If it were a sporting event, it would be the governor against the legislature, or part of the legislature anyway. With school districts deciding on how they will open for the next school year, districts are also looking at what to do about fall sports.
Unionville- Chadds Ford School Board directors approved a sports safety plan during a special meeting last week, but a few days later, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he was “recommending” that there be no school sports before Jan. 1.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has not yet decided whether to follow the recommendation, but at least two state representatives, Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland/Somerset, and Jesse Topper, R-Bedford/Franklin/Fulton, have introduced legislation that could influence what may or may not happen.
Reese introduced HB 2787, which would allow local districts to make their own decisions. In a press release, Reese said, “The governor’s announcement to stop all high school sports until Jan. 1 came as a complete shock to students, parents and even PIAA officials. Why now, right before the academic year begins, are schools not able to make their own decisions about sports? Will similar announcements be forthcoming regarding other extracurricular activities? These should be local decisions driven by local circumstances and included in each school’s athletic, health and safety plan.”
Topper’s bill, HB 2788, would allow students and their families to extend education and extracurricular activities for another year to make up for lost time due to Pennsylvania schools shutting down at the governor’s order in March.
“We must provide options for our students and their families who have already been robbed of so much,” Topper said. “Students in Pennsylvania must have access to exceptional educational opportunities and if they don’t, then we’re simply not doing our job,” Topper said in the release.
The bills will go to the House Education Committee for consideration.
The PIAA had endorsed sports resumption for the fall term but has since delayed a decision for two weeks. In the interim, mandatory fall sports activities are on hold through Aug. 21, but voluntary workouts may continue.
U-CF’s health and safety plan for fall sports can be found here.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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