State of Washington Loosens Transfer Rules for HS Student-Athletes

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association this week approved measures to make it easier for high school student-athletes to transfer. 

According to The News Tribune, the WIAA approved a one-time transfer for student-athletes during their four-year high school career after they’ve established their initial eligibility at a high school.

The new rule establishes that a student-athlete who transfers will be ineligble for varsity competition for 40% of the maximum number of allowable contests for sports played the previous year, as defined by each sport's specific rules, in the school year following the transfer. 

Previously, high school students were only allowed to transfer to another school and reating their varsity elgiblity during the following calendar year if their family relocated. There were fe exceptions to the previous rule. 

Some coaches have voiced concerns about maintaining parity if the new rule passed. Proponents of the rule said that student-athletes and their families should have free choice of which school they attend and their athletic legibility should not be affected. 

The Tribune reported that the one-time transfer rule was a sort of compromise between the current rules and a full-fledged open transfer portal, which currently exists at the college level in the NCAA.