News: Loudoun County Public Schools FAQ on the Virginia High School League Transfer Rule in Light of County's New Open Enrollment Policy

(Feb. 13, 2013) - The Loudoun County Public Schools have put out a FAQ on the VHSL transfer rules in light of the county shifting to "school choice" for those students that which to transfer from their attendance boundary high school to another high school within the county that is not at capacity.

The upshot: rising 9th graders can pick another school if they wish and play right away as the VHSL considers your first school as a freshman to be your "home school". For those already in high school transferring for any reason, they would have to sit out a year of athletic before becoming eligible. The exception would be for those who request a waiver from the county but waivers will not be granted for athletic or activity reasons.

In the end, local athletic directors may have a nightmare on their hands next year trying to make sure all their athletes are properly eligible and prevent any forfeits due to illegal participation:

FAQ’S ON VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE (VHSL) TRANSFER RULE

 

1. If I am a currently enrolled high school student and voluntarily choose to attend a high school under the special permission provision of School Board Policy §8-20 (School Assignment) different from my home school, will I remain eligible for VHSL athletics?

News: Loudoun County School Board Makes Changes to School Assignment Policies

(Jan. 28, 2013) - On Tuesday, January 22, the Loudoun County School Board revised one policy regarding school assignment (§8-20) and deleted another (§8-25). The revisions and deletion go into effect immediately, replacing the previous policies and practices. The following important changes should be noted by parents seeking special permission for their student to attend a school other than the one to which they are assigned. 

First, special permission requests for the 2012-13 school year are no longer being accepted. 

There are now two windows for those seeking special permission for the 2013-14 school year: 

• Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) employees may apply for special permission for their children between March 1 and May 15. 
• The general public may apply for special permissions between April 1 and May 15.

News: Loudoun County School Board "School Choice" Vote Won't Allow Athletes to Transfer to Play if VHSL Has Say

(Jan. 23, 2013) - Very quietly last night the Loudoun County School Board passed a "School Choice" measure that upon first glance could have an impact on athletics in Loudoun as early as the fall season. In a split vote the board approved open enrollment that allows students to transfer to any public school in the county that has available space with no reason needed for the transfer.

Obviously some families might want to take advantage of this rule to get their children into athletic programs of their choice not in their home attendance zone.

The Virginia High School League, however, has a Transfer Rule for public high school athletics that prohibits the transfer of students from one school to another specifically for athletic reasons. So any athletes trying to take advantage of the new Loudoun rules may find themselves on the sidelines.