Louisiana’s LHSAA vote down one-time transfer rule

Earlier this week, Tennessee’s TSSAA adopted the one-time transfer rule, signed into law by Governor Bill Lee via Senate Bill 16, allowing student-athletes in the Volunteer State to become immediately eligible to compete after transferring schools one time without requiring a change of address.

Louisiana’s LHSAA proposed something similar at their convention in New Orleans on Thursday, but principals and administrators around the state decided to hold off on making such a move like their neighbors to the north.

According to a report by the Crescent City Sports, the one-time transfer bylaw was voted down by 82 percent of the 346 that voted on the measure. Of the principals and authorized representatives that casted their votes on the LHSAA proposal, 287 voted against and 59 in favor of the one-time transfer rule.

“I am not for it. I am wholeheartedly against it,” Barbe principal Troy Fontenot said via a GeauxPreps.com report. “We have voted this down the last two years, I believe. This is something that would probably benefit my school, but my biggest concern is the small schools. I can see it, ‘Why don’t you come be part of this program, you’re gonna get more publicity.’ You’re gonna kill smaller schools, and I can’t vote for that.”

Student-athletes transferring for athletic purposes has become a major sticking point, especially among schools down in the Southeast United States specifically.

Florida’s FHSAA rules allow student-athletes in full-time virtual, charter, or home education programs to participate in athletics at their zoned public school or through district-approved controlled open enrollment. The FHSAA is currently working with Florida legislation on a bill that would end student-athletes transferring and becoming eligible instantly during the season.

Over in South Carolina, legislators are looking to disband the 113-year old South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) as the state’s governing body over K-12 sports due to the lack of changes when it comes to additional safety measures and fair handling of student-athlete transfers tied to eligibility requirements around the state.

“Many of our state associations are facing a rising number of transfer requests for athletic purposes, which is where the line must be drawn,” National Federation of High Schools CEO Karissa Niehoff said via the GeauxPreps.com report. 

“Transfer rules must protect academics, provide opportunities for students, promote school and team unity, and a community-based experience. Transferring solely for athletic purposes should not be a part of high school sports.”

With growing pressure every year on states by lawmakers on loosening transfer bylaws, it seems more like a matter of when, not if, every state will begin having more advantageous rules geared toward student-athlete transfers. The LHSAA is just one of many states fighting an uphill battle that it will likely deal with on an annual basis.

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