FHSAA Transfer Rule

January 24, 2006


FHSAA Representative Assembly adopts comprehensive revision to residence, transfer rules

The residence and transfer proposal, sponsored by Commissioner John A. Stewart, will establish the school in which a student begins the ninth grade as the student's school of residence for athletic purposes. Any subsequent transfer during the student's high school career, other than one corresponding with a joint physical relocation by the student and his or her parents to another address that requires a change in school, will restrict the student's eligibility to the sub-varsity level in the new school for one calendar year. The rule provides 10 exceptions through which a waiver of the period of restricted eligibility may be sought from the Commissioner. If the Commissioner denies a waiver application or a transfer results from circumstances not covered by one of the 10 exceptions, it may be appealed to one of the Association's four sectional appeals committees and subsequently, if necessary, to the FHSAA Board of Directors.


"The membership voiced its concerns about our current residence and transfer rules and we developed this proposal in response to those concerns," Stewart said. "We have spent the better part of the last year drafting and redrafting the proposal based on feedback we received from our Board of Directors, the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and individual member schools who took the time to attend one of the many area meetings that our staff has conducted around the state.

"Today, the membership, through its delegates to the Assembly, said that not only is this something that they want, but something that they need. It will go a long way toward cleaning up the growing problem of students transferring for athletic reasons and those schools who market themselves to students who make themselves free agents.Hopefully, once again we will be able to level the playing field in our Association."

The 'new rule' claims that it is addressing RECRUITING violations and TRANSFERS FOR ATHLETIC REASONS.

In reality, it is an attempt to supersede existing state law that allows a student the right to participate in varsity and other level athletics and clubs as long as they are legally enrolled in the high school in question.

As stated by Commissioner John A. Stewart, the 'new rule' seeks to limit freedom of 'school choice'. Parents of students who seek a program they feel will better suit their child is presently an option granted by existing state law.

The 'new rule' is not about RECRUITING or TRANSFERS FOR ATHLETIC REASONS as it is being portrayed. It is about circumventing 'school choice'.

The Traveling Side Show is traveling the state seeking support to change the existing state laws not only concerning athletic eligibility but also school choice.

Limiting students who transfer within the current guidelines in this manner makes as little sense as limiting transfer by a good student in a failing school to a better school because the failing school will be losing a good student.

Student-Athlete Recruiting Task Force to hold next meeting Tuesday, Aug. 29 in Tampa

The independent Student-Athlete Recruiting Task Force created during the recently concluded 2006 session of the Florida Legislature will hold its second meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29. The meeting will be held in the auditorium of Berkeley Preparatory School at 4811 Kelly Road in Tampa. The meeting is planned to last approximately three hours and is open to the public.

The task force would like to receive information from the public on the following topics as they relate to secondary school student-athletes:

the definition of recruiting;

current and proposed procedures governing recruiting;

documented past recruiting practices such as tuition scholarships, foreign athletes, solicitation by school employees or boosters, and other practices;

the impact of recruiting rules on parental school choice;

the relationship between student-athlete transfers and recruiting;

measures for preventing improper student athlete recruiting and penalties for violations;

and policies to allow students attending private schools that do not have athletic programs to participate in the athletic programs at their assigned public school.

What: Student-Athlete Recruiting Task Force public meeting
When: 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006
Where:
Berkeley Preparatory School
Lykes Center Auditorium
4811 Kelly Road
Tampa, FL 33165
(813) 885-1673
http://www.berkeleyprep.org