Sen. Jagler Calls on Governor Evers to Sign WIAA Transfer Bill

Madison...Yesterday, the State Senate passed Assembly Bill 383 in a voice vote to allow students who transferred because of COVID to not have to sit out of sports for a year. The Bill passed the Assembly on Tuesday, June 22nd and is awaiting the signature of Governor Evers.

“Even after acknowledging the unprecedented challenge faced by parents, the WIAA has refused to fix this problem,” said Jagler. “Families had to make very difficult decisions last year to get the best educational opportunities for their kids and now they are being punished by being held out of sports for a year. The WIAA has been aware of this problem for months and has done nothing. I didn’t want to have to pass a bill to force their hand but here we are. I hope Governor Evers does the right thing and signs it into law.”

Current transfer restrictions by the WIAA require the waiting period if a student transfers schools without physically moving addresses or has other extenuating circumstances. AB 383 would add an exemption for transfers during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years for students who transfer based on the “method of delivering educational programming.”

“Over the past year, too many governing bodies have made decisions that are not putting the best interest of kids first.” Jagler continued, “We need to start taking a closer look at how these organizations operate. We have a chance to fix the problem and I hope Governor Evers signs this bill.”

Families can call Governor Evers at 608-266-1212 to encourage him to sign Assembly Bill 383 into law.