Page 114 - 2023-24 By-Laws

Rule 19 - Eligibility and Transfer

the school the student attends nor any person associated with the school shall have input
into the selection of the student;
d. No member of the athletic administration staff or the coaching staff, paid or voluntary, of any
sport or athletic activity sponsored by the Receiving School, is a member of the student’s
host family;
e. The student, in writing, (i) agrees that full eligibility under the foreign exchange exception
is for a maximum of One (1) year at One (1) school and is conditioned upon the student’s
commitment to attend the member school for no more than One (1) year, and (ii) agrees
that any continued attendance at any school beyond the initial year will be treated by the
IHSAA as attendance following a transfer without a change of residence by the parent(s)/
Guardian(s) but the highest level of eligibility for which the student will qualify, during the
year following the initial year, is Limited Eligibility.
f. The student possesses a current J-1 visa, issued by the U.S. State Department;
g. The student’s placement arrangements are completed in advance of the student’s departure
from his/her home country.
h. The student is attending School under a foreign exchange program approved by both the
Association and the Council of Standards for International Education Travel (CSIET). A
foreign exchange program, to be approved by the Association:
(1.) shall be under the auspices of an established national corporation, a not-for-profit
corporation or organization or a national civic organization;
(2.) must assign students to schools by a method which insures that no student, school
or other interested party may influence the assignment;
(3.) must consult with the member school principal prior to placement of a student in a
school;
(4.) must be able to certify the student’s participation in interschool athletics in his/her
home country;
(5.) must not select or place the student based on his/her athletic interest or abilities.
A list of approved CSIET and Association programs will be provided annually.
19-7.2 Direct Placements by Exchange Program
If a foreign exchange program, approved by the CSIET and the Association, makes a direct
placement of a student in a member School, the IHSAA must be notified in writing. A placement
is considered a “direct placement” when a foreign exchange program places a student in a
specific home or school, or in One (1) of several homes or schools, at the request of the
student, parent, host, coach, booster, school, etc. A student receiving a direct placement may
be granted Limited Eligibility. If a school fails to notify the Association of a direct placement,
the student may be declared ineligible and the school may be subject to additional penalties
as determined by the Commissioner.
(Note: The member School must file the appropriate form with the IHSAA prior to the student
receiving eligibility.)
19-8 Procedure Upon Transfer
When a student transfers to a member School, the receiving School principal shall promptly
conduct an investigation and file an IHSAA Athletic Transfer Report with the Association.
19-8.1 IHSAA Athletic Transfer Report and Investigation
a. The principal of the receiving School shall promptly conduct an investigation commensurate
with the facts known and the information provided to the principal at the time that an IHSAA
Athletic Transfer Report is requested or initiated by a student or such student’s parent(s)/
Guardian(s).
b. On all transfers, an IHSAA Athletic Transfer Report shall immediately be completed by
the student and/or the student’s parent(s)/Guardian(s) as well as the receiving School
principal and principal of the School from which the student transferred (sending school)
and forwarded to the Association together with:
(1.) a written report reflecting the results of the investigation of the receiving School
principal;
(2.) a statement explaining the circumstances, documented and supported in all
appropriate ways;
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