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Parents urge board to let small cross-country team run after new 15-athlete threshold leaves roster short
Summary
Cross-country parents told the board the district's new 15-athlete minimum and a compressed coaching hiring timeline prevented a viable team; board members said co-op approvals require multi-step district and state committee review and approved independent-run permission for three students.
Parents pressed the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School Board to reverse or reconsider a recent threshold that the board discussed could require 15 athletes for a co-op team, arguing the rule prevents committed students from competing this season.
"Please let these kids run," Jennifer Russell, speaking for the AC Valley cross-country team, told the board, urging accommodations and noting boosters were prepared to help with transportation. Russell said the team had eight confirmed participants and that cyber-school students had expressed interest but were ruled ineligible.
Ashley Lineman, another parent, said the cross-country coach resigned May 14 and that a delayed approval and short hiring window left the team short of participants. "We only had two weeks to formally find a coach," Lineman said, adding that the district's guidance that independent runners needed PIAA clearances presented practical barriers for families.
Board members and athletic staff explained the 15-athlete figure arose from prior cooperative discussions with Union/Keystone that considered full-team complements (20 athletes) and adjusted to 15 in some joint meetings. A board member described the co-op approval process: district request, district 9 committee review, then state committee consideration, a sequence that can take weeks and "would mean the season would basically be over for this year," a board member said.
The board also noted independent running is an option this season and later approved letters for three students to run independently. Athletic staff offered to reach out to Keystone administrators to discuss future co-op possibilities and suggested revisiting participation thresholds for next year to account for differences by sport.
The board did not change co-op policy or the 15-athlete guidance at the meeting; members said the issue could be revisited with Union/Keystone and that the district will evaluate sport-by-sport numbers to avoid a one-size-fits-all standard.
