the state, but the TSSAA just does what the TSSAA wants to do, so I would request that a motion be made that when you get the petition to go to the 4A classification uniform based on your current enrollment for next year that you approve,” Cantrell said.

BOE members voted in unanimous approval. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-09/15/2025-6AM)