How To Keep Your Teams and Student-Athletes Eligible in the CIF Southern Section: Navigating the Residential Transfer Policies and Procedures

(Note from author Chris Fore: This is a LONG read that is only for Administrators, Athletic Director, Coaches, Parents and or Student-Athletes in the CIF-Southern Section as it pertains to the CIF-Southern Section policies and procedures regarding transferring.)

It seems like every year, there are games forfeited for simple oversights, or blatant disregard for the rules that have been put into place. The CIF Southern Section Blue Book is very long, at more than 200 pages. It is loaded with rules and bylaws. At the end of the day, Principals are ultimately responsible for making sure that the rules and bylaws are followed to a T!

Principals get themselves in trouble for a few main reasons.

First and foremost, we are seeing more and more Principals come to their Principalship with zero coaching or athletic backgrounds. 15, 20, 30 years ago, many administrators and Principals were former Head Coaches. Now, we see Athletic Directors and Assistant Principals over athletics who have been a Head Coach or even coached a day in their lives.

Second, Principals do not have time for the day-to-day details of the athletic department, so they hire either Assistant Principals or Athletic Directors or both to assist them in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. And sometimes those folks responsible for the oversight either don’t have time, or don’t make the time to lead the program with fidelity.

Third, they make poor hires who do not understand and or believe in education-based athletics. More and more coaches are being hired who are not educators. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. There are many, many fine men and women who are not educators, who have dedicated their lives to coaching. But when you hire coaches who are so far removed from the school that they do not really believe in the purpose of high school athletics, or the mission and vision of how athletics fits into the school purpose, Principals find themselves in trouble.

I’ve spoken with multiple Principals over the years who have never even read the Blue Book. They contacted me when their school got into trouble. The first thing they usually ask is “Was this really my job?”

The short answer: Yes!

This article will outline many of the different rules and bylaws having to do with transfers of the Southern Section specifically. (There are 10 “sections” of the California Interscholastic Federation; I’ve spent all but two of my years as an Assistant Coach, Head Coach, Athletic Director, Assistant Principal of Athletics, and Principal in the Southern Section which has almost 600 schools, and is the largest in CA.)

The Blue Book words are in blue and in italics. Let’s first look at the duties of the Principal.

DUTIES OF THE PRINCIPALS (p 47)

The principals shall verify the athletic eligibility of a student who has transferred to another school when requested to do so by an administrator from the second school.

503. ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT (p 102)

The principal of each school shall be held responsible for the amateur standing and eligibility of the school’s teams and team members under CIF, Section, and league rules. A. Schools shall be responsible to confirm the eligibility status for all students participating in interscholastic athletics at their schools as required by the State CIF Federated Council, local Section, and leagues.

Let’s take a look at the eligibility requirements as they pertain specifically to residential eligibility for student-athletes, and why they exist. This is not going to address the academic eligibility requirements, just the residential and transfer eligibility requirements, bylaws, etc.

200. CIF STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FOR INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC COMPETITION (p. 54)

PHILOSOPHY: The CIF, as the governing body of high school athletics, affirms that athletic competition is an important part of the high school experience and that participation in interscholastic athletics is a privilege. The privilege of participation in interscholastic athletics is available to students in public or private schools who meet the democratically established standards of qualification as set forth by the CIF Federated Council.

There are many different pieces of eligibility. Some refer to them as “layers” of eligibility. For example, academic eligibility means that a student-athlete must have a 2.0 GPA, or use an academic waiver.

Let’s look at the specific pieces related to “residential eligibility,” where an athlete lives, as this is most definitely the most talked about, the most debated, the most common form of eligibility that gets students and their schools into “trouble.”

The CIF establishes the standards of eligibility to participate in interscholastic athletics to include the following: (pg 54)

(7) Residential Eligibility

a. Initial Residential Eligibility
b. Continuing Residential Eligibility
c. Valid Change of Residence

Most folks don’t understand this, but CIF doesn’t really care where your initial eligibility is. As long as a district allows you to move into their district for school, that’s fine with CIF. For instance, you live in the Yellow School District, but you want your kid to go to the Blue School District. As long as the Blue School District gives you permission to attend their school, and the Yellow District releases you, CIF is good. This is called an Inter-district Transfer. Some districts in the Southern Section allow this, and some do not.

The first school that a student starts at, as a freshman, is their “initial residential eligibility.”

206. RESIDENTIAL ELIGIBILITY (p. 67)
A. Initial Residential Eligibility – A student has residential eligibility upon initial enrollment in:

(1) The 9th grade of any CIF high school, a CIF junior high school, or a junior high school under provisions of Bylaw 303;
OR
(2) The 10th grade of any CIF high school from 9th grade of a junior high school in United States.

Now, this phrase here “Valid Change of Residence” or what those of us who have been in the business for a long time call a “VCR” is the most disputed and most talked about bylaw in the Southern Section.

