State high school league board approves new transfer rule

(AP) The Minnesota State High School League's board of directors unanimously decided on Thursday to tighten restrictions on varsity athletes who choose to transfer schools.

The league's 48-member representative assembly has the final say at a meeting on March 16. If the new rule is approved then, it would take effect March 30, league spokesman Howard Voigt said.

A student who elects to enroll in a different school for any reason other than permanent change of residence would be ineligible for varsity competition for one year at the new school.

The student would be able to maintain eligibility for one year at the previous school, however, or participate at a level lower than varsity.

"If you move with your parents from one place to another, there is no problem," Voigt said.

Currently, athletes can change schools once and be eligible for competition immediately, while a second transfer without a change of residence makes the athlete ineligible for the first half of any sports season.

But growing concern that the state's open enrollment law has been abused by athletes and their families in search of better teams or more playing time prompted this change. The one free transfer has been eliminated from the rule.

The final proposal didn't include attendance boundaries for private schools, which were strongly opposed to that idea.

Also Thursday, the board imposed a penalty for schools that don't comply with this week's suspension of wrestling competition.

Due to an outbreak of a skin infection, a virus called herpes gladiatorum, affecting 24 cases and 10 teams, the league told schools to halt all direct contact between wrestlers until next Tuesday. If a violation of that ban is verified by the league, Voigt said, the guilty team's eight-day suspension would restart on the day of noncompliance.