Re: “A balancing act<\/a>,” Nov. 30 sports story<\/p>\n The Colorado High School Activities Association\u2019s stated mission<\/a> is to \u201ccreate a positive and equitable environment in which all qualified student participants are challenged and inspired to meet their highest potential.\u201d However, as Kyle Newman\u2019s article documented, the CSHAA transfer system is increasingly strained and is failing some of the very students it is meant to support.<\/p>\n Our family experienced another dimension to the transfer eligibility process this past summer when we transferred our two boys from Regis Jesuit to Chaparral High School. We made this difficult decision after ongoing tuition increases of more than 14% in two years, coupled with financial aid reductions, made continued enrollment financially unsustainable for our family.<\/p>\n Despite acknowledgement from coaches, athletic directors, and commissioners that the circumstances were entirely outside of our control and in no way athletically motivated, our hardship waiver was denied. The justification given was based on the CHSAA Bylaws<\/a> Article 1800.52 – 8, which categorically excludes \u201cinability to pay private school tuition\u201d from hardship consideration, despite Article 1800.51 granting the Commissioner \u201cbroad discretion in applying this [hardship] standard to specific cases.\u201d<\/p>\n CHSAA\u2019s transfer system is fundamentally flawed. The issue isn\u2019t an enforcement problem; it\u2019s a structural one. The bylaws contain categorical exclusions that prevent discretion in certain circumstances while allowing loopholes to be exploited in others. The association\u2019s language promises equity, but its bylaws do not deliver. Without change, qualified students will continue to be denied opportunities to meet their highest potential.<\/p>\n