C. Valid Change of Residence (p. 68)

A student may be determined to be residentially eligible when a student, whose parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver with whom the student was living when the student established residential eligibility at the prior school (School A), completes a valid change of residence as described herein when the following conditions are met:

(1) A valid change of residence must be made FROM a residence located in the public high school attendance area, (School A’s attendance area) even if the student is not currently attending nor ever has attended the school in which attendance area they reside, TO another public high school’s attendance area (School B’s attendance area).

(2) School A may be a CIF‐member school or a non‐CIF‐member school or may be a school located outside of the United States.

(3) Definition of a Valid Change of Residence

A valid residence is defined as the location where the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver (with whom eligibility has been established) live with that student and thereby have the use and enjoyment of that location as a residence. A valid change of residence for eligibility purposes requires the former residence to have been vacated by the entire family for use as its residence. For athletic eligibility purposes, a student (with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver with whom residential eligibility has been established) may only have one primary valid residence at one time.

Notice a few very important items here that most people do not understand.

First of all, living with mom during freshman year at the Yellow School, but then wanting to transfer to the Red School because their Chess team is doing much, much better, and dad lives over in that area, this would NOT be a “Valid Change of Residence” because mom didn’t move.

Second, notice that the former residence must be “vacated.” This means empty. Nobody living there, your things are not left there to move back into later.

Third, you can’t just rent an apartment over there at the Red Chess School because this bylaw says very specifically that you may only have one primary valid residence at a time.

CIF kindly spells this out further below. It’s very black and white. There really isn’t any “gray area” left after the following definitions.

(4) Determination of What Constitutes a Valid Change of Residence

Determination of what constitutes a valid change of residence depends upon the facts in each case. In determining that a valid change of residence occurred, the following facts must exist:

a. The original residence must be abandoned as a residence by the immediate family. The new school is responsible for validating this fact; AND

b. The student’s entire immediate family must make the change of primary residence and take with them the household goods and furniture appropriate to the circumstances. For eligibility purposes, a family unit may not maintain more than one primary residence; AND

c. The change of primary residence must be genuine, without fraud or deceit and with permanent intent; AND

d. A request for transfer eligibility based on a valid change of residence by the student’s entire immediate family must be supported by documentation. Documentation may be cumulative and no single document or any combination of documents listed below will be considered as definitive that a valid change of residence occurred. The documents must support a finding by the Section that a valid change of residence by the student’s entire immediate family occurred prior to participation at the new school; that the previous residence was vacated as required above in paragraphs a., b. and c. and that the family no longer has the use and enjoyment of that former residence.

The Section Commissioner and new school may request additional documents they deem necessary to establish that a valid change of residence occurred as defined above.

Evidence may include: Property tax receipts, Bank account statements, Credit card statements

The Section Commissioner and/or school have the discretion to request additional documents that he/she deems necessary to confirm residency. Examples may include:

Real estate documents indicating and verifying a change of residence (sale and purchase, for instance)
Court documents indicating a change of residence
Declaration of residency executed by the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)/ caregiver
Operative telephone and utility service at the student’s new residence and terminated at the former residence
Utility service receipt
Proof of paying for utilities at the new residence including phone, gas, electricity, water, cable television, and garbage collection
Proof of submitting a change of address to the U.S. Postal Service to receive mail at the new residence
Proof of transfer of the parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver and age‐appropriate student’s motor vehicle registration
Proof of changed address on the parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver and age‐appropriate student driver’s license
Voter registration listing the new address; • Proof of entering a long‐term lease (minimum of 12 calendar months)
Rent payment receipts

Now, if you are anticipating a move, you can’t just move and start playing at that new school. CIF bylaws don’t prevent you from changing to that school, and attending classes. They don’t govern that. But you can’t start playing sports until your parent moves too.

(5) Change in School Enrollment Made in Anticipation of a Valid Change of Residence

If a student transfers to a high school in advance of the anticipated change of residence by the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver with whom the student was living when the student established residential eligibility, the student shall become eligible when the parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver actually complete a valid change of residence.

Now, let’s say you get into a bad situation at your high school. You know that they are going to expel you, so you transfer schools. Or, you get suspended for 5 days, and decide to bail. CIF has thought about that as well, even if you do move. In fact, the school you just left has to “sign off” through an electronic form. I’ve signed off on a lot of these over the years. And one of the 3 questions asks about your discipline. It asks if the student was transferring with any pending discipline.

(7) Valid Change of Residence After a Discipline Situation (p. 70)

Such a student will not be granted residential eligibility except as outlined in Bylaw 209 if the student is changing residence and schools, voluntarily or if compelled by the former school or district, as a result of a disciplinary situation at the previous school.

It always seems to really surprise people when a student plays chess at the Green School for 3 matches, but then transfers to the Purple School for Chess during the week of the 4th match. Are you really allowed to do that? Yes, yes you are. Check it out.

(9) Same Sport at Two Different Schools

No student shall be eligible to participate in the same sport at two different schools in the same school year unless the student changed schools as a result of a valid change of residence. In the event of a change of schools due to a valid change of residence, a student will be allowed to participate in the same sport at two different schools not to exceed, in total, the maximum number of contests in that sport as established by the CIF and/or the CIF Section.

