At the Sept. 10 policy meeting the board reviewed Policy 1.23 (Interscholastic Athletics). Members asked staff to preserve current definitions and to mark standard authority boxes in the policy; they also requested input from the district athletics director on whether additional wording should be added to reflect current athletic values and priorities.
Why it matters: Athletics policy governs student eligibility, facility safety expectations and the relationship between district programs and state athletic associations; language affects coaches, students and parents.
Board members noted that definitions tied to school loyalty, student growth and community interest were already included in the district's existing policy and said those areas should remain marked in the updated draft. Elizabeth asked that the athletics director, David, be given an opportunity to add keywords or phrasing valued by coaches and athletic staff. "I would really like, if it's not too much trouble, our athletics director, David, if he would like any additional words added to that ... because things have changed," she said.
Staff also referenced PIAA bylaws and specific bylaw links embedded in the draft; the board agreed those references should be retained where they align with current practice. Staff removed outdated language about publishing schedules in paper when that information now appears on the athletics web page.
Action and next steps: Staff will mark the agreed authority boxes, retain references to PIAA bylaws where appropriate, and invite the athletics director to propose phrasing additions. The policy draft will be updated and returned to the board for further review. There was no formal recorded vote; the item moved forward by consensus.
Ending: Staff will update the policy to reflect the athletics director's input and the board's checkbox decisions and will return the revised draft for the next meeting.