OSSAA board members voted to adopt a set of guidelines aimed at clarifying a new onetime transfer rule.

The board voted last month to let eligible student-athletes change high schools once without having to wait a year before competing, citing a growing trend in high school and college athletics.

Members voted to implement the one-time exception to Rule 8 by July 1 and approved a July 15 date for transfers to become effective. The 2024 transfer window will last from July 1-15.

According to Rule 8, student-athletes who transfer schools, except for those granted hardship waivers by the association, must wait one year to gain athletic eligibility.

Under the points of clarification approved Wednesday, any transfer occurring before July 1 will be subject to current eligibility criteria, most notably that students are eligible in the district where the parent or court-appointed guardian resides.

A student who transfers during the spring 2024 semester and participates at any level would be required to sit out 365 days to gain varsity eligibility. If a student transfers during the spring 2024 semester and does not participate at any level they could be considered for the new Rule 8 exception after July 1.

A second point of clarification approved by the board states that a student who has gained eligibility at a second school since the ninth grade will not be considered for the new exception.

Additionally, students who apply for a transfer and are placed on a waiting list could be considered for the exception when the school has an open spot.