A student who transfers school districts under open enrollment in grades 9 – 12 shall
not be eligible to participate in varsity interscholastic contests and competitions during the first
90 school days of the transfer. This restriction also shall apply to transfers resulting from an
approved petition filed by a parent or guardian to transfer to an alternative receiving district and when the pupil returns to the district of residence.
This 90-school-day restriction does not prohibit the pupil from practicing with an athletic team
during the 90 school days of ineligibility.
This 90-school-day restriction is not applicable to a pupil who:
- participates in an athletic activity in the receiving district that is not available in the district of residence.
- is a participant in an athletic activity for which the resident district and receiving district have a “cooperative student participation agreement” in place as provided by rule 281-36.20(280).
- is requesting open enrollment due to a change in circumstances that meet the definition of good cause exemption from the 90-day waiting period in Iowa Code 282.18, subsection 11, paragraph 1, subparagraph 8, including:
- change in child’s residence due to a change in family residence
- change in child’s residence from the residence of one parent or guardian to the residence of a different parent or guardian
- change in the state in which the family residence is located
- change in a child’s parents’ marital status, a guardianship or custody proceeding, placement in foster care, adoption, participation in a foreign exchange program
- participation in a substance abuse or mental health treatment program
- change in the status of a child’s resident district such as removal of accreditation by the state board, surrender of accreditation, or permanent closure of a nonpublic school, revocation of a charter school contract, the failure of negotiations for a whole grade sharing, reorganization agreement, or the rejection of a current whole grade sharing agreement or reorganization plan.
Approved: August 8, 2022
Reviewed: August 8, 2022
Revised: August 8, 2022
