Thursday, Aug. 1 is the beginning of a new policy-governing students transferring from one school to another, in the same county. Once a student enters the ninth grade in a school that becomes the students’ home school for the next four years, if a student desires to transfer to another school, the students’ family must relocate from their current residence to another residence in the receiving schools district, intending for the move to be permanent. If the family does not move, the receiving school must request and receive a waiver from the student’s former school, in order for the student to have athletic eligibility.
If a change in residence is not made, or a waiver is not obtained, the student must sit out of all athletic participation for a period of one calendar year (365 days) from the date of transfer. This rule applies to all member schools in the North Carolina Athletic Association. In this area, this applies to all students transferring to, or, from Cherokee, Swain County and Smokey Mountain high schools.
The state association hopes this will regulate and slow down the transferring of students solely for the purpose of athletic participation. It will not apply to a student transferring for academic purposes and not participating in athletics. It only applies to those students that participate in athletics. If you have any questions about the new rule, please contact your local school administration, or the NCHSAA in Chapel Hill.
– Cherokee Central Schools
