Ciac Membership Adopts One Bylaw Change
At the 57th Annual Meeting held on May 22nd, the CIAC membership adopted one change to the CIAC bylaws. The change, which will go into effect on July 1, 2009, affects Section II.C of the CIAC Eligibility Rules, which is more commonly known as the Transfer Rule.
More specifically, the change will be embedded in exception #14 of the Transfer Rule which concerns the eligibility of an athlete who transfers to or from a State of Connecticut designated school of choice. The current rule does not speak to the eligibility of athletes who transfer in or out of a school of choice during the school year. Under the current regulations, an athlete who transfers in or out of a school of choice at a time other than the start of a school year is not subject to the provisions of the Transfer Rule. The newly adopted language will subject any student-athlete who transfers in or out of a choice school during the school year to the same restrictions as an athlete who transfers without a legal change of address.
New language (changes in CAPITAL LETTERS):
Section II.C (Student Eligibility)
(14) Athletes will be permitted to transfer UPON ENTERING grade ten to participate in any public school open choice plan enacted by the State Legislature or any state authorized charter, regional cooperative, vo-tech, inter-district satellite, magnet or other public school choice option. Transfers IN OR OUT OF A SCHOOL OF CHOICE may only take place once during grades 10, 11 or 12. STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO TRANSFER IN OR OUT OF A SCHOOL OF CHOICE AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL RETAIN THEIR ELIGIBILITY PROVIDING THEY ARE OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE. STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO TRANSFER OUT OF A SCHOOL OF CHOICE AT THE END OF A SCHOOL YEAR MUST RETURN TO THE SCHOOL TO WHICH THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN NORMALLY ASSIGNED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR BE SUBJECT TO THE TRANSFER RULE. STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO TRANSFER DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE SUBJECT TO ALL THE PROVISIONS OF THE TRANSFER RULE UNLESS THEY HAVE A LEGAL CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO A NEW SCHOOL DISTRICT OR MEET ONE OF THE EXCEPTIONS TO THE TRANSFER RULE. If a new charter, regional cooperative inter-district satellite, magnet or other public school choice option receives state approval subsequent to the year of a transfer, the athlete may transfer AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR to that school without loss of eligibility. TRANSFERS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE TRANSFER RULES.
More specifically, the change will be embedded in exception #14 of the Transfer Rule which concerns the eligibility of an athlete who transfers to or from a State of Connecticut designated school of choice. The current rule does not speak to the eligibility of athletes who transfer in or out of a school of choice during the school year. Under the current regulations, an athlete who transfers in or out of a school of choice at a time other than the start of a school year is not subject to the provisions of the Transfer Rule. The newly adopted language will subject any student-athlete who transfers in or out of a choice school during the school year to the same restrictions as an athlete who transfers without a legal change of address.
New language (changes in CAPITAL LETTERS):
Section II.C (Student Eligibility)
(14) Athletes will be permitted to transfer UPON ENTERING grade ten to participate in any public school open choice plan enacted by the State Legislature or any state authorized charter, regional cooperative, vo-tech, inter-district satellite, magnet or other public school choice option. Transfers IN OR OUT OF A SCHOOL OF CHOICE may only take place once during grades 10, 11 or 12. STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO TRANSFER IN OR OUT OF A SCHOOL OF CHOICE AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL RETAIN THEIR ELIGIBILITY PROVIDING THEY ARE OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE. STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO TRANSFER OUT OF A SCHOOL OF CHOICE AT THE END OF A SCHOOL YEAR MUST RETURN TO THE SCHOOL TO WHICH THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN NORMALLY ASSIGNED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR BE SUBJECT TO THE TRANSFER RULE. STUDENT-ATHLETES WHO TRANSFER DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE SUBJECT TO ALL THE PROVISIONS OF THE TRANSFER RULE UNLESS THEY HAVE A LEGAL CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO A NEW SCHOOL DISTRICT OR MEET ONE OF THE EXCEPTIONS TO THE TRANSFER RULE. If a new charter, regional cooperative inter-district satellite, magnet or other public school choice option receives state approval subsequent to the year of a transfer, the athlete may transfer AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR to that school without loss of eligibility. TRANSFERS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE TRANSFER RULES.