Latest news with #PennsylvaniaInterscholasticAthleticAssociation
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PIAA playoff reform bill advances out of Pa. House committee
(Getty Images) The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) may soon be able to create separate playoffs and championships for public schools and non-public schools. A proposal to hand the association that power passed a state House committee on a bipartisan basis Monday. Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), sponsor of House Bill 41, believes his measure would correct what he and other supporters argue is an 'imbalance' in the current system, which pits public schools, which they describe as 'boundary' schools, in the same state playoffs and championship games as non-public schools. They include private, charter and parochial 'non-boundary' schools. Conklin mentioned that a few other states, including neighboring Maryland, currently use this approach. 'It's worked very, very well,' Conklin said. He likened his proposal to Penn State football being able to play an Ivy League team in the regular season and being able to 'beat the tar out of them,' but ultimately the two schools won't be vying for the same championship. Among the reasons Conklin's cited in pushing the measure are that in the past, some high schools were talking about dropping out of the PIAA over the issue. He also highlighted how non-public schools only represent a small percentage of schools in the state, but ultimately win state championships at a larger rate. A Capital-Star report in May 2024 found that at that time, non-public schools comprised 24% of the high schools in the PIAA, but accounted for a disproportionate amount of state champions in most common sports over the past decade. Conklin also made the case that his proposal is not meant to 'harm' those non-public schools in any way. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The PIAA has said that they don't have the authority to make such a change without legislation. A co-sponsorship memo notes it gives the association the power to make changes. However, the proposal is not a mandate for the PIAA, unlike a previous 2019 plan that would have mandated the PIAA to hold separate playoffs for public and non-public schools in certain sports. Several committee members spoke out in support of the bill, including Rep. Jeff Olsommer (R-Pike), who said his brother is a football coach at a public high school in the state. 'I can't tell you how many times he's gone into the state playoffs, faced a charter or a private school that is loaded with talent and just gets mowed down. I hear it from the coaches on the staff and his friends of coaches, that this idea that is in this bill that you're talking about, is widely prevalent and thought of as a great idea amongst the coaches, at least, in my brother's circle,' Olsommer said. The bill passed the House Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations Committee by a 20-6 vote and will be referred to the full chamber for consideration.
Axios
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Axios
News Market: ️ Cutbacks at UPenn
🗳️ Finalists for Visit Philadelphia's Liberty Bells Awards are set. Voting is open until March 21 on the group's website for new must-visit restaurants, best neighborhoods, and hotels with the best vibe. 🏈 Philadelphia Public League's girls flag football season kicked off yesterday. With more than 30 teams, this is the first season the sport is sanctioned by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Fox News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Philadelphia will keep allowing trans athletes to play girls sports, defying Trump and new Pennsylvania law
Schools in Philadelphia will continue allowing transgender athletes to play in girls sports even after the state of Pennsylvania announced it would comply with President Donald Trump's "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order. The School District of Philadelphia announced in a statement Tuesday it will continue following its previous policy that enables transgender inclusion. "The district will continue to align its practices to support its LGBTQ+ students in accordance with Board Policy 252 for transgender and gender non-conforming students," the statement said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The statement comes just a day after the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) approved a revision to its policy that prevents trans athletes from competing in women's sports. The new policy defers to principals to determine a student's "sex" when "questioned or uncertain," and adds a line that says, in accordance with Trump's executive order, "schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the order." Philadelphia's refusal to comply with Trump's order is the first known instance of a city defying its own state's trans inclusion policy since Trump's executive order went into effect. In New York City, one education official spoke out against the state's intent to defy Trump's order. However, the city and state appear they will continue allowing trans athletes to compete. