Transfer Proposal Gains Momentum

The Southern Section council Thursday decided it will vote on a proposal that would prohibit students exercising open-enrollment transfers from participating for one year at the varsity level in the sports they have previously played.

“Open enrollment is now being used for transfers for athletics only,” said Downey High Principal Allen Layne, referring to the state law that allows parents flexibility in choosing the school their children attend. “I’d like to go back to quieter times [when there were less transfers] and not have to worry about transfer rules.”

Layne, who presented the proposal to the council, said the surge in athletic transfers is “out of control” and necessitates decisive action. Nearly 3,800 students transferred in the 522-school section from the fall of 1999 through December of last year. That figure doesn’t include students who transferred because of a change in residence.

If adopted at the April 25 council meeting, the proposal would complement a statewide proposal requiring the use of a pre-enrollment contact form that aims to curb the recruitment of athletes. The latter proposal would require school officials to certify that no one connected with their booster clubs or athletic departments had contact with prospective transfers.

If approved during a vote in May, the state proposal would go into effect for the 2002-03 school year on a two-year trial basis. The section proposal, if approved, would not go into effect until the following school year.

“I see [the section proposal] as a big step forward,” said Jim Staunton, Southern Section commissioner. “I think it aligns with what we believe we are here to do, and that is support academics.”

West Hills Chaminade High Principal Gary Murphy told the council about a similar policy already in place in the Mission League that forces students transferring to another school within the league to sit out varsity competition for one year.

“It works,” said Murphy, who is also in favor of the section proposal. “There’s a lot of resistance to begin with. The long-range results are positive.

“We have kids playing on our teams today that quite frankly wouldn’t be playing if we had accepted a couple of transfers that wanted to come to our school.”

Noting that the Los Angeles City Section and the Catholic Athletic Assn. are considering similar proposals, Murphy said the push for tighter transfer restrictions is gaining momentum.

“I think there is a good chance that some form of [the section proposal] will pass,” he said. “I heard a lot of good questions here today, but I didn’t hear anybody saying that this isn’t a good idea.”

In other action, the council approved proposals that will:

* Increase the number of divisions in girls’ water polo from five to six to give the 207 girls’ teams an equal number of championships as the 209 boys’ teams.

* Form playoff groupings based on competitive equity in sports not under the guidelines of enrollment-based divisions for state playoffs.

Staunton also addressed incidents involving athlete protocol at section championships.

Three players from the Irvine Woodbridge boys’ soccer team allegedly initiated physical contact with a referee after a late goal was disallowed in the Warriors’ 1-0 loss to Los Alamitos in the Division II title game. School officials are expected to meet with commissioners next week to review the matter.

Also, Compton Centennial’s runner-up plaque was found left in the locker room after losing to Torrance Bishop Montgomery in the Division III-A boys’ basketball championship.