Page 129 - 2025-26 By-Laws

Rule 20 - Undue Influence

Q. 20-13 May a student who has graduated from the eighth grade attend a Camp of a
school at which the student has not Enrolled?
A. No, following the eighth grade year, students may not attend a high school’s
athletic Camps or Clinics unless they are attending a Feeder School or have
Enrolled in the sponsoring school. (rule 20-8)
Q. 20-14 Over the Summer a transfer student goes to a Receiving School, talks to
members of the athletic staff and participates in the School’s Summer Open
Facilities Program. Is this legal?
A. No. First, all initial contact with a School cannot be with the athletic staff;
before talking to the athletic staff the transfer student needs to Enroll at the
School. (rule 20-5) Second, prior to a transfer student taking part in a Receiving
School’s Summer Open Facilities Program, the transfer student must Enroll
at the School and must complete and submit to the IHSAA the first section of
an IHSAA Transfer Report. (rules 15-1.5, 15-2.5)
Q. 20-15 After a student moves from his/her mother’s to his/her father’s residence in
another town, the father makes initial contact at a Private School with the
baseball coach (meets and discusses student’s prospective assimilation into
the school’s baseball program). The father also makes initial contact with the
baseball coach (meets and discusses the baseball program) at the Public
School which Serves the father’s residence. Afterwards the father is referred
to the Private School’s admissions office, and later the student is enrolled
there. Is this a violation of rule 20, the undue influence rule?
A. Yes. Initial contact with any prospective school by a student or by a student’s
parent should never be with the athletic department. If a parent is unfamiliar
with the IHSAA rules and makes initial contact with the School’s athletic
department, the parent should immediately be referred to the Principal, or
to someone in admissions, etc. Having any initial contact with a coach is
problematic, however, when the initial contact is accompanied by a meetings
and/or with discussions with the coach, especially about the School’s athletic
program, there is a likely violation of rule 20. (rules 20-5, 20-7.)

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