A bill filed in Springfield on Aug. 25 would let any Illinois high school athlete transfer and keep full varsity eligibility if both principals agree. The change would apply at York, Willowbrook and Timothy Christian, all IHSA member schools.

House Bill 5808, sponsored by state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, would require the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to grant full athletic eligibility to any transferring high school student. Both the sending and receiving schools' principals would need to consent in writing.

Under current IHSA rules, principals already sign a concurrence form. But the IHSA executive director can still overrule them and restrict a student's eligibility, according to the IHSA's 2023-24 handbook.

The bill would strip that override power.

The legislation grew out of one family's fight. Dan Matzen told The Center Square his daughter Makayla transferred from Morris Community High School to Yorkville Christian High School for faith and academic reasons, not athletics. Both schools supported the move. The IHSA restricted her to junior varsity (JV) sports until May 30, 2027, barring her from varsity competition and state series.

An IHSA hearing board upheld that ruling on Aug. 12. Matzen said he then reached out to Yang Rohr, who filed the bill on Aug. 25.

IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson told The Center Square he was not consulted before the bill was filed. "It would be quite a difference from our current policy and residence and transfer bylaws that kind of dictate whether transfer students are eligible," Anderson said.

HB 5808 does include guardrails. A student who transfers after an athletic season has officially started would be ineligible for that sport for the rest of the school year. The receiving school would also have to enforce any disciplinary ineligibility period carried over from the sending school, up to 365 days.

The bill is not the first attempt to curb IHSA transfer authority. In April 2024, state Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Chicago, filed an amendment to House Bill 334 that would have barred the IHSA from restricting any transfer student's participation. A subcommittee approved it 8-0, but the bill died in the Rules Committee on Jan. 7, 2025.

That earlier effort drew fierce IHSA opposition. Anderson called HB 334 "interference by state government" and urged people to file witness slips against it, according to a Shaw Local column. The campaign generated 428 slips in opposition and 11 in support. As of Sept. 22, no witness slips had been filed against HB 5808.

State Reps. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, and Jed Davis, R-Yorkville, have signed on as chief co-sponsors, giving the bill bipartisan backing.

The Illinois General Assembly could take up HB 5808 during fall veto session, scheduled for Nov. 17–19 and Dec. 1–3.