What if I have a Valid Change of Address, but I moved due to athletic reasons? Can I play chess at that new school if I moved there because they have much, much better chess pieces than the school I’m at now? I mean, you should SEE those chess boards at the Orange School!

(10) Athletically Motivated Valid Change of Residence

If a student completes a valid change of residence as provided in Bylaw 206.C.(1‐5), a student may not be eligible to participate at any level if there is evidence the move was athletically motivated or the student enrolled in that school in whole or in part for athletic reasons.

Question: What is meant by an athletically motivated move or transfer?

Answer: Based on the CIF philosophy that the students attend school to receive an education first; athletic participation is secondary, (the CIF Southern Section) Office may limit eligibility for a student when there is evidence the transfer, or move is made to acquire athletic participation at School B. Such evidence of an athletically motivated move may be, but is not limited to:

Transferring to a School after Participating on a Non‐School Athletic Team, Camp or Clinic Associated with the School
Transferring to a School Where a Former High School Coach has Relocated
A demonstrated move or transfer that is prompted by association with club programs or outside agencies that use the facilities of the new school.
Evidence that multiple students have transferred or changed schools to participate in a particular sports program at one (1) school.

Any time at all that a student moves from the Yellow School to the Red School, or the Orange School to the Yellow School, there is a process by which the “receiving school,” that means the school the student is transferring TO, must submit an electronic transfer form on the CIF website. This must be done BEFORE a student-athlete can participate in any athletic event, AND the student-athletes is not allowed to participate until the CIF office has made a decision. Anyone, including you, can look up any transfer student at any school to find out if that student has been “cleared” by the CIF office.

Here is the link to do so. Here is what it looks like. You’ll see that Jackson Stremick put in for a Valid Change of Residence, and CIF agreed that it was “valid” and granted him immediate eligibility in all sports at any level.

But Henry Clemo must use his “Sit Out Period” because he did not have a “Valid Change of Residence.” It looks like he played both volleyball and basketball at his former school. As you’ll see he has the option of playing JV in both sports for the whole season, or missing about half the year in both sports, and playing varsity.

Along the lines of transfers, CIF gives a clear definition below of what makes a transfer student a “transfer” student.

207. TRANSFER ELIGIBILITY

A. Determination of Transfer Student Status‐Standards of Enrollment

A student shall be considered to be a transfer student when:
a. the student has attended class at their former school (School A); AND/OR
b. the student has played in an athletic contest for their former school; AND/OR
c. the student has tried out for or practiced with a team prior to the beginning of the school year for 5 days or more; AND
d. that student withdraws from School A or has completed the courses in which they were enrolled in at School A, so that student is no longer enrolled in any way at School A; AND
e. that student enrolls as a full‐time student in a new school (School B).

THEN that student shall be determined to be enrolled in and having transferred to School B if all conditions of 201.A.(1) are met.

B. CIF Transfer Rule (p. 72)

All students transferring at any time during their enrollment in high school, to a CIF member school after their initial enrollment in the 9th grade in any school shall have their eligibility determination made in compliance with the following 207.B. Bylaws except:

Those making a valid change of residence; OR
Those transferring as a result of discipline.

(1) Mandatory Applications for Eligibility Determination

All such transfer students addressed in 207 must complete the respective CIF Section‐required Application form. This form must be submitted to the CIF Section for an eligibility determination which the CIF Section Commissioner shall render in writing within twenty (20) business days of receipt unless a shorter time frame has been so designated. No transfer student is eligible to compete for their new school of enrollment until a determination has been made by their respective CIF Section.

This is done online through the CIF website. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete this form online. Once School B (the new school where the student has transferred TO) puts all of the necessary information in, the School A (the former school) gets an email. That email tells the School A’s administration that a student-athlete has transferred to School B. Usually, they are aware of that transfer, but not always.

The online form asks a few questions including verification of the identifying information, what dates the student was enrolled at your school, what their GPA was when they left, what sports they participated in, and if the student left the school with any pending disciplinary action.

It is a simple online form that takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

Below we will learn about “Pre-Enrollment Disclosure Requirements.” This is where you would document any and all communication that a student-athlete or their parents had with anyone from that new school before they were enrolled. In some cases, this is “recruiting” and in other cases it is not.

It’s very black and white, and very obvious what one needs to disclose, or make CIF aware about: it’s literally ANY contact you had. Maybe you ran into the Head Coach at the grocery store and asked questions about his football programs. That isn’t necessarily “illegal” depending on how that conversation went. Or, let’s say you attended an “Open House” at the school to learn more about what they have to offer. Obviously, you did that before enrolling in the school, and you had a lot of “pre enrollment communication.” This gets schools, coaches and student-athletes in trouble often because no pre-enrollment communication was disclosed. I assume that’s always a red flag to the CIF office.

