Board declines to pursue immediate cooperative athletics agreement with Notre Dame; discusses middle‑school cheer and facility use policy

The East Stroudsburg Area School District’s superintendent briefed the board on a proposal for cooperative athletic agreements under Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) rules that would allow students from neighboring Notre Dame High School to participate on South High teams for sports Notre Dame does not offer.

Dr. Michele Vitale said the agreements would be written sport by sport and must meet PIAA rules, including contiguous attendance boundaries and classification calculations. She warned the board the timing could change the PIAA classification cycle and affect postseason eligibility. “If we do this out of our cycle of classification, we are not eligible for postseason play,” Vitale said. She added the 2026–27 reclassification cycle would include any added enrollments and that combined rosters could move South football from Class 5A to 6A.

Board members raised practical concerns: eligibility and postseason effects, transportation for non‑district students, competitive balance and unintended incentives for families to re‑enroll students in Notre Dame to get athletic access to South teams. After discussion the board chair said members were not interested in pursuing the cooperative agreement at this time and that the administration would not put the item on the March agenda.

Middle school cheer and facility‑use policy The board also reviewed middle‑school cheer activities at Lehman and JTL. Administrators said both organizations are currently clubs (one described as a “fan club” and one as a more active cheer club), with JTL fundraising to replace uniforms. Current participation numbers are roughly 34 at JTL and 25 at Lehman.

Board members asked whether the clubs should become fully funded sports, what standards would trigger such a change and what costs would be entailed. The administration recommended developing written criteria to decide when a club becomes a sport, including measures of sustained interest, cost, meeting cadence and whether competition or spirit zones would be required.

Policy 707 (use of facilities) The board again reviewed Policy 707 (use of facilities), which categorizes users (school‑sponsored organizations, district-related groups such as boosters, local nonprofits and other organizations) and assigns fee waivers and personnel charges for weekend events. Administrators said most weekday, school‑sponsored activities receive waivers while outside groups that require Saturday or Sunday staffing may incur personnel charges. The board heard examples of large weekend events that required multiple custodians and security and noted unions prevent the district from shifting custodial duties to volunteer groups.

After discussion the board indicated it is comfortable keeping Policy 707 as written but asked staffing and scheduling questions be tracked and brought back if repeated conflicts occur.

Why it matters: cooperative agreements can expand opportunities for students but also change competitive classifications and create financial or logistical burdens on families and the district. Facility use and the boundary between clubs and sports affect equity for students and fiscal exposure for the district.

What the board decided: for now, no formal action will be taken on a Notre Dame cooperative agreement; the administration will not put a March action item forward. The board supported developing criteria for converting clubs into funded sports and will monitor facility‑use incidents that create recurrent scheduling or staffing conflicts.