CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Oversight of athletic eligibility for high school transfer students is the governor’s signature away from going back to the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission.
The state Senate passed House Bill 4425, repealing the so-called “one-time transfer” law that the legislature passed in 2023. With the previous law repealed, the WVSSAC regains the ability to set rules for athletic transfers, and the ability for athletes to transfer once during their high school years without losing eligibility is eliminated.
One of the original transfer law’s supporters spoke fiercely against it, with Sen. Amy Nichole Grady, R-Mason, closing the debate. She stated that despite the concerns of her colleagues, the transfer debate is not about school choice or academics.
“It’s all about athletics—all of it. Our current free-to-transfer law might seem harmless on the surface, and I think our intent when we did it was good, but in so many cases it’s damaged the integrity of high school sports,” she said.
The Senate voted to pass the bill, 20-14, after an extensive floor discussion with numerous senators speaking in favor of and against the legislation. Sen. Scott Fuller, R-Wayne, passionately denounced coaches who have taken advantage of the transfer law.
“That’s a form of bullying when you are a coach and you have that power to bring in people. That coach isn’t thinking about these kids, and that bothers me. It truly bothers me that they would rather win a doggone game than think about these kids that have worked for their entire life to get to that point, to finally get on that team, wear that jersey, and represent their school,” he said.
Among the senators to speak against the measure was Sen. Brian Helton, R-Raleigh, who spent decades coaching boys’ basketball at Greater Beckley Christian School.
“We have schools that do things really well, and we have schools that don’t do things so well, and a lot of that’s the judgment of the parents, the taxpayers, the people that pay the bills,” he said.
Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, stood up as one of the Senate’s most staunch supporters of school choice. She argued that data shows a significant number of transfers at only a few schools, and repealing the law would hurt more students than it helps.
“Because of, clearly, a problem in 15 schools, we have decided that no student in West Virginia deserves the right to transfer without being punished,” she said.
As one of the most vocal voices on the bill through the committee process, Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, stated that after speaking directly with members of the WVSSAC, he flipped to a no vote because he said officials did not provide a concrete plan for how to improve the situation.
“They swung me the other way, and so I think that, probably, the organization is not willing to make all those decisions that I would like them to make and fix things, so I’m going to vote no on this one,” he said.
The voices in favor of the bill proved stronger, though, with others standing in favor of it, like Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam. Tarr explained that he supported the one-time transfer law when the legislature passed it but views that vote as a mistake.
“It allowed for so much more abuse of it beyond just parental choice. It gets right down to bribery, where you’re being offered large sums of cash to move your kid to a school,” he said.
With the bill headed to Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s desk, changes could come in a matter of weeks if the legislation becomes law. WVSSAC Executive Director Wayne Ryan said in a previous committee meeting that an emergency rule could be adopted by the organization’s Board of Controls at its meeting later this month.
Ryan issued a statement Friday afternoon:
The WVSSAC appreciates the West Virginia Legislature for its action to repeal the current transfer statute. The Commission thanks members of both the House of Delegates and the Senate for their diligence and for recognizing the importance of maintaining a clear and consistent framework for interscholastic athletics across the state.
With today’s vote by the Senate, the WVSSAC will move forward with the process of promulgating a transfer rule that provides school choice for families while establishing reasonable guidelines that support competitive balance and stability for member schools.
The WVSSAC remains committed to doing what is best for student-athletes, schools, and communities across West Virginia.