WA Transfers

Proposed WIAA Amendments includes rules change for transfer students
By Megan Managan | Mar 24, 2015

Each spring the WIAA lists the potential amendments – rule changes – for the upcoming school year.

Apologies up front, this a bit long, but could have a big impact on local teams and athletes.

The WIAA discussed the amendments during its Winter Coalition meeting on Monday, March 23. The representative assembly votes on the amendments later in the spring, approving or denying the proposed changes. Voting will take place April 29 through May 8.

This year there are 18 amendments proposed for both high school and middle school. The amendments are proposed by various school districts, athletic directors, the WIAA and or one of its several committees.

One of the big possible updates this year is a proposed change to the transfer rules. Students who transfer to a new school within 50 miles of their previous school would be required to sit out until the 50 percent rule date for that sport. For example, that date for baseball and soccer this spring is March 30, and is April 6 for golf, tennis and track and field.

The amendment states: "A student who transfers to a new school which is within 50 miles of the previous school, due to an actual physical relocation of and with the entire family unit to a different residence and preceded by termination of all occupancy of their previous residence, shall be considered a transfer student and is ineligible for varsity competition until the day following the 50 percent rule date for that sport. A student who transfers to a new school which is within 50 miles of the previous school, due to a change of residence or transfer between parents or guardians as a result of a divorce or court approved legal separation, is ineligible for varsity competition until the day following the 50 percent rule date for that sport."

The rationale provided for the change says it is it "discourage students transferring schools for athletic reasons if their eligibility in that sport would be reduced".

Students who transfer would still be able to appeal their eligibility status, and the eligibility committee would review documentation to determine the status of an athlete.

Another of the amendments proposed includes mandating a standardized physical examination starting in the fall of 2016 for both high school and middle school athletes.

Previously, as long as a student had a statement or form from a medical authority licensed to give a physical exam on file with the school the athlete was good to go. Now the WIAA would require a WIAA-approved physical form and schools that wish to use a different form would need to request a waiver from the WIAA executive director.

The amendment was proposed by the WIAA Executive Board on behalf of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. In the comments about the amendments the rationale includes:

"Because of the emphasis on concussion management, heat-related issues and Cardiac Death (SCD), the WIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee recommends that a standardized physical examination form be utilized so that all student athletes are being evaluated based on the same criteria, utilizing most current medical standards."

The form the WIAA intends to use was developed and endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Sports Medicine etc.

Another amendment would change the high school classification process, moving it to a four year cycle, instead of the current two years.

Schools, leagues and districts asked the WIAA to help stabilized leagues, some of which were changing drastically every two years, such as in the case of Wesco, which has seen big changes in the 4A, 3A leagues over the last six years.

Under the new proposal, in the second year of the four year cycle, a school could appeal its classification.

Another amendment related to classification, would allow schools to change the classification for all sports or for just the football team.

The change, which was aimed mostly at 1B and 2B schools, would allow football teams with special circumstances to compete at a different classification than other sports at the same school.

If you'd like to read the full document, with all the amendments, who proposed them and the pros/cons and rationales behind the changes, visit the WIAA website.

Daejon Davis is xfering to Garfield

Edit: 
I Stand Corrected