Transfer Rule and Hardship

[barrel]

This thread is not to discuss specific athletes. If it goes that direction then it will be shutdown.

 

I believe using examples that do not refer to specific athletes and/or name specific schools is ok. If I’m wrong I’m sure a mod will let me know.

 

I have no clue how the KHSAA treats the following scenarios. If it’s like many other things I’m sure they have rules both ways.

 

Scenario 1: an athlete attends a private school but due to financial issues the family can longer afford to send the student to the private school. Is the athlete eligible to participate in varsity sports at his new school? Should the athlete be eligible?

 

Scenario 2: an athlete attends another school as an out of district student. The athlete’s family pays for the student to attend the school and provides transportation. Due to financial reasons the family can no longer afford to pay the out of district tuition. Is the athlete eligible at the new school? Should the athlete be eligible?

 

If in one case an athlete would be eligible but in another the athlete wouldn’t be why?

[TheDeuce]

I'd assume that the student wouldn't be eligible in either scenario, unless they moved. And even then, they still may not be.

 

They SHOULD, IMO, be eligible in both. Because students should be able to play at whatever school they attend, regardless of where they attended the previous year.

[barrel]

I would assume they would be ruled ineligible. It just appears harsh to punish an athlete for something beyond their control.

 

“Hey I know you dad lost his job so now you can’t attend your previous school due to funds. By the way you can’t play sports for a year either.”

[sweet16]

Scenario 1 is a common way to get athletes eligible.

[barrel]

Scenario 1 is a common way to get athletes eligible.

I wonder why scenario 1 would be ok but not scenario 2. I feel like if they rule an athlete eligible in one scenario then they should do it in the other scenario.

[Voice of Reason]

I know of athletes in both scenarios that were ruled eligible. If you know of an athlete in either scenario who was ruled ineligible, there are likely specific circumstances related to that athlete that have caused him/her to be ruled ineligible.

 

And this is where the difficulty is. On the surface, it can look inequitable. The KHSAA handles these situations in so much secrecy that it is more and more difficult to know what the rules really are. I understand why there should be privacy in many of these situations. I also believe there needs to be as much transparency as possible so everyone better understands the rules and how they are applied.

[barrel]

I don’t know of anyone that fits either scenario. The question just kind of came up in conversation as a what if. I was mainly curious as to what would happen and if either case would be treated differently. The KHSAA can be an enigma at times.

[Voice of Reason]

I don’t know of anyone that fits either scenario. The question just kind of came up in conversation as a what if. I was mainly curious as to what would happen and if either case would be treated differently. The KHSAA can be an enigma at times.

 

Then to reiterate, I know of athletes in both scenarios that were ruled eligible so, in general, I don't see the KHSAA treating those two scenarios differently.

[rjs4470]

I know of athletes in both scenarios that were ruled eligible. If you know of an athlete in either scenario who was ruled ineligible, there are likely specific circumstances related to that athlete that have caused him/her to be ruled ineligible.

 

And this is where the difficulty is. On the surface, it can look inequitable. The KHSAA handles these situations in so much secrecy that it is more and more difficult to know what the rules really are. I understand why there should be privacy in many of these situations. I also believe there needs to be as much transparency as possible so everyone better understands the rules and how they are applied.

 

Does transparency really provide any benefit to those actually involved in the situation? Is it really fair, or even acceptable for specifics involving why someone moved really need to be divulged to the public? If I had to move my family due to job loss, illness, divorce, or whatever, that's really no one's business. To put that kind of stuff out there "just so the public can know how/why the rules were applied" isn't fair to the families of athletes, especially when non athletes can move around freely without any scrutiny or anyone even caring.

[barrel]

I don’t feel like it’s anyone’s business. It would be helpful for coaches and AD to have a case book.

[Voice of Reason]

I know of athletes in both scenarios that were ruled eligible. If you know of an athlete in either scenario who was ruled ineligible, there are likely specific circumstances related to that athlete that have caused him/her to be ruled ineligible.

 

And this is where the difficulty is. On the surface, it can look inequitable. The KHSAA handles these situations in so much secrecy that it is more and more difficult to know what the rules really are. I understand why there should be privacy in many of these situations. I also believe there needs to be as much transparency as possible so everyone better understands the rules and how they are applied.

 

Does transparency really provide any benefit to those actually involved in the situation? Is it really fair, or even acceptable for specifics involving why someone moved really need to be divulged to the public? If I had to move my family due to job loss, illness, divorce, or whatever, that's really no one's business. To put that kind of stuff out there "just so the public can know how/why the rules were applied" isn't fair to the families of athletes, especially when non athletes can move around freely without any scrutiny or anyone even caring.

 

Refer to the highlighted sentence in my post above.

[rjs4470]

Refer to the highlighted sentence in my post above.

 

I don’t know how you can have both transparency AND privacy.

[barrel]

You could possibly have the names and schools removed from the information. Athlete A, school B and the like could be used. Just like in a rule book how it references team A and team B. It would open up the KHSAA to possibly more challenges/battles though.

[Voice of Reason]

I don’t know how you can have both transparency AND privacy.

 

"as much as possible"

 

Yes you have to respect privacy but you can use general terms to explain why rulings were made a certain way. Also, not every situation is financially related either.

 

Transparency is very important for people who are considering a transfer. If it isn't clear what the KHSAA is going to rule in a case, then a family that is doing their best to follow the rules as they read them runs the risk of a gotcha decision. People need to know the rules to make sure they are following them. With the way things are now, it is a guessing game on the rules and whether the KHSAA will rule for or against you. The fact that this thread was started in the first place proves that point. With all the secrecy people don't know why some are eligible and some aren't.

[rjs4470]

"as much as possible"

 

Yes you have to respect privacy but you can use general terms to explain why rulings were made a certain way. Also, not every situation is financially related either.

 

Transparency is very important for people who are considering a transfer. If it isn't clear what the KHSAA is going to rule in a case, then a family that is doing their best to follow the rules as they read them runs the risk of a gotcha decision. People need to know the rules to make sure they are following them. With the way things are now, it is a guessing game on the rules and whether the KHSAA will rule for or against you. The fact that this thread was started in the first place proves that point. With all the secrecy people don't know why some are eligible and some aren't.

 

I hear you. But financial reasons aren’t the only reason I wouldn’t want out there for the world see as to why my kid might have transferred. Family issues, bullying, special education reasons are just a few that people don’t need to hear as to why Johnny Athlete wanted to change schools. I’m not a fan of a kid being forced to sit out for any reason. But since the KHSAA wants to limit movement, the vagueness that is present in the rules, really forces the parents to think twice about transferring and thus accomplishes their goal. Personally, I think people worry way too much about what others are doing. It’s High School sports for goodness sake. There are much bigger things for people to worry about than why someone else’s kid wants to transfer from school A to School B to and play a sport.