(2) Pre‐Enrollment Disclosure Requirements

Pre‐enrollment contact may include, but is not limited to: any communication of any kind, directly or indirectly, with the student, parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver, relatives, or friends of the student about the athletic programs at a school; orientation/ information programs, shadowing programs; attendance at outside athletic or similar events by anyone associated with the school to observe the student; participation by the student in programs supervised by the school or its associates before enrollment in the school per Bylaws 201.A.(1) &(4).

So, please remember that this is article is not in the same order as the Blue Book. The reason I put things out of order is so that you can understand them a little better. For instance, below is the result of the Pre-Enrollment disclosures, and what each party is responsible for.

Pre‐Enrollment Communication or Contact (Domestic & International Transfers)

A student who transfers from School A to School B, as described in Bylaws 207.A. and 207.B. above, shall not be eligible for interscholastic athletics at School B until application, under the appropriate CIF Section procedures, is completed, including the following:

(1) Mandatory Parent/ Student Certification

Any and all pre‐enrollment contact of any kind whatsoever with a student must be disclosed by the student, parent(s)/ guardian(s)/caregiver, and the schools involved to their respective CIF Section office on a completed CIF Pre‐Enrollment Contact Affidavit. Pre‐enrollment contact may include, but is not limited to: any communication of any kind, directly or indirectly, with the student, parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver, relatives, or friends of the student about the athletic programs at a school; orientation/ information programs, shadowing programs; attendance at outside athletic or similar events by anyone associated with the school to observe the student; participation by the student in programs supervised by the school or its associates before enrollment in the school per Bylaws 201.A.(1) and (4).

(2) Mandatory Former School Certification

The principal and athletic director of School A shall attest that to the best of their knowledge they have no credible evidence* of any person: who is connected with the athletic department of School B; who is part of the booster club of School B; or who is acting on their behalf, having communication, directly or indirectly, through intermediaries or otherwise, with the transfer student, student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver, or anyone acting on behalf of the student, prior to the completion of the enrollment process.

Definition of Credible Evidence *Credible evidence is considered as evidence which proceeds from a trustworthy source; evidence which is so natural, reasonable and probable as to make it easy to believe; information which is obtained from authentic sources or from the statements of persons who are not only trustworthy, but also informed as to the particular matter; that which is not mere speculation, or rumor.

(3) Mandatory New School Certification

The principal, athletic director and head coach of School B shall certify that to the best of their knowledge, no person: who is connected with the athletic department of School B; who is part of the booster club of School B; or who is acting on their behalf, has had communication, directly or indirectly, through intermediaries or otherwise, with the transfer student, student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver, or anyone acting on behalf of the student, prior to the completion of the enrollment process.

(4) Club Coach Association with new School (student transfers to a new school which a coach from the student’s non‐ CIF sports participation experience is associated) The transfer of a student from his or her current school of attendance with or without a valid change of residence (Bylaw 206) to any CIF member high school where the student participated, during the previous 24 months, on a non‐ school athletic team, (i.e. AAU, American Legion, club team, etc.) that is associated with the new school in the sports previously participated in shall be considered prima facie evidence (sufficient evidence) of undue influence/recruiting by the school to which the student transfers. Such transfer may be considered prima facie evidence (sufficient evidence) that the student enrolled in that school in whole or part for athletic reasons. A team associated with the school is one that is organized by and/or coached by any member of the coaching staff at, or any other person associated** with, that school and/or on which the majority of the members of the team (Participants in practice and/or competition) are students who attend that school. When a prima facie case (sufficient evidence) of undue influencing/recruiting exists, the student shall be ineligible to represent the new school in interscholastic athletic competition for a period of one calendar year from the date of the student’s enrollment in the new school in all sports in which the student participated at any school in the last twelve months and/or the sport with which the coach referenced herein is associated, unless sufficient proof is presented to the satisfaction of the Section Commissioner that rebuts or disproves the evidence of undue influence/recruiting for athletic reasons.

Definition of Persons Associated With School **Defined as: Persons associated with a school include, but are not limited to; current or former coaches, current or former athletes, parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver of current or former student/athletes, booster club members, alumni, spouses or relatives of coaches, teachers and other employees, coaches who become employed, active applicants for coaching positions, and persons who are employed by companies or organizations that have donated athletic supplies, equipment or apparel to that school.

(5) Relocation of Former High School Coach (Domestic and International Transfers)

A student at any grade level who transfers to a new school within one calendar year of the relocation of his/her former high school coach to that school with or without a corresponding valid change in residence shall be considered prima facie evidence (sufficient evidence) of undue influence/recruiting by the school to which the student transfers or may be considered prima facie evidence (sufficient evidence) that the student enrolled in that school in whole or in part for athletic reasons (See Bylaw 510). When a prima facie case (sufficient evidence) of undue influence/recruiting exists, the student shall be ineligible to represent the new school in interscholastic athletic competition for a period of one calendar year from the date of the student’s enrollment in the new school in all sports 81 in which the student participated at any school in the last twelve months and/or the sport with which the coach referenced herein is associated, unless sufficient proof is presented to the satisfaction of the Section Commissioner that rebuts or disproves the evidence of undue influence/recruiting for athletic reasons.

