By Steve Pimper
MaxPreps.com
Responding to years of a consistently growing number of complaints from parents, booster clubs, and some coaching staffs in the state of Utah, the rules for high school athletes may be changing...and soon.
The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) and Executive Director Evan Excell are seriously looking into ongoing charges that Utah's open enrollment policy is resulting in behind-the-scenes recruiting of some athletes to attend schools outside the boundaries of their school residency.
Current UHSAA rules allow students the choice of enrolling in any high school of their choice regardless of where they live as long as the choice is personal, academic, hardship-related, or other unusual circumstances.
The open enrollment policy specifically states students may NOT enroll outside the boundaries of which they reside if it is for extra-curricular or athletic participation. The enrollment of the student must then be approved and signed by the principals of both the current resident school and also the new receiving school.
The rules surrounding this open enrollment policy have come under strong attack as charges of recruiting talented athletes from AAU, club teams, and super league teams being coached in summer and off-season have surfaced.
Excell and an impartial panel have for years been aware of the growing problem and have investigated on a case-by-case basis the status of hundreds of these open enrollment cases. But the increasing number of students (especially talented incoming freshmen) requesting transferring of schools for what "appears" on the surface to be for athletic cause is rising. This has only fueled the outcry for the UHSAA to stop the practice.
The UHSAA has responded by forming a committee of representatives and administrators from every Region (Note: Utah leagues are listed as Regions 1 through 22, rather than given league names) to represent the concerns of the 123 high schools under its jurisdiction to solve this problem.
While meetings began last year without a firm resolution, there were signals that a new, more restrictive rule could be forthcoming during the 2006-2007 school year. The new ruling may absolutely restrict student athletes from playing outside the boundaries of the high school in which the live. Students still wishing to attend other schools could be completely ruled ineligible for athletic competition, including practices, workouts or camps.
Other less restrictive alternatives are also being examined including loss of a year of athletic eligibility or participation only at a junior varsity level. But all indications are that the new UHSAA ruling will strongly push Utah's high school athletes to play where they live.