Wanted to pass along a quick update to everyone, MSHSAA (Jennifer Rukstad) denied today to reset the transfer portal from the below email with her MEMBER school's request to reset based on two different legal opinions. Please continue to share this and get as much traction as possible. The above is the Springfield crime map pulled online using Rue's address, we took the address out, but the home he lived in is right in the middle of this. This has been made personal by Rukstad and this needs to change!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
They do not believe Rue’s transfer qualifies under the full family move exception. They are not going to reset the transfer.
Jason Cahill
Athletic Director
Liberty High School
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jennifer Rukstad <Jennifer@mshsaa.org>
Date: Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 11:58 AM
Subject: Re: Rue Wells Transfer
To: Jason Cahill
CC: Michael Sharp
Jason,
As stated before, all information submitted throughout the process has been considered after receiving and it continues to be my opinion this transfer does not qualify as a full family move. Rue was the only individual that moved. His entire household needed to move in order to qualify for that exception. You have indicated there is no new information.
You have asked me to not reset the form if my opinion is this transfer does not qualify for the full family move exception. I will respect this request.
Jen
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 27, 2024, at 1:36 PM, Jason Cahill wrote:
Jen,
On 10/1/24 I uploaded an opinion letter from the Mortimer's attorney stating he believed that Rue qualified for under the full family move exception. When I uploaded the documentation, opinion letter, that triggers a rereview from you and or your staff. I never received any correspondence as to the validity of the opinion letter, just information as to the logistics of our initial appeal. At the appeal, Mr. Mortimer brought up the argument of a full family move as he was the legal guardian. If memory serves me correctly, it was stated in closed session that the legal guardianship could "open up Pandora's box."
After denial from the first appeal, I submitted another opinion letter on 12/2/24 that addressed the full family move exception. Again, resubmitting documentation should have thrown the transfer into another rereview. Once again, we heard nothing back from MSHSAA except the logistics for the next appeal in front of the Board of Directors. Again, at the board appeal, Mr. Mortimer brought up the legal guardianship and it was stated that legal guardianship was a non-factor in this situation.
Finally, throughout this entire process, we as the sending school have been asked ONCE if we believed this was a full family move and that was during the initial submission of the transfer form back in August. We have never been asked, neither from the MSHSAA staff nor the two appeals committee's, if we the sending school believed this transfer qualified for the full family move exception. I am not an attorney, however, we now have two different lawyers stating this qualifies under the full family move exception. If the MSHSAA legal council feels differently, sobeit, again, I do not begin to understand the legal interpretations behind our by-law language. I hope the uploaded legal opinions I submitted were read and taken into consideration throughout this process not only by the MSHSAA staff but also the appeals committees. If we have a loophole in our bylaw language, we can all agree that our association would want it rectified to avoid legal proceedings in the future.
If your opinion is that this transfer does not qualify for the full family move exception, no need to reset the transfer form. If there are any qualifying factors for the full family move exception, I am asking that the form be reset so I can resubmit as soon as possible.
Jason.