(6) Athletically Motivated Transfers (Copied from Bylaw 510.E) (p. 82)

The CIF, as the governing body of high school athletics, affirms that athletic competition is an important part of the high school experience and that participation in interscholastic athletics is a privilege. The privilege of participation in interscholastic athletics is available to students in public or private schools who meet the democratically established standards of qualification as set forth by the CIF Federated Council. As stated in CIF Bylaw 200.A.(6) the CIF Bylaws shall serve as a deterrent to students who transfer or change schools for athletic reasons and to individuals who attempt to recruit (unduly influence) student‐athletes or their parents to enroll in a school because of athletics. As stated in CIF Bylaw 200.A.(2) the CIF Bylaws reinforce the principle that students attend school to receive an education first; athletic participation is secondary. CIF Bylaws provide for individual Section Offices to limit eligibility for a student when there is evidence the transfer, or move is made to acquire athletic participation at their new school (School B). Students may be determined by their respective CIF/Section Office or the CIF to have made an athletically motivated transfer or change in schools under any of the basis listed in CIF Bylaw 510.E.(1)‐(3). (Revised April 2017 Federated Council)

(7) Disclosure (p. 82)

Any pre‐enrollment communication as described above must be disclosed in full, and in writing, to the appropriate Section. The Section Commissioner shall determine if the pre‐enrollment communication is a violation of Bylaw 510.

(8) Clearance of Pre‐Enrollment Contact (p. 82)

A student with whom contact or communication has occurred, as described in C.(1) above, and who meets all other CIF Section transfer waiver requirements, may become eligible upon determination that:

The communication was completely unrelated to any aspect of School B; AND
Was of a type that, from the objective point of view of a reasonable person disinterested in the win/loss record of School B, does not have an effect upon the integrity of interscholastic athletics at School A or School B.

(9) Penalties (p. 82)

Failure to disclose pre‐enrollment communication with School B persons, identified in C.(2) above, to disclose any pre‐enrollment contact, or communicate in writing to the appropriate Section as described in C.(3) above may result in:

a. A forfeiture of all games in which the student participated; AND/OR b. Disqualification from playoff and championship competition for all seasons in which the student is a member of the school’s team. (A student shall be considered a member of the school’s team if he or she participated in any aspect of an interscholastic contest, no matter how brief such participation may have been); AND/OR
c. Divestment from the school of all trophies, banners and other indicia of athletic success obtained while the student was a member of the school’s team.

When a student transfers, and the online paperwork is submitted to the CIF office, there are only a few different results: Limited Eligibility, Varsity Eligibility, Unlimited Eligibility. Each of these are defined below.

Limited Eligibility Applications

Any student who submits a limited eligibility application to their respective CIF Section may be made eligible to play at the sub‐varsity level in any sports in which they have participated at any previous school in the twelve months prior to this transfer under the following conditions:

a. The student was academically eligible at the time of transfer from the former school. Students who are academically ineligible at their previous school will not be eligible to compete at their new school until the requirements in Bylaw 205 are met and the new school has completed a grading period to verify that the student has met the CIF and school district academic eligibility requirements. A student cannot gain academic probation at the new school to fulfill this requirement if not available at prior school; AND

b. The principal of the former school attests in writing that the move was not made in violation of Bylaw 510; AND

c. The student is not transferring either voluntarily or because their former school has determined they must withdraw, because of a disciplinary infraction at the former school as defined in Bylaw 209.C.(1); AND

d. The student is not found by the CIF Section to have transferred to a school where their former high school coach has relocated or where a club coach, with whom they have been associated, is coaching per Bylaw 207.C.(4) or (5); AND

e. No student shall be eligible to participate in the same sport at two different schools in the same school year unless the student changed schools as a result of a valid change of residence or pursuant to a hardship approved by their respective CIF section; AND

f. A completed Limited Transfer Application is received by the respective CIF Section Office and has been processed and approved; AND

g. The student who is approved by their respective CIF Section office and competes in a contest at the sub‐varsity level following such approval and before the “Sit Out Period” (SOP) dates described in B.(5)b.(ix) below, is ineligible for and may not compete at the varsity level in that sport for the remainder of that school year. This applies through the end of any Section, Regional or State championship finals in that sport; AND

h. The student has not been determined by their respective CIF Section Office or the CIF to have made a transfer or change in schools in violation of Bylaw 510.

