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Tunkhannock HS will not field girls varsity soccer this fall because of low enrollment, superintendent says
Summary
Superintendent Paul Doherty and board members said low female participation and reduced high-school enrollment forced the district to forgo a girls varsity soccer team this year; district staff explored PIAA rules and short-term mergers but found them infeasible for this season.
Superintendent Paul Doherty said the Tunkhannock Area High School will not have a girls varsity soccer team this fall because the district could not field a full squad.
Doherty said the district had roughly 13–14 girls on the team last year, but this year’s eligible high-school population is smaller; he cited about 180 graduates last year and an incoming class of roughly 130 and said grades 9–12 total “a little over 600” students. He said the district offers six varsity fall sports for girls and that many eligible female students participate in band or cheer, reducing the pool available for sports rosters.
District staff contacted the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) about possible short-term solutions, Doherty said, but PIAA rules prohibit girls from joining the boys team when the district sponsors both teams and short-term mergers with another district are not possible mid-cycle. A board member present said there were only eight girls who had signed up in the most recent outreach effort.
Board members and officials said they will continue to explore ways to boost participation and to consider longer-term options, including scheduling and program changes; no formal policy change was adopted at the meeting.
