Wisconsin family suing WIAA for not allowing daughter to play softball

Macy Weigel began her high school career at Community Christian School of Baraboo. 

During her freshman year, Macy’s youngest sibling was diagnosed with a deadly and rare blood condition. 

Macy’s mom, Emily Weigel, left her full-time teaching position to care for the child. That left Macy’s dad, Nathan Weigel, the sole provider for the family of six. 

After Macy’s sophomore year at Community Christian School, the Weigels decided they could not afford the $7,800 annual tuition. 

While Macy was sad to leave her high school, she was excited that Baraboo High School had a variety of athletic teams. 

She planned to play softball. 

But the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s transfer rules are preventing Macy from getting to play softball for one year, due to the organization’s transfer rules.

Now the family is suing the WIAA and the Baraboo School District. 

According to the WIAA, “A student who transfers from any school into a member school will be subject to the transfer rules for one calendar year, unless the transfer is made necessary by a total and complete change in residence by parent(s).”

Transfer rules are in place to prevent schools from “stacking” the best players.

But Macy’s mom, Emily, says her daughter is not gaming the system.

“She simply wants to participate in high school sports and is making the best of her family’s involuntary decision to switch schools,” Emily said in a statement. “The WIAA has gone too far, and we are fighting back on her behalf and the many other students who have been subject to the arbitrary decision-making of this organization.”

In a statement, WIAA spokesperson Todd Clark said the organization is aware of the lawsuit. 

“Because this is a pending legal matter, the WIAA does not have further comment at this time,” Clark said. 

Baraboo School officials said they supported Macy wanting to play softball but could not comment on pending litigation.

Every public high school in the state belongs to WIAA, accounting for about 80 percent of WIAA members. 

WIAA has discretion over which students can participate on sports teams. 

According to a complaint filed in Sauk County Circuit Court, Baraboo High School wanted to allow Macy to play on the varsity high school team and sought a waiver to the WIAA rules. 

That waiver was denied by a WIAA staff member who concluded: “It appears this student’s situation has come about largely as a result of choices, decisions and/or actions made by Macy and her family,” according to the complaint.

Baraboo High School in October appealed that decision to WIAA’s Board of Control, WIAA’s governing body. The board denied the appeal 8-3. 

“Our clients live and pay taxes in the school district, and their child has been denied access to programs sponsored and funded by the district because the bureaucrats at the WIAA arbitrarily decided she was not worthy of a ‘waiver’ of their ‘transfer rules,’” said Skylar Croy, an attorney with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, which is representing the family. “We must rein in this illogical decision making to allow children the full opportunity to flourish and develop.”