OHSAA member schools approve transfer rule changes, vote down one measure for second time
Twelve of 13 referendum items passed during the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s recent voting period, the organization announced Tuesday.
The one that failed demonstrated a marked shift in opinion from a year ago.
An item that would have allowed public-school athletes to play a sport at a neighboring school if their home school did not offer that sport failed 427-374, with 13 schools abstaining. The same measure failed by only 13 votes a year ago, which the OHSAA said was the closest vote in what the organization called its “documented” history.
For instance, a lacrosse player who attends Bloom-Carroll — which does not offer that sport — would have been eligible to join the teams at Canal Winchester, Pickerington Central or Pickerington North had the measure passed. Both districts would have to approve such participation.
A Bloom-Carroll bowler would have been eligible to try out for the Lancaster, Pickerington or Teays Valley teams under the same rules.
OHSAA executive director Doug Ute called the measure, which was listed as Issue 1B on the ballot, this year’s “primary focus.”
“Last year, the conversation was dominated by the NIL proposal, which didn’t pass and had no momentum or requests to return to the referendum ballot this year,” Ute said. “With that topic on hold, Issue 1B was the primary focus this year and our office worked diligently to listen to our schools after last year’s close vote.”
Boys tennis: Which Columbus-area players will advance from district to state?
Among the items that passed:
A modification to the transfer bylaw stating that non-enrolled students participating in sports at their local public school may “transfer their participation opportunity back and forth between schools in between sports seasons (based on sports offered) without any transfer consequence” passed 625-156.
Once a student moves from one legal guardian to another in a different school district, the student cannot transfer back to their original school for at least a calendar year. This passed 718-77.
Additional language to an existing bylaw clarifies that a student cannot transfer schools to avoid a code of conduct violation penalty. Other language gives a school discretion on handling a new student’s indefinite athletic suspension at their previous school, although such a suspension has to last at least one calendar year, and the student’s new school must be notified of any violations. The measure passed 767-41.
A modification to the OHSAA’s constitution originally implemented in 2020 and informally known as the “COVID rule” was upheld 744-54. It gives the executive director the ability to suspend strict compliance with bylaws and any regulations impacted by the pandemic. The rule is being kept with modifications, including if “the suspension remains consistent with the underlying purpose of the rule being suspended and the suspension is a result of a natural disaster, a national/state emergency, or a force majeure.”
A resolution for schools to protect contact and personal information of contest officials, unless the official permits otherwise, passed 779-25.
All changes go into effect Aug. 1.
Votes are cast by high school principals.
All but four of the OHSAA’s 818 schools cast ballots, according to the organization, between May 1 and 4 p.m. Monday.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA schools approve transfer rule changes: What to know
