Bixby board approves Open Doors contract to monitor student-athlete NIL activity

Bixby Public Schools’ Board of Education on Oct. 13 approved an agreement with Open Doors to give student‑athletes a managed platform for name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and to let district staff monitor those arrangements. The contract was approved at the district meeting held in the BHS Academic Building Community Room; the board voted unanimously to approve the $5,500 annual contract paid from athletic‑department activity funds.

District officials said the contract is intended to help the district comply with guidance from the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association and to provide protections and reporting for students and families. Kate Creekmore, the district’s executive director of athletics, said the Open Doors platform lets businesses post paid appearances or promotional opportunities and holds funds in escrow until the district and the student’s parent approve the transaction. “This gives us, I think, a protection for us and protection for the kiddos for us to be able to monitor it again, which we are required to do,” Creekmore said.

The board’s approval follows a presentation by Creekmore describing the district’s proposed workflow. According to Creekmore, a student or family registers interest via a Google form, receives training materials and signs a district waiver before an Open Doors account is created. When a business offers a paid appearance or social‑media promotional work, the offer is routed through Open Doors; funds are held on the platform and do not change hands until district staff — identified in the presentation as Ray (role not specified in the meeting) — reviews the offer for compliance, confirms the activity occurred and verifies no school trademarks or uniforms were used. Creekmore said the platform also collects the data the NCAA requires when students later apply to college.

Board members asked how the district will vet vendors and whether the approach properly keeps the district out of the transaction while meeting monitoring obligations. Board member Justin Cheatham summarized one of the questions that multiple board members raised: “So to Open Doors is to keep us out of it. That’s what I’m hearing.” Creekmore answered that Open Doors performs basic vendor verification (EIN checks) and the district’s monitoring role is limited to reviewing individual offers before payment is released. Creekmore said 19 district student‑athletes had created accounts or expressed interest at the time of the meeting.

Creekmore and other staff acknowledged several risks discussed by the board: offers that do not get reported to the platform, offers tied to housing or unusually large payments that could indicate recruitment concerns, and potential workload if the program scales quickly. Creekmore said the district can suspend or decline approval for any offer that violates OSSAA guidance — for example, if a student wears school‑owned apparel during a paid appearance — and that monitoring should allow staff to stop a transaction before money is released. “If he shows up in the Bixby‑owned jersey or helmet or whatever, then we would say, no, no, no. You can’t wear that,” she said.

The board approved the contract as agenda item 7.4. The vote record in the meeting transcript shows a unanimous vote: Justin Cheatham — aye; Matt Dodson — aye; Amanda Stevens — aye; Chair — aye. The agenda described the contract cost as $5,500 to be paid from the athletic department activity funds.

District staff said they will monitor uptake and report back if the workload grows; Creekmore and other presenters repeatedly framed the contract as a compliance and monitoring tool rather than a district‑run marketplace. The contract will be administered through the athletic activity account and reviewed alongside routine activity‑fund reporting.

Background: OSSAA (the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association) issued guidance to member schools on NIL activity; school officials said that guidance requires districts to monitor student activities related to NIL. Creekmore said the platform also helps families and students produce the documentation the NCAA requires when a student later applies for collegiate eligibility review.

The board’s approval makes the Open Doors platform available to district student‑athletes immediately for the 2025–26 school year. District staff said they will continue training for students and parents and will track any vendor or oversight issues that arise.