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Solicitor: recent PIAA consent order may allow students from religious schools to participate in public athletics
Summary
The board's solicitor briefed members that a recent Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association consent order allows students enrolled in private religious schools to participate in public school athletics and extracurricular activities; the district will assess local impacts.
The district solicitor told the board Sept. 29 that a recent consent order by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association could make students enrolled in private religious schools eligible to participate in public-school athletics and extracurricular activities.
Mr. Fitzgerald, the district solicitor, said the order was entered roughly two weeks earlier and could immediately affect districts where nearby private religious schools lack comparable athletic programs. "This is an order that was entered into roughly about two weeks ago with the PIAA to permit such participation," Fitzgerald said. "It will have an immediate impact on every school district who that might have schools within the region where students attend. They can now potentially be eligible to participate in our programs."
Fitzgerald said the issue had previously been litigated in another part of the state and that courts found policies that excluded similar students were potentially discriminatory. The solicitor did not identify specific legal citations or the parties to the order at the meeting and did not describe any immediate changes to Spring-Ford policy.
Ending: The solicitor said the district will monitor how the consent order affects local eligibility and program participation but did not announce any policy changes at the Sept. 29 meeting.
