This is a rule that needs to change. Or, at the very least, leave the rule and allow an appeal process whereby someone put on their “common sense” hat. The rule is designed to prevent schools from recruiting athletes. That is a tiny “problem” that might not even be a problem, but that isn’t what is going on here.
A 16-year-old from Oconomowoc is shining light on an issue that is preventing student athletes all over Wisconsin from playing the sports they love this upcoming school year.
It got the attention of a state lawmaker, who is pushing for a new law.
“I couldn’t learn virtually, and my mental health was suffering,” said Blake Thelen. “I knew things had to change and I talked to my parents about it.”
This past January, in the middle of last school year, Thelen transferred from Oconomowoc High School to Lake Country Lutheran, less than 10 miles away, where classes were fully in-person.
“Once I transferred, it was my new home, and I made many friends,” Thelen said. “It’s been much better for me. I still see my friends from Oconomowoc High School, but this is just a better fit.”
But recently, when Thelen tried to sign up for Lake Country Lutheran’s football team, which starts practicing later this summer, he was told he can’t play.
A rule set by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, or WIAA, says if a student athlete chooses to transfer mid school year, he or she can’t play sports at their new school for a full year.
“That rule is designed to prevent schools from forming super teams,” said Republican Senator John Jagler, who represents Wisconsin’s 13 District, which includes Oconomowoc. “Unless you switch schools for a specific reason, like your family changed addresses because of a job change, which there are waivers for. But there is no waiver covering the COVID-19 situation.”
As a side note, I’m hearing a lot of anecdotal examples like this. Churches, schools, favorite coffee shops, etc… the ones that opened to in-person sooner saw people move there in droves. For those that remained closed, they are struggling to get their customer base back.
This has been a rule for decades, so the family should have asked questions before he transferred.
Is it a problem, it was when I was teaching in MPS. The basketball coach recruited athletes throughout the city and even in the country. But this was a rare case.
“This has been a rule for decades, so the family should have asked questions before he transferred.”
I don’t know Mar, if a kid is not learning at a school for any reason (but particularly because the school stopped teaching), the parents should not have to look into all the sports and extracurricular WIAA rules in the rulebook before executing the transfer.
Schools stopped teaching in schools because of COVID, there should clearly be a waiver available for a child who transferred to an in-person class school because they were failing classes. It should be a no-brainer for the WIAA to grant waivers concerning COVID if COVID was involved in the reason for change. It should not need a new law for God’s sake, it is as Owen noted, a simple case of common sense. Unfortunately. common sense requires a smidge of critical thought and public school ‘educators’ decided not to teach(or use) it anymore and that goes right on up through the public school hierarchy.
The less effective Government Schools are, the more oppressive their rules.
This is not a close call .
He may be eligible to play for the school he transferred to but he’s NOT eligible to transfer , then transfer back to the original school and be eligible for the next season .
The appeal would last 10 minutes .
Nope, MHMaley, while it may seem like it is a wrong rule, but it is the rule and has been for a long time.
This usually comes up a couple times a year.
> but he’s NOT eligible to transfer , then transfer back to the original school and be eligible for the next season .
Where do you read that from? There’s no transfer back to the original school that I see. He signed up to play at the new school.
>But recently, when Thelen tried to sign up for Lake Country Lutheran’s football team, which starts practicing later this summer, he was told he can’t play.
MHMaley:
“He may be eligible to play for the school he transferred to but he’s NOT eligible to transfer , then transfer back to the original school and be eligible for the next season .”
I honestly don’t get what you are even trying to say(I suspect there may be a few words missing or wrong). Are you saying that he can’t and shouldn’t be able to play with the Lutheran team and that it is a simple case?
My mistake .
I misread the article and thought he was returning to Cooney .
Transferring schools in the middle of the school year appears to be the issue .
If he hadn’t played the sport previously at Cooney , I don’t see an issue .