High School Transfer Rules Questioned in North Dakota Bill

Kambree Draper of Bismarck.   (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(Jeff Beach – North Dakota Monitor) – Parents of North Dakota high school athletes described how they had to let school administrators walk through the home they had just moved into, as well as the home they had moved from, and provide personal information to prove that their child should be deemed eligible to play at their new school.

One high school swimmer, Kambree Draper of Bismarck, said she was not allowed to compete at the varsity level because her father was still living in Williston after she and her mother moved to Bismarck.

Draper was testifying in favor of House Bill 1491, which would loosen eligibility restrictions for students who change schools. The bill says the North Dakota High School Activities Association “may not delay eligibility or limit eligibility based on the number of times a student moves and transfers to a different school district.”

“Take politics out of high school sports,” Draper told the House Education Committee.

Matt Fetsch, executive director of the North Dakota High School Activities Association, which has the final say on eligibility, said school districts support the current policy.