Wisconsin State Association Sued for Preventing Student From Playing Under Transfer Policy

A lawsuit against the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association and the Baraboo School District alleges the two are unjustly preventing a student from competing in sports.

The lawsuit was filed by the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty on behalf of the girl’s family.

As reported by Benjamin Cadigan of Madison NBC affiliate WMTV, associate counsel Skylar Croy, the family’s lawyer, says a WIAA policy that prevents students from playing sports for one year after they change schools should not apply in this case.

“My impression is that there are bureaucrats in Stevens Point, where the WIAA is headquartered, that do not understand that their rule is to help the young citizens of Wisconsin,” Croy said, as reported by WMTV. “And instead, they lost sight of their mission, and they are just arbitrarily and captiously using a rule because they have a rule on their books that said what it says, and they don’t like that someone tried to get an extenuating circumstances exception.”

The student left her private school, which did not have any sports teams, to attend Baraboo High School because her family was going through a tough time financially.

“The WIAA does not have any statutory or constitutional authorities to wield government power, which is essentially what’s it’s doing,” Croy said. “It’s telling a student that she cannot participate in a co-curricular activity sponsored by tax dollars.”

The WIAA ruled that the transfer counts under their policy, and Baraboo High School followed that decision, meaning the girl could not play sports for one year, Cadigan reported.

WMTV reached out to the WIAA, and an association spokesperson released the following statement:

"The WIAA has been made aware of the lawsuit. Because this is a pending legal matter, the WIAA does not have further comment at this time."