The Tennessee House Education committee on Wednesday approved a bill that could create the first state law to affect the TSSAA’s high school athletics transfer rules.
The committee’s 10-9 vote approving House Bill 25 came after 45 minutes of debate ranging from the bill’s sponsor expressing distrust in the TSSAA, to the state association questioning government involvement in its bylaws.
The bill will become law if approved by full House and Senate votes. The Senate version of HB25, SB16, passed through the Senate Education Committee, 6-3, last week.
It’s the latest chapter in the one-time transfer saga that involves three years of discussions between the TSSAA and lawmakers, but the debate looks different than it did four months ago.
Since then, the bills and TSSAA’s transfer rules have all been heavily amended to the point their language is nearly identical. Lawmakers and the TSSAA mainly disagree about whether the finality of making high school athletic transfer rules into law is wise. The TSSAA believes state laws on the issue will open the door for litigation that one day could lead to a free-transfer policy in the state.
HB25 and SB16 allow public schools to belong to the TSSAA as long as the association allows students one free transfer to another school due to reasons of significant academic, social-emotional, environmental or mental health need. That’s if the sending school’s administration attests the move is not for athletic or disciplinary reasons. The transfer must also take place before the first day of school.
That language is very similar to the TSSAA’s current rule, except the TSSAA believes students who transfer for those reasons should be able to do so throughout the year.
The TSSAA believes its Legislative Council is better positioned than the state legislature to quickly change the rule if it doesn’t work as intended. That was echoed by Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville on Wednesday: “To say that it’s simple to come back ...
