Freshman Isabella Garcia walked into a conference room at Kingwood Park on Jan. 14 for her appeal to play on varsity softball as a transfer. A Zoom call was set up with administrators from throughout the state of Texas. 

Garcia had many people there to support her, including her mom, her softball coach and other coaches who had worked to build her case. 

“My mom, she really did more of the, like, side where we needed evidence and stuff to prove, and then Coach (Jess) White and Coach (Lindsay) Gregory really just helped with like the emotional side, because it was hard getting in front of all those people and telling them what happened to me for three years,” Garcia said. “It was just a lot, so they really helped me on that.”

Garcia, who transferred because of bullying, was told her transfer was denied because UIL did not deem her reason valid. After the stressful appeal, the hearing ended with her required to spend her first year at Kingwood Park on JV softball.

“I was more disappointed than anything because I really thought that it was going to go through,” said Garcia, who is zoned to Kingwood High School.

Kingwood Park is home to the most student transfers in Humble ISD. Twenty-five percent of the students at Kingwood Park are transfers. Many students who transfer participate in at least one sport. 

UIL has a rule for athletes who are not zoned to the school they attend. They cannot play varsity until their second year at the school. Families can appeal by filling out paperwork but the process is often long. It involves the family, the old school and the new school. 

“The waiver requires supporting documentation,” assistant athletic coordinator and girls soccer coach Jess White said. “That includes transcripts, letters from all parties involved, and may include any additional documentation if it is a situation where the parents/students believe the change in schools was necessary due to unavoidable circumstances.”

Some students choose not to appeal and play at the JV or freshman level during their first year on campus. The appeals cost families about $200, and the chances students will win their appeal is very limited.

Senior Koltan Lopez, a varsity basketball player, transferred for family situations during his junior year. Lopez previously attended New Caney High School. Lopez’s family had jobs closer to Kingwood Park, and he ultimately moved into the zoning of Kingwood Park.

Lopez, despite technically being zoned to Kingwood Park, was denied his transfer. He had to spend his first year on JV, after going through the appeal process.

“It was just like really nerve-wracking because it just seemed like it was just all against us,” Lopez said.

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When a transfer waiver is created, the waiver does not stay inside of Humble ISD. It goes to all schools in the district that the team will face. For example, a football player at Kingwood Park would have their waiver sent to be reviewed at Dayton ISD, New Caney ISD, Pasadena ISD and other districts in their zone of play. That group of schools is called the District Executive Committee and they can approve or deny a waiver, however, UIL has the ultimate say and can overrule a DEC decision.

UIL’s waiver review board determines whether a waiver or appeal should be approved.

“It’s really kind of a slippery slope and I think that’s why that sometimes they’re so strict,” White said.

Instances, like bullying, are rarely accepted as reasons to approve waivers, because it is very hard to prove.

“Like if the kid’s coming from a toxic environment at a previous school, where there’s something of that nature, that’s difficult unless there’s a lot of legitimate, irrefutable documentation,” White said.

Students who have instances of divorced parents with one parent living in the zone of the school and children of faculty members at the school are less challenging. Their appeals are usually approved, and they are cleared to play varsity. 

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The transfer rule doesn’t always affect athletes negatively. Some transfer knowing their first year will be on JV.

“Well, I already knew (by tryouts) that I couldn’t make varsity in the first place, but it didn’t really affect the way I took tryouts,” freshman swimmer Leah Scott said.

Students who transfer don’t always transfer for athletics. Kingwood Park is the only 5A school in the district, which attracts some students who embrace the idea of a campus with less than 2,000 students. 

No matter whether the decision was made because of athletics or not, UIL gets involved to determine eligibility if a student chooses to join a team. 

Freshman Peytton Mack appealed to the UIL to be eligible to wrestle varsity as a freshman. She said she waited a long time for a reply, which came in the form of a denial at the Region Meet. 

“I feel the transfer rules should be changed because I didn’t transfer for sports,” Mack said. “I transferred for a start over and this rule has caused me to be behind.”

The rule has impacted many students regardless of grade or reason of transfer. It will continue to impact incoming transfer athletes, especially as the rule continues to be tweaked and changed at the state level. 

“I think it is always a good idea to take a critical look to see how our processes can be improved to best serve the clientele of students and schools,” White said.  “There is always room for improvement.”

Transfers only have so much they can do. After experiencing the disappointment of being ruled ineligible late in the wrestling season, Mack told athletes to stay positive and to keep working hard regardless of what the UIL decides.

“I would tell (incoming freshmen) that it’s all meant to be,” Mack said, “and just keep training as hard as you can and keep your head up.”