Varsity Eligibility Applications (Non‐Hardship Sit Out Period)

Any student who transfers for the first time since their initial enrollment in the 9th grade in any school, or if the first transfer of schools for this student was granted due to an approved CIF hardship, or a valid change of residence and whose circumstances causing the transfer do not meet any of the Hardship Exceptions, may become eligible for varsity competition for the sport(s) in which they competed in the last 12 months at the former school or any other school, upon submission, review and approval by their respective CIF Section under the following provisions:

a. This is the student’s first transfer since they first enrolled anywhere in the 9th grade or had their first transfer determined to be a CIF hardship circumstance [207.B.(5).c.]; or a valid change of residence AND

b. The student was academically eligible at the time of transfer from the former school; AND

c. The principal of the former school attests in writing that the move was not made in violation of Bylaw 510; AND

d. The student is not transferring either voluntarily or because their former school has determined they must withdraw, because of a disciplinary infraction at the former school as defined in Bylaw 209.C.(1); AND

e. The student is not found by the CIF Section to have transferred to a school where their former high school coach has relocated or where a club coach with whom they have been associated is coaching, per Bylaw 207.C.(4) or (5); AND

f. Student has not been determined by their respective CIF Section Office or the CIF to have made a transfer or change in schools in violation of Bylaw 510; AND

g. No student shall be eligible to participate in the same sport at two different schools in the same school year unless the student changed schools as a result of a valid change of residence or pursuant to a hardship approved by their respective CIF Section; AND

h. The student has not competed at the new school at the sub‐varsity level in that sport following the transfer during the current school year; AND

i. The student shall remain out of any competition at any level in each sport in which they competed in the last 12 months at the former school or any other school in accordance with the following Sit Out Periods (SOP): The Sit Out Period will be 50% of the total number of days in that particular season of sport. The number of days in a season is determined by each Section in accordance with their first allowable competition date through the final regular season competition date. If the total number of days in a season is an odd number, then the Sit Out Period would be 50% plus one additional day.

Unlimited Eligibility Applications

Exceptions to the determination of limited eligibility under 207.B. (application for unlimited residential eligibility in all sports) may be applied for by the new school on behalf of the student. Consideration for unlimited residential eligibility will be given by the respective CIF Section upon review of the application ONLY under the following provisions.

a. The student was scholastically eligible at the time of transfer from the former school. AND

b. The student is NOT transferring, either voluntarily or because their former school has determined they must withdraw, because of a disciplinary infraction at the former school; AND

c. The student is NOT found by the CIF Section to have transferred to a school where their former high school coach has relocated or where a club coach, with whom they have been associated, is coaching; AND

d. The student has not been determined by their respective CIF Section Office or the CIF to have made a transfer or change in schools in violation of Bylaw 510; AND

e. The student has not competed at the new school at the sub‐varsity level in that sport at any time following the transfer to the new school; students who chose to play at the sub‐varsity level under the provisions outlined in (5)a. (LIMITED ELIGIBILITY APPLICATIONS) above may not subsequently be granted unlimited eligibility for that same sport during the same season at the new school; AND

There are some very unique transfer situations that might come up. A safety concern, a school drops their racquetball program, and the student is an All World Racquetball player, a foster or homeless student, etc. The rules regarding each of these are below.

STUDENT TRANSFERS AND GUARDIANSHIP

207.1 If a student transfers from one high school to another and a new guardian is appointed DUE TO HARDSHIP, only a court appointed legal guardian will constitute a basis for consideration of a waiver, and all requests, along with proper legal verification, must be submitted to the CIF Southern Section office for review and determination of eligibility.

207.2 If a student resides in one school district with the student’s legal court appointed guardian and the legal court appointed guardian changes official residence to another school attendance area the student may enroll in a new school and be immediately eligible.

(c) Individual Student Safety Incidents

Unlimited eligibility may be granted by the CIF Section in which the student’s new school is located when a student is transferring as a result of a specific, documented safety incident in which the student was involved and all provisions listed above in c.(i‐vii) are met. The student may be determined to have unlimited residential eligibility upon receipt of the CIF application (please use local CIF Section Form) and sufficient documentation is submitted to satisfy that CIF Section Commissioner that the circumstances meet this criteria. Required documentation may include, but is not limited to, administrative records and documentation from the former school about the specific safety incident that occurred at the former school and/or police records (if any). The student will become eligible for varsity competition upon notification to the new school of the approval of such an application by the CIF Section.

(d) Discontinued Program

When the former school, in which a student has been enrolled, discontinues a particular program in which the student had previously been enrolled or participated, and that student transfers to another school because of these circumstances, the student shall be determined to be residentially eligible for unlimited participation in the new school provided that new school offers a continuation of that same program and the student can show documentation that they were enrolled in or participated in that program at the former school and are currently enrolled or participating in that same program at the new school.

(e) Foster Children or Homeless Children

A student who: (1) is under the court‐ordered supervision of the California Foster Care System who has changed residences pursuant to a court order and as a result, has transferred schools, OR (2) is homeless as defined by 42 U.S.C. § 11302; shall be determined to be residentially eligible for unlimited participation in interscholastic athletics provided all other CIF rules and regulations are met. Under circumstance (1), a change of residence ordered by a social worker of the California Foster Care System shall be acceptable, provided all other CIF rules and regulations are met. Under circumstance (2), a determination by a Local Education Agency that the student meets the definition of homeless shall be acceptable, provided all other CIF rules and regulations are met. A subsequent transfer of schools by a homeless student while continuing to reside in the same residence/locale where the LEA declared the student “homeless” is subject to the transfer provisions of Bylaw 207. Section Commissioners shall render eligibility determinations for foster children and homeless children within fifteen (15) business days of receipt.

