http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/news/NewTransferBylaw.doc
New as of today:
http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/news/TransferQA2007.doc?mj=9
Updated 3-22-07
Minnesota State High School League
Bylaw 111, Transfer and Residence
Questions and Answers
Q. What do I need to do to open enroll before March 30, 2007?
A. You must contact the athletic administrator at the school you intend to transfer to and notify him or her of your desire to transfer to that school. The athletic administrator or another person with that responsibility assigned by the school will begin the transfer process. You should obtain a written verification form from the school that your application preceded the March 30, 2007 deadline.
Q. If I’m already open enrolled or attending a school that’s not in the area where I live, can I continue to go to that school and be eligible?
A. Yes, you can continue to attend your current school. The new transfer bylaw will not change your current eligibility status. Should you decide to transfer in the future, the conditions of the new bylaw would be applied.
Q. What information do I need to give a “new” school if I plan to transfer before March 30, 2007?
A. Each school will have their own intake process for new students. You should ask them what they need from you, but you should also obtain a written verification from the school that your application preceded the March 30, 2007 deadline.
Q. Do I need to get anything in writing from the school I plan to transfer to before the March 30, 2007 deadline?
A. Once you meet with the school and inform them of your intent to transfer, you should obtain a written verification from the school that your application preceded the March 30, 2007 deadline. The school will also keep your name on a master list and submit the list to the League.
Q. How will the school I transfer to identify me as a new student with full eligibility when I attend there in the fall of 2007? How will they know I’ve met the March 30, 2007 deadline?
A. All schools will submit a master list to the League indicating those students who have expressed their intent to transfer. If you have contacted the school by the deadline, the school will confirm your intent in writing.
Q. What if I register at a “new” school before March 30, 2007, and then decide not to go there and stay in my current school?
A. If you do not transfer, your eligibility status will not change at your current school.
Q. What if I’m not sure if I want to transfer to a “new” school but have registered before March 30, 2007? If I just go to a couple of practices before school starts and change my mind, can I go back to my old school and be eligible?
A. Your intent to transfer becomes an actual transfer if you participate in a practice or attend school at the new school.
Q. What happens if I don’t physically transfer to my “new” school before March 30, 2007?
A. If you physically transfer to your new school before the end of the current school year, you’ll be subject to conditions of the current bylaw. To be able to use the existing “One Time Free Move” under open enrollment you must declare your intent to transfer by the March 30 deadline. You should not physically transfer until you complete the school year at your current school.
Q. What is my eligibility status if I’m accepted as a transfer student but filled out all of the paperwork after the March 30, 2007 deadline?
A. If you do not declare your intent to transfer by the March 30 deadline, your eligibility will be subject to the rules of the new transfer bylaw.
Q. What if I just transfer to a new school after the March 30, 2007 deadline but don’t do so under open enrollment or anything else? Where am I eligible and at what level(s) am I eligible? What if I transfer after the school year ends?
A. If you transfer up until the conclusion of the 2006-2007 school year the current bylaw rules will apply, and the conditions of your transfer will determine your eligibility status. If you transfer after the conclusion of the 2006-2007 school year and you do not have a corresponding parent residence move from one school district attendance area to another school district attendance area, you will be ineligible for varsity competition at your new school for one calendar year, beginning with your first day of attendance at the new school.
Q. What if my school drops a sport I’m in? Can I transfer and be eligible at another school?
A. You are eligible to participate in the League sponsored programs at the school you attend. If the school does not offer a program or decides to drop a program, you would no longer be able to participate in that sport. If you transfer to a new school that offers that program, you will be subject to all of the conditions of the new transfer rule.
Q. Can my parents change guardians through the courts so that I can live with someone else, go to another school and be eligible at that school?
A. Guardianship is not recognized by the League for purposes of establishing residence. If your parents do not move to another school district attendance area, you will be ineligible for varsity participation at your new school for one calendar year, beginning with your first day of attendance at the new school.
Q. I know my parents have to move from one school district attendance area to another school district attendance area for me to be eligible at a “new” school. I know they also have to show lots of papers showing that they moved, but what if our cell phone has a different address than where we move?
A. There are a number of documents your school or the League may require from you to show proof of a bona fide parent residence move and occupancy. Your cell phone statement is one of those documents. The school has the responsibility of determining your eligibility and any residence information that does not match may delay or change your eligibility status.
Q. What if my parents have never been married? Can I live with each of them and still be eligible?
A. You can live with each of your parents and remain eligible at your school. The conditions of the transfer rule affect your eligibility when you transfer schools, not when you move between parents. You could attend school in the district where your mom lives and then move to live with your dad in another school district without changing your eligibility status at your current school. However, if you decide to move from one parent to another and also transfer schools, you will be subject to the conditions of the transfer bylaw.
Q. What if a school district has more than one school? How can I transfer and still be eligible?
A. A school district with more than one school will have attendance areas for each school. If you transfer between schools in one school district and you want to be fully eligible at the new school, your parents must move from your current school district attendance area to the other school district attendance area. Multiple high school districts may also have local attendance and eligibility issues that would be handled through a waiver process.
Q. What if none of the transfer reasons for eligibility apply to me? What can I do?
A. You should contact your “new” school’s athletic administrator who can, in turn, contact the League office regarding a possible waiver.
Q. What does public school district attendance area mean?
A. The term “public school district attendance area” shall be understood to refer to the area assigned to a specific high school by a Board of Education and shall not refer to a school district except in cases in which only one high school exists in a school district.
Q. What is a marking period? Can I stay in my current school and pick any marking period when I’m able to transfer to where my mom and dad moved and be eligible right away?
A. A marking period is defined by your school at the time you receive your grades. A marking period could be at the end of the quarter, trimester or semester, but this is an independent decision made at the local school level.
Q. Who decides when a marking period ends?
A. The school decides when the marking period ends.
Q. What if my school has a co-op and I transfer to another school in the co-op but my parents don’t move? Am I eligible for all of the sports and fine arts activities in the school to which I transferred?
A. No, you would only be eligible at the varsity level in the activities already cooperatively sponsored between the school from which you transferred and the “new” school to which you transferred.
Q. Does this transfer eligibility apply to fine arts activities too?
A. No. The transfer bylaw applies only to a student’s eligibility for participation in MSHSL athletic programs sponsored by the school the student attends.
Q. What if none of the transfer rules apply to me but I think my situation is unique and want to appeal? What do I do?
A. Your “new” school’s athletic/activities director can help you complete a waiver form, which would be submitted to your “old” school for verification. The form would then be sent to the League office for a final determination of eligibility.
