HUNTINGTON, W.V.a – The so-called “one-time transfer” law is no more, with Governor Patrick Morrisey signing a bill into law that turns oversight of high school student-athlete transfers back over to the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.
That decision is being praised by administrators and coaches statewide, as many believed the law permitting one transfer without restriction on eligibility diminished competitive balance and community pride in prep sports.
“There was a kid on a fall sports state championship team that transferred and played at a different school for basketball on the following Monday. We don’t want things like that. There’s another team that could potentially have been in the state football championship now that might even be struggling to field a team the following year. Nobody can say that that’s good,” Spring Valley High School athletic director Tim George said on MetroNews Talkline.
With the power returned to the WVSSAC, the organization’s Board of Controls convened on Tuesday and implemented an emergency rule that allows a one-time transfer for freshmen and sophomores, as well as a “transfer back” provision that permits students to return to their original school as long as it occurs before September 1 of their junior year.
George believes the changes will stop the trend of schools gaining or losing large numbers of players in a short period of time.
“I don’t want to have super teams. I don’t want to have super teams that turn into bottom dwellers. South Charleston High School didn’t have a girls’ basketball team this year, and I think a large part of that was this transfer law, and I hate to see that,” he said.
A number of coaches and administrators, including George, lobbied legislators throughout this year’s session to repeal the previous law and allow the SSAC to assert control again. George walked away with appreciation for the cooperation that made the bill happen.
“The legislature was great. I went and spoke at the Senate Education Committee. They had a lot of really good questions. They seemed to value my opinion, which I appreciate, and then we were able to move forward with that. That’s rewarding to see that we’re able to work together to solve problems in our state,” he said.
School choice advocates in the legislature questioned how eliminating the open transfer law would affect families’ abilities to make educational choices. The new WVSSAC rule tightens the limitations but is less restrictive than other previous policies.
“I think we found a middle ground. Here in West Virginia, I know that school choice is a big issue for a lot of people, and I think the school choice people were able to still have enough freedom there for them to do what they want to do,” George said.
The emergency rule put in place on Tuesday will remain in place for the next year, at which point the Board of Controls can develop a more permanent solution. At this time, George does not expect that to be very different.
“Next year at this time, we will have to pass a permanent rule, and I would imagine that if it’s not the same as our emergency rule, it will be pretty close, but things are always evolving in high school sports in West Virginia. That’s why it’s so important that the schools have control over the rule-making process,” he said.