The PIAA Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has a policy that any student whether public or catholic, who transfers schools after the start of the ninth grade is ineligible to play varsity sports for one whole year, with few narrow exceptions, such a compelling circumstance like a school closing or divorced parents. If you know a child or loves sports has been playing for years and has not entered High School yet...Be Warned! If you ever decide to transfer your child because of your own personal reasons and that child is an athlete...Be Warned. My niece who is a good kid and a great athlete has been playing sports for 15 years, her parents decided to transfer her after her Freshman year to another school which educationally was better. The PIAA and the coaches of her previous school were accusing my niece of 15 and her parents of transfering for athletic reasons only. Therefore, she now has to sit out for one whole year from any sports. So does the coach. Before this decision was decided by a 16 person panel, my sister left work 3 times used 3 vacation days and my niece missed school twice all for an assumption by the principals of these schools and their coaches. The only people who will suffer from these decisions/rulings are the children.