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GREENSBORO — Guilford County school board chairman Alan Duncan acknowledged Monday there are flaws in the school system's reassignment policy, but he stopped short of saying an overhaul of the rules is in order.


What do you want the board to do? Nothing? Prohibit transfers? Make an athlete sit out a year? Put a cap on transfers per school? Pay more attention to transfer requests? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.


Duncan said he and fellow board members hear "literally thousands" of reassignment cases each summer. "I think we do a good job of screening (applicants), but obviously some people are not going to let their true intent be known. I'm not sure if there's a (better) process."


Duncan's comments, echoed by other board members Monday, came a day after the News & Record reported a growing number of Guilford County parents and students are abusing the school system's reassignment policy to allow students to compete in athletics at a high school outside their attendance zone.


Guilford County Schools prohibits students from transferring for athletics reasons. Yet, some county coaches say that parents and students are doing just that, using a high school's college prep program to gain access to its athletics program.


Duncan opposes adopting an open enrollment policy similar to what is in place in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Forsyth County schools. Students in those school systems can attend any district school they choose regardless of whether the choice is for academics or athletics.


Duncan said open enrollment can lead to an academic and athletic imbalance between schools within a county. Indeed, Charlotte Independence, which attracts many of the top football players in Mecklenburg County, has won seven consecutive state titles. In Winston-Salem, Reynolds won three straight boys' basketball state titles earlier this decade.


"The driving force should always be outstanding academics, not athletics," Duncan said. "I'm not sure you get that with an open enrollment program."


In recent years, dozens of school systems across the country have enacted rules trying to prevent students from switching schools solely for athletics reasons. One popular rule: Forcing students to sit out a calendar year of athletics competition after transferring to a new school.


Superintendent Terry Grier said he once considered that rule for Guilford County, but quickly rejected it. "It penalizes the honor-roll student who is truly seeking out an IB program," he said, referring to the International Baccalaureate program. "You have to look at this from all sides and that ... is not fair to him."


More than 30 state high school athletics associations have guidelines aimed at curbing what officials see as too many athletes using loopholes in transfer rules to pursue athletics, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. More than half of those states make transfer students sit out athletics competition for a year.


The N.C. High School Athletic Association's regulations make scant reference to student transfers, except to say that students cannot transfer for athletics reasons. Spokesman Rick Strunk said the association allows each school system to address the issue as it sees fit.

Contact Robert Bell at 373-7055 or rbell@news-record.com