Two parents and a student told the Palmyra Area School District board on Sept. 11 that the district's athletic attendance policy was applied too rigidly after two freshman cheerleaders were suspended from a football game following a parental complaint about missed practices. The public commenters said the students had communicated scheduling conflicts to coaches and had prior approval in some cases.
The speakers asked the board to revise the attendance rule and said the suspension should have been delayed for further review rather than applied on short notice. They also asked the board to investigate whether a complaining parent unduly influenced the administrative decision.
The student commenter described juggling multiple sports and said blanket requirements that athletes attend every practice and game would exclude many students who balance activities, schoolwork and family commitments. The student said coaches have made accommodations when given advance notice and recommended the board permit first-time absences to be excused with communication between coach and athlete.
Parent Candace Hurley told the board she and other families have long participated in district athletics and that the policy's language was unclear about excused absences. She said the two suspended freshmen attended the game with family support despite being removed from participation and asked the board to revise the policy so it is clear and consistently applied.
Parent Megan Wallace said her daughter, Ella Wallace, had been absent Thursday evening from school practice to attend a competitive club practice in Lancaster that the family had disclosed in advance. Wallace said Ella had been approved previously by coaches to miss competing-practice sessions when conflicts arose, and that the recent suspension amounted to an "unjust punishment" that had been handled without a full review. Wallace requested that the board investigate whether the complaint from another parent caused staff to make a hasty decision and asked for a public apology to her daughter.
School administrators on the dais acknowledged the comments and said the board would take the matter "under advisement" and look into the issues raised by the speakers. Board members and administrators also discussed reviewing the means by which families communicate scheduling conflicts to coaches and recommended clarifying the policy language and procedures for documenting coach-approved absences.
No formal policy change or motion was taken on Sept. 11; public commenters asked for a prompt revision and clearer communication to prevent similar incidents.