CIF state action imposes sit-out policy

Although the CIF San Diego Section's Board of Managers chose not to adopt its own policy on a sit-out period for international students who are not in an approved exchange program and are not living with a parent or guardian, the CIF State Federated Council adopted such a policy Feb. 2.

The CIF state action revises the bylaws so that an international student who is not in an approved exchange program and who transfers to a California school without a valid change in residence cannot play varsity competition for a year after enrolling at the California school.

"They can only play below the varsity level," said CIF State Federated Council executive director Roger Blake.

In 2007 approximately 6,500 students attended high schools in the United States on an F-1 visa, but 90,000 such visa holders were attending American schools in 2015. Blake noted that high schools in 19 different states have experienced international student-athletes not living with their parents or participating in an approved exchange program.

"We're seeing it everywhere," said Blake. "It's impacting everywhere in the United States."

Last year two schools won section championships with international student-athletes not living with their parents or in a CIF-approved exchange program.

"It has greatly affected the balance of power in that sport in that section," said CIF San Diego Section commissioner Jerry Schniepp.

"It became a big issue last year," Blake said. "This isn't really what high school sports in California are supposed to be about."

Blake noted that some specific international student programs emphasize athletic opportunities. "They're being marketed," he said.

During the 2016-17 school year 3,980 athletes throughout the state, including 303 in the San Diego Section, were subject to the sit-out period. On a statewide basis 30 of those students were from Mexico or Central America and 171 were other international students. The San Diego Section sit-outs included four from Mexico or Central America and three from other foreign nations. The Southern Section was responsible for 2,150 of the sit-outs including 12 from Mexico or Central America and 136 other international students.

"It has not impacted us yet," said Schniepp. "I think it's only a matter of time."

The data by foreign nation indicates that the situation is unrelated to issues involving immigration from Latin America.

"Last year it would have impacted 30 kids," Blake said. "The data doesn't support that fear."

The CIF San Diego Section Board of Managers voted against adopting a policy Jan. 24. San Dieguito Union High School District superintendent Eric Dill cast the lone vote in favor. Grossmont Conference president Brian Wilbur represented the Grossmont Union High School District which includes El Cajon Valley High School, where a team of players from seven different nations won last year's CIF Division V boys soccer championship.

"I hate to hurt 30 (kids) to stop five or six in another section," Wilbur said.

Wilbur is a 1977 graduate of Crawford High School whose current students are from more nations than any other high school in San Diego County.

El Cajon has a large Chaldean (Christian Iraqi) population. Schniepp noted that refugee families would not be subject to the prohibition. "We can find a valid change of residence," he said. "A large number of these kids aren't coming there without their families."

"What this would do is prohibit a student who comes without his family," Blake said.

The sit-out period is for one year, so an international transfer student who is not a senior can play after that year. "We're not saying they can never play varsity," Blake said.

If a school has only a varsity team and does not field a junior varsity program the student cannot participate in that school sport. Cross-country dual meets include varsity and junior varsity races but some invitationals utilize grade-level races and an ineligible student may not compete at those grade-level meets.

A CIF section commissioner can deny eligibility to a transfer student if the transfer was deemed to be athletically motivated, and the state bylaws addressing evidence of athletic motivation were also amended to add evidence that multiple students have transferred or otherwise changed schools to participate in a particular sport at one school.