TSSAA Legislative Council to review new one-time transfer proposal at special meeting

Yahoo

25-02-2025

The TSSAA Legislative Council will hold a special meeting March 3 to discuss a proposal that would allow athletes one free transfer to another school without loss of eligibility if the transfer is for reasons unrelated to athletics.
The TSSAA staff proposed an addition to the eligibility bylaws that would allow students one free transfer to another school due to reasons of significant academic, social-emotional, environmental or mental health need as long as the sending school's administration could attest the move is not for athletic or disciplinary reasons.
The proposal comes as Tennessee legislators consider House Bill No. 0025, which if passed into law would change TSSAA transfer rules to allow athletes one free transfer without eligibility restrictions.
The TSSAA's long-standing transfer rule requires athletes who leave one school for another in a different zone to be ineligible for one calendar year from their last varsity game unless they have a bona fide change of address.
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The Council unanimously denied a proposal at its Feb. 4 meeting that would have allowed Tennessee high school athletes a one-time free transfer without eligibility restrictions regardless of the reason. That proposal, from Baylor School in Chattanooga, aligned with House Bill No. 0025.
The TSSAA released its new proposal Tuesday as an agenda item for the Council's special meeting. Days earlier, the TSSAA emailed Tennessee high school coaches a Google Form asking for input on transfer rules. The Tennessean obtained a screenshot of the survey, which contained one question: 'Are you in favor of one-time transfers with no restriction in varsity eligibility as proposed in House Bill 25?'
The Tennessean does not have access to the results of the survey.
A transfer by a new student under the new proposal must be consistent with three primary TSSAA objectives for member schools in its bylaws: to maintain academics as schools' primary mission; prevent the exploitation of students for athletic purposes; and foster fair competition among TSSAA member schools.
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The new proposal states the school from which the athlete is transferring would have to verify that the move is not for athletic or disciplinary reasons. The school would have seven days to provide verification of that; if the school doesn't, 'the conclusion will be made that the student meets the above-mentioned requirements."
After an athlete transfers one time, all eligibility issues will be addressed through the TSSAA's hardship rule, which requires a formal appeal to the TSSAA executive director.
The Council asked the TSSAA staff at its previous meeting to create potential changes to the residence rule because its exception for boarding school students creates a competitive advantage.
The TSSAA's current residency rule allows boarding students to gain immediate athletic eligibility without a bona fide change of address if transferring from 20 or more miles away. Transfer students at non-boarding private schools and public schools aren't allowed to do that unless the TSSAA grants them a hardship waiver, or if their entire family unit moves into the zone to which they're transferring.
The Council will consider several options at its meeting next week, including eliminating the residence rule; not allowing athletic eligibility for an international student who has completed the secondary school requirements in his/her country of origin; or requiring all students changing schools in the 11th or 12th grade to be living with a parent. If a student is not living with a parent, the student must have lived with the person for at least twelve months before changing schools.
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at [e-mail] and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA writes new one-time tranfser proposal