Talk of transfers, domiciles and private investigators were the hot-button topics at national meetings last week. Arizona is like practically every other states in the thick of those controversies, and now that the Arizona Interscholastic Association is allowed the use of a private investigator, questions of policing, enforcement and jurisdiction come to the forefront.
It wasn’t the only hot-button topic last weekend, however, and after sitting through a weekend’s worth of meetings and discussions with 40 other state’s high school governing authorities, AIA Executive Director Harold Slemmer is chewing over a few other ideas:
On the subject of what’s a “home” or “residence” (sticky terminology when it comes to families moving and transferring), Slemmer talked about a case in Nebraska where a high school athlete who was living with her family on a farm. Her coach moved to coach at a a different school in Lincoln, and to try and follow him, the student-athlete’s family claimed they also moved into a 700-square foot apartment.
Problem was the family had two parents and five children. The family farm was still operational so she was denied eligibilty. The family sued Nebraska claiming they were being discriminated against. It didn’t fly.
Oregon (and they’re not the only one) has a Prior Instruction Rule.
It means if a coach (high school or club coach, doesn’t mattter) either leaves to coach a different school or takes a coaching position at a school, a student-athlete who’s been coached or instructed in any way, shape or form by that coach in the past year, is not eligible to play the first season if they transfer.
The idea is to basically eliminate club coaches taking kids with them to their new school, and prevent kids from transferring all over the place (at least for a year).
I like it.
One final item which raised eyebrows.
The state of Alabama had approximately 900 ejections (coaches and athletes) from high school sports last year.
“I don’t think we’re even close to one-third of that,” Slemmer said.
In Mississippi, any coach or athlete who is ejected from competition costs that school $500.
