This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Utah High School Activities Association is contemplating tweaking its athletic transfer policy after the Executive Committee discussed two proposal changes to the current bylaw late last week.

The first proposal is more stringent, and designates students who transfer from the varsity level of UHSAA-sanctioned sports are automatically ineligible for one year (365 days from the date of enrollment at the new school), with the lone exception being full family relocations, which requires proven documentation.

In this proposal, students who have incurred a documented hardship may only submit a transfer of eligibility request for varsity competition in sports they have not rosters during grades 9-12. They will be eligible for sub-varsity competition.

The second proposal is designed to make the current process more efficient. It states examples intended to describe situations fulfilling the definition of hardship, which are death, divorce and change in residence.

The proposal also states hardship requests typically fall into three categories: harassment, intimidation and bullying; international baccalaureate; and medical questions. It clarifies the standard for what is expected from schools, students and parents in the process, specifically in the three aforementioned categories.

The concern about the increasing amount of students transferring has been a highly discussed and controversial subject in the local high school landscape. Utah currently adheres to an open enrollment law, which allows students to enroll at any school and participate in athletics without consequence, but after establishing eligibility — either by attending school or trying out for sports — the student must apply for a transfer request, which, if denied, can result in loss of eligibility.

The UHSAA handled a total of 2,025 transfer of eligibility applications in 2015-16, with 997 falling under the hardship category and 667 for change of residence. Foreign, international and national transfers combined for the remainder.

— Trevor Phibbs

Twitter: @trevorphibbs