NEW ORLEANS - Kicking around the soccer ball with his friends at Easton Park in Mid-City is a passion for Johnny Vasquez. His family is from Honduras, and he loves the sport.
"My school doesn't have a soccer team, but that doesn't stop me. I come out here, I play with my friends. I pick up games. But, I really try to improve my skill," Vasquez said.
Hearing about a policy that potentially prevents other students from perfecting their skill bothers him.
"I haven't seen it at my high school, but I definitely have heard of some of my classmates talking about it, that they're worried about it. 'Cause you know, they really enjoy playing the sport that they're doing," Vasquez said.
He's talking about a policy currently in place by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association which requires all high school athletes to have a social security number. If they don't, they can't play.
"There's are a lot of sports that offer tons of scholarships. We're talking about a lot of money. And I feel like if you deny that to any student, it's really unfair because you're also denying them a chance to get a better education," Vasquez said.
The rule has been in place for a while, but according to our partners at the New Orleans Advocate, it's getting new attention after the association sent out a memo this month, warning coaches that there's been an "influx" in student athletes showing their state issued student ID numbers rather than their last four digits of their social security numbers.
Several legal attorneys, like Miguel Elias Law Firm are speaking out.
Alanah Odoms-Hebert, Executive Director of the ACLU released her own statement calling the rule "cruel and unconstitutional."
"If you are here in our borders, you are entitled to receive a free public education and, by extension, you would be able to take part in extra curricular activities like sports," Odoms-Hebert said.
She also believes it's a rule that targets a wide range of people.
"There are many people who are in this country lawfully that simply don't posses social security numbers. You can be a asylee, someone who's seeking asylum here, you can be on a temporary work via. All of these are legal ways that young people would our country and would be here in Louisiana," Odoms-Hebert said.
Something Vasquez can agree with.
"It's really discriminatory. I think it's awful," Vasquez said.
Eyewitness News did reach out to LHSAA. They tell us that the rules have been on the books for years and that it is nothing new. However, the rule is currently under review and it could come up in their executive committee meeting next week. The association also says it will be addressed at their January convention.
Caresse Jackman can be reached at cjackman@wwltv.com.