Family threatens to picket Southern Section office over CIF appeal

I've been writing about growing discontent with the CIF appeals process related to hardship waivers, and now the family of Glendora baseball player Nicholas Wagner is threatening to picket at the Southern Section headquarters in Los Alamitos on Tuesday.

Wagner was denied a hardship waiver after exhausting his athletic eligibility. His family also has an attorney and is suing. Courts have shown an unwillingness to intervene on behalf of families after appeals are denied.

Whether the California Interscholastic Federation is right or wrong, the organization has a big public-relations problem. Its appeals process is losing credibility among parents. The CIF continues to deny the media access to information regarding appeals, citing privacy. The lack of reporting contributes to the hazy understanding of the process among the public; other families have no understanding why an appeal is approved or denied. The CIF having the right to deny a transfer because the organization believes it's motivated by sports only adds to the confusion.

In this atmosphere, chances are lawsuits and complaints could multiply.

-- Eric Sondheimer