Missouri AG, Auditor investigating MSHSAA after claims of racial, sex discrimination
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office and Auditor’s Office are investigating the state’s governing body for high school sports after claims of sex and racial discrimination were made.
A Tuesday press release from both offices alleges that a whistleblower was not eligible for an at-large position on MSHSAA’s board because they are white and male.
In a list of emails provided in the press release, one of the responses from a lawyer representing MSHSAA alleges an article of it Constitution “does not serve as a blanket disqualification preventing administrators from running for or serving on the Board of Directors. Rather, the eligibility requirements are tied to specific seats, and by design they ensure balanced representation across both geographic regions and demographic groups.”
“The individual identified in your correspondence, Mr. Johnson, was not and is presently not precluded from serving on the MSHSAA Board of Directors. Rather, he was unable to run for a particular at-large seat because he did not meet the current qualifications attached to that seat pursuant MSHSAA’s Constitution. Mr. Johnson remains eligible to run for election to a seat representing his own region, where his service as an administrator would qualify him under the governing bylaws,” the email from Natalie Hoernschemeyer reads.
An email to the whistleblower details the article from the MSHSAA Constitution states the man was not eligible.
“The current Board of Directors, after taking out members whose terms are up, has a majority of males. Since you are a male, you do not meet this requirement. The ethnicity of the board has a majority of white, non-Hispanic members. Without knowing your ethnicity or race, we ask for you to respond with the minority ethnicity or race group in which you identify, if you applicable,” the email says.