PIAA board puts off discussing proposed transfer restrictions

The proposed transfer rule that was slated for a final vote yesterday by the PIAA board of directors has been shelved and could endure another year of debate.

According to PIAA executive director Brad Cashman, the rule change, which would have prevented almost all transfers after the start of ninth grade from participating in varsity athletics for a year, was tabled late Wednesday night and sent to five committees for further discussion.

Those committees will meet in a month, and another ad hoc committee will convene in July to decide whether the rule needs to be adjusted to address the apprehension of those who believe that the rule presumes that students are transferring for athletics only.

"Most of the concerns were presented by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference," Cashman said. "And they'll be invited to all the meetings."

There are provisions in the rule for exemptions because of employment change and personal hardship. But for the most part, the rule, created by the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League, was designed to take the decision-making out of the hands of principals who sign off too easily on transfers.

"With some fine-tuning, it could be a very good rule," Cashman said, "better than the one we have now."

Because of the push-back, there is no way the rule, if passed, would become a by-law for the 2007-08 school year. Cashman said there's a good chance the rule change, which already passed two readings, could undergo another year of debate and another round of readings.

In other PIAA news, conversations over whether to shorten the football season and the winter season have been tabled until a July 27 meeting.

"We had a very frustrating discussion," Cashman said.

There is a proposal to lop off one week of the football season from the back end and one week from the winter season from the front end to prevent further crossover.

Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.