The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill that would not count students who are English language learners toward enrollment for the purpose of classification by the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Guntersville, said schools with a high proportion of immigrant students can be at a disadvantage because those students generally have a lower level of participation in sports.

That means the enrollment number at those schools overstates the actual pool of athletes, Colvin said.

The AHSAA ranks schools in Class 1A through Class 7A for sports competitions, with Class 7A schools having the largest enrollments.

Read more: Which Alabama schools have more English language learners? See the numbers

Colvin said Albertville High School, for example, has a disproportionately large number of students who are children of immigrants because of the poultry plants in the area.

Colvin said the influx of immigrant students moved Albertville up from Class 5A to Class 7A. He said the school is not competitive in football at the 7A level.

“Albertville hasn’t won a football game in three seasons,” Colvin said.

Colvin said Crossville High School, a one-time powerhouse, dropped its football program for the same reason.

Colvin’s bill, HB298, says English language learners do not count toward enrollment for AHSAA classification purposes except for those students who play a sport.

Colvin stressed that his bill does not prohibit the English language learners from participating in sports.

The House passed Colvin’s bill by a vote of 72-1. It moves to the Senate.