Board discusses ending Riverside wrestling co-op amid PIAA sanctions; legal guidance prompts staff follow-up

The Scranton School District board spent substantial time in a work-session discussion on whether to continue a cooperative wrestling agreement with the Riverside School District after legal counsel warned that the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has sanctions pending that could affect Scranton wrestlers.

District staff outlined two options: 1) discontinue the annual cooperative wrestling agreement with Riverside after the season ends, which would require written notification to District 2 and PIAA; or 2) continue the co-op with a board motion and Riverside's approval, then submit paperwork and fees to PIAA for its approval. Legal guidance previously supplied to the district signaled that PIAA sanctions remain possible regardless of the board's action.

Directors asked staff and legal counsel whether ending the co-op would reduce the risk of PIAA sanctions affecting Scranton athletes. Counsel and district staff advised that PIAA would not provide a private advisory opinion about whether dissolution would remove sanctions and that the association could decline to approve a co-op regardless of the board's decision. The board's solicitor also advised that the current legal opinion came from King's Sprague and that the district's newly engaged legal team was asked to review the matter and report back.

Board members asked the district to pursue several follow-ups: request an official hearing date or status from PIAA, have the district's legal team seek any updated guidance from PIAA, contact Riverside to confirm whether Riverside will proceed and whether Riverside has already approved the co-op, and obtain the new legal team's opinion. Several directors urged waiting for the PIAA hearing outcome before making a final decision; others favored acting to protect Scranton student-athletes.

The board did not adopt a final motion at the work session. Instead, members agreed to remove the item from the next week's voting agenda to allow counsel to get more information and to consider a consensus or motion at a later meeting. A director formally moved to table the item and the discussion record shows the motion was seconded; the board indicated it would take the matter up again after receiving PIAA's schedule and additional legal guidance.

Ending: District staff will request PIAA for a hearing date, instruct the new legal team to contact PIAA and Riverside, and return with written guidance and any recommended motion for a future public meeting.