Sometimes student-athletes get into trouble, have to transfer or are forced to transfer. Here is guidance on transferring for discipline reasons.

209. DISCIPLINE, EXPULSION AND TRANSFER FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS (p. 86)

C. Disciplinary Transfer

(1) If a student transfers from any public or private school when a disciplinary action is in place or pending, that student shall be ineligible for competition in all sports for one year from the date of the transfer to the new school.

(2) A student, permitted by the principal to return to the school compelling the disciplinary transfer, may be granted unrestricted athletic eligibility by the Section if the student did not participate in any athletic program at the transfer school; compete for the transfer school; and, at the time of the transfer, conditions for return were established by the school administration that include, but are not limited to:

a. Satisfactory attendance criteria;
b. Applicable behavior standards;
c. Academic performance standards; and,
d. Principal’s approval of the return based upon documented evidence provided by the transfer school that the student satisfactorily complied with all conditions for return.

209.1 EXPULSION ‐ RETURN TO PREVIOUS SCHOOL/TRANSFER TO NEW SCHOOL (p. 86)

The eligibility of a student who is expelled and at a later date returns to the same school shall be determined by the local administration. If the student is compelled to transfer from any public or private school, that student shall be ineligible for all levels of competition for a period of one year following the initial transfer.

Probably the most important part of all of this transfer “stuff” is found in Bylaw 510 which is about “Undue Influence.” This section is what usually makes a student-athlete ineligible because information comes to the surface that shows a student was illegally “recruited” or that there was some sort of “Undue Influence” on them to change schools. Sometimes this information comes prior to a school “signing off” on the electronic transfer form via the CIF website. But oftentimes it comes later. It’s funny how sometimes this stuff doesn’t surface until a team loses to that student-athlete’s team who has the transfer!

510. UNDUE INFLUENCE, PRE‐ENROLLMENT CONTACT, FAILURE TO DISCLOSE PRE‐ENROLLMENT CONTACT AND ATHLETICALLY MOTIVATED TRANSFERS (p.112)

A. The use of undue influence by any person(s) to secure or retain a student or their parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver as residents may cause the student to be ineligible for high school athletics for a period of one year and shall jeopardize the standing of the high school in the CIF. Undue influence is any act, gesture or communication (including accepting material or financial inducement to attend a CIF‐member school for the purpose of engaging in CIF competition regardless of the source) which is performed personally, or through another, which may be objectively seen as an inducement, or part of a process of inducing a student, or his or her parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver, by or on behalf of, a member school, to enroll in, transfer to, or remain in, a particular school for athletic purposes.

B. A student shall become ineligible for CIF competition for a period of one (1) year for accepting material or financial inducement to attend a CIF member school for the purpose of engaging in CIF competition, regardless of the source. This includes, but is not limited to, student individual endorsements that involve anyone from, or associated with [see D.(2) below], a school or its athletic programs.

C. Pre‐enrollment contact or an athletically motivated transfer may be considered prima facie evidence (“sufficient evidence”) that the student enrolled in that school in whole or in part for athletic reasons See Bylaw 200 and 206.C. and 207.A) and cause the student to be ineligible for participation in those sports in which the student participated at the former school. Athletically motivated pre‐enrollment contact of any kind by anyone from, or associated* with, a school or its athletic programs to which a student may transfer or move into the attendance area is not permitted. When a prima facie case (“sufficient evidence”) of undue influence/recruiting exists, the student shall be ineligible to represent the new school in interscholastic athletic competition for a period of one calendar year from the date of the student’s enrollment in the new school in all sports in which the student participated at any school in the last twelve months and/or the sport with which the coach referenced herein is associated, unless sufficient proof is presented to the satisfaction of the Section Commissioner that rebuts or disproves the evidence of undue influence/recruiting for athletic reasons.

D. Pre‐Enrollment Contact (This section is covered in depth earlier in the article, that information is repeated here.)

E. Athletically Motivated Transfers

The CIF, as the governing body of high school athletics, affirms that athletic competition is an important part of the high school experience and that participation in interscholastic athletics is a privilege. The privilege of participation in interscholastic athletics is available to students in public or private schools who meet the democratically established standards of qualification as set forth by the CIF Federated Council. As stated in CIF Bylaw 200.A.A(6) the CIF Bylaws shall serve as a deterrent to students who transfer or change schools for athletic reasons and to individuals who attempt to recruit (unduly influence) student‐ athletes or their parents to enroll in a school because of athletics. As stated in CIF Bylaw 200.A(2) the CIF Bylaws reinforce the principle that students attend school to receive an education first: athletic participation is secondary. CIF Bylaws provide for individual Section Offices to limit eligibility for a student when there is evidence the transfer, or move is made to acquire athletic participation at their new school (School B). Students may be determined by their respective CIF/Section Office or the CIF to have made an athletically motivated transfer or change in schools if one or more of the following circumstances are determined to have contributed in any way to the transfer or change in schools.

