Parents banned from West Hazleton youth-league events after on-site incident; district says restriction temporary and will be reevaluated

Hazleton Area School District officials announced that parents and siblings would not be permitted to attend West Hazleton Youth Basketball League games and practices for the remainder of the season after an incident the district described as a safety concern. District administrators said the restriction is tied to safety and staffing considerations and that the policy will be reevaluated at the end of the season.

Multiple parents, grandparents and league volunteers urged the board to reverse the restriction during public comment, saying the ban has reduced participation in the junior division and harmed children who attend to watch family members. Parents described players age 7— as missing games and some children considering quitting the league.

Why it matters: the ban affects hundreds of children and families who use district facilities for youth sports and risks diminishing a long-standing community program.

What board and staff said The superintendent (identified in the transcript as the district representative) said the district had considered the circumstances of a previous incident and a more recent event, and decided to prohibit parents and siblings temporarily to allow coaches and students to complete the season safely. "We have taken that into consideration... rather than eliminate the entire program for the remainder of the school year, we decided to have parents... not attend the games or practices, just to allow the coaches to take part in those games and allow the students to continue to play," the superintendent said. The superintendent added the district treats league use of facilities as a rental and that the district can set conditions for facility use.

Parents and volunteers responded with pleas to reverse the ban. "It has really impacted the amount of players that we have," said Kristen Michalak, a junior-division coach, who said volunteers who removed a disruptive parent were now "being punished for their actions." Several parents described children who previously attended with family members now choosing not to play.

Security and contract issues Speakers and staff discussed contracted security at rented games. A representative noted that the league had requested a reduced security presence for cost reasons; the district said that in previous years the district had recommended more security for similar events but complied with the league's request to minimize costs. Board and staff discussion indicated the district had supplied one security officer for some games and that league organizers had asked to limit security to control rental costs. District officials said they will review facility rental terms and security staffing for future events.

Community impact and next steps Speakers said the junior division has about 270 players across age groups; that number was cited in public remarks as the scale of the league using district facilities. The superintendent said the district will reevaluate the attendance restriction at the end of the season (end of March per the transcript.) No formal board vote was recorded in the transcript on reversing the policy; the restriction was described as an administrative directive for the season with a review planned.

Quotes "It has really impacted the amount of players that we have," Kristen Michalak, a junior-division coach, told the board. "My son was crying. He got 4 kids that wanna quit," said Jose Ortiz, a parent, describing the effect on children. "The games are very important to my kid and I because it's a time where we bond over basketball," Anna Rodriguez, a parent, told the board.

Ending District officials said they would reassess the no-parents restriction at season's end; parents and volunteers asked the board to restore attendance sooner and asked the district to revisit rental security terms to prevent recurrence.