(1) Transferring to a School after Participating on a Non‐School Athletic Team, Camp or Clinic Associated with the School the student transfers from his or her current school of attendance, with or without a corresponding change of residence, to any high school where the student participates or participated, during the 24 months immediately prior to the transfer, on a non‐school athletic team, (i.e. AAU, American Legion, club team, etc.) camp or clinic that is associated* with (See definition in D.(2).) the new school in the sports previously participated in. A Team associated with a school is one that is organized by and/ or coached by any member of the coaching staff at, or any other person associated* with (See definition in D.(2).), that school; and or , on which the majority of the members of the team (Participants in practice and/ or competition are students who attend that school). AND/OR

(2) Transferring to a School Where a Former High School Coach has Relocated (p.114)

The student at any grade level transfer to a new school within one calendar year of the relocation of his/her school or club coach to the student’s new school of enrollment with or without a corresponding change in residence; AND/OR

(3) Other factors that may be considered in support of evidence of athletic motivation:

a. Evidence the student’s transfer or change of schools is because of the student’s previous association with an outside agency that uses the facilities or personnel of the student’s new school (School B); AND/OR b. Evidence that multiple students have transferred or changed schools to participate in a particular sports program at one school.

510.1 The objective of the recruiting rule is to assure that the student athlete is making a free and unpressured choice of his or her high school. It would therefore even preclude any effort on the part of a friend or representative of the public high school in the attendance area in which the student’s parents reside, from attempting to secure the student’s enrollment at that school.

This section below will really nail a school, its administration and possibly a coach depending on who is responsible for submitting inaccurate information. Some school districts out there will verify that only accurate information is submitted to the CIF office by going out to verify address changes, etc. in person. They’ll do this by sending an Administrator to verify an address change, or perhaps their school district police if they have them. I’ve seen and heard numerous districts get themselves into trouble with submitting inaccurate information simply because they trusted the parents/guardians/student-athletes with the information they submitted.

I highly recommend that school districts and or site Administrators have a way to verify all information to insure its accuracy. This will keep you and your athletic program out of trouble in the long run.

202. ACCURATE INFORMATION

A. The CIF requires that all information provided in regard to any aspect of the eligibility of a student must be true, correct, accurate, complete and/or not false or inaccurate. (p. 58)

B. Penalty for Providing Incorrect, Inaccurate, Incomplete or False Information (p. 59)

(1) If it is discovered that any parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver or student has provided incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information in regards to any aspect of eligibility status on behalf of a student, that student is subject to immediate ineligibility for CIF competition at any level in any sport for a period of up to 24 calendar months from the date the determination was made that incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information was provided.

(2) If it is discovered that persons associated with the student or the school (coach, teachers, parent(s)/guardian(s)/caregiver, friends, etc.) provided incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information in order to fraudulently gain favorable eligibility status for a student, that student is subject to immediate ineligibility for competition at any Section member school at any level in any sport for a period of up to 24 calendar months from the determination that incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information was provided whether the student was aware of the fraudulent information or not.

(3) Any contests in which a student or students participated based on incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information regarding eligibility status shall be forfeited according to the guidelines set in accord to the rules of the Section.

(4) Teams

a. If it is determined that someone associated with a school (including, but not limited to, a coach) knowingly participates in either providing incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information or using fraud or knowingly allows others to do so, in order for a team to meet qualification standards in any event, that team will be subject to immediate ineligibility for further competition in that sport that season.
b. Any contest in which that team has participated based on incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information or fraud shall be forfeited according to the guidelines of the Section or the State CIF.

(5) School Personnel Involvement

If any school personnel (including but not limited to a coach) knowingly participates in either providing incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information or allowing others to provide incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or false information in order to gain favorable eligibility status for a student, or team information to meet qualification standards for participation in any contest including playoffs or championships, sanctions may be imposed on the school including but not limited to: probationary status, prohibitions against playoff participation, forfeitures, revoking of CIF or Section membership, etc.

Well, that was a LOT!

This was a long “article” but I hope that it was a helpful one for you. There can be a LOT of moving parts along the way on transfers. Administrators, Athletic Directors and Head Coaches should have a firm grasp on just about everything in here! I encourage you to read the Blue Book directly, as these bylaws, etc. were taken “out of context” and out of order to more readily explain and understand the rules regarding transfers.

At the end of the day: Forfeits for ineligible student-athletes are so unavoidable! All it takes is a sound administrative system based on fact finding, patience and strong ethics.

If I can be of any assistance to help your school and or district put in a sound administrative system to help you avoid the headlines that this article started with, please reach out to me.

Chris Fore has his Masters degree in Athletic Administration, is a Certified Athletic Administrator and currently works as a Principal in Southern California (yes, he went to the “dark side” after 17 years of coaching!) He served as the President of the California Coaches Association for 3 years. Fore is the CEO of Eight Laces Consulting which specializes in helping coaches nationwide in their job search process. Fore has been named to the Hudl Top 100 Coaches, and the Top 5 Best High School Football Coaches to follow on Twitter by MaxPreps. Follow him!