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) provided a statement to Fox News Digital saying it has advised schools to comply with current state law that allows trans athletes to compete with girls but is gathering public input before making a final decision. But the director of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' Office of Sports, Wellness and Recreation, Jasmine Ray, stated her position in favor of following Trump's order on her Instagram story. "To those asking about my position, as Director of NYC Sports & Rec, I stand with the recent executive order reinforcing the importance of fairness in women's sports," she wrote. However, Ray later took down her story and said she deleted it at the "guidance" of the mayor's chief of staff, Camille Joseph Varlack. With Pennsylvania trying to comply with Trump's order but facing resistance from Philadelphia, other battleground states are also divided on the issue. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) announced last week it updated its policies to only allow athletes "designated as females at birth" to compete in girls sports. Wisconsin previously enabled trans inclusion in girls sports dating back to 2013. Meanwhile, Michigan has not complied with Trump's executive order and continues allowing trans athletes to compete in girls sports, but a bill has been introduced in the state legislature that would prevent trans inclusion in girls sports. Four states are under investigation by Trump's Department of Education for refusing to comply with the order — California, Massachusetts, Maine and Minnesota. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is warning those states to comply with federal antidiscrimination laws that require them to keep boys out of women's sports or face legal action, Fox News Digital reported Tuesday. "This Department of Justice will hold accountable states and state entities that violate federal law," Bondi wrote. "Indeed, we have already begun to do so." Bondi was referring to the Justice Department's move to sue Illinois and New York earlier in February for defying federal immigration laws. "We also stand ready to sue states and state entities that defy federal antidiscrimination laws," Bondi wrote. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
CBS News
23-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
PIAA removes Transgender policy in accordance with President Trump's executive order
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association approved to remove its Transgender policy in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." According to the PIAA's board meeting summary from Feb. 19, the policy change, effective immediately, was amended in the Mixed Gender Participation section of the association's constitution and bylaws. President Trump signed Executive Order 1420, " Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," on Feb. 5. with intentions to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports, according to the Associated Press. The new policy removes references to gender — replacing them with references to a student athlete's biological sex. The policy change states, that in cases where a student's sex is questioned, the school's determination will be accepted by the PIAA. Schools are required to consult with their legal counsel to ensure compliance with the executive order. In a statement, Senior Counsel at the Independence Law Center, Jeremy Samek calls the move "an important step in restoring safety, fairness, and opportunity in girls' sports." The statement reads in part, "Schools in Pennsylvania must still ensure their district policy reflects this change. These policies not only safeguard fairness and safety of the female students but also protect schools from potential loss of federal funding." Samek also urged Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 9, which would put in place protections for female athletes in the state's schools. While the policy change aligns Pennsylvania's high school sports regulations with the federal order, school districts must ensure their individual policies are updated accordingly to avoid potential loss of federal funding. Earlier this month three former women's swimmers at the University of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Lia Thomas' records from the record books. The nearly 90-page suit claims the student-athletes' Title IX rights were violated by Penn, the Ivy League, NCAA and Harvard University when they allowed Thomas, a transgender woman, to use the women's locker room and compete in women's events.
CBS News
28-01-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
PIAA passes new rule banning use of "finger guns" in high school basketball
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - A new rule from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is cracking down on player celebrations in high school basketball. Officials will now be calling a foul when a player simulates using a weapon on the court and one local head coach said it's a rule change that was very much needed. "I think we've gotten so far away from that, and it's becoming dangerous," said Danny Holzer, the boys' basketball coach at Upper St. Clair. Holzer is the longest-tenured active high school basketball coach in the region and his resume boasts more than 500 career victories and four WPIAL Championships at Upper St. Clair. He said coaches were first advised about the PIAA's ruling before games last weekend. "Anything with a bow and arrow or something that would refer to a firearm as a celebratory action could be a technical foul and possible ejection," he explained. The PIAA is adopting the same stance as the NFL - if a player simulates shooting a gun during a game, it is penalized as a personal foul. Holzer said that kind of celebration trickles down from the pros to the high school level and eventually a line has to be drawn. "We have some kids that if they make a three-point shot, they'll put three fingers in the air," Holzer said. "Just up in a three, which OK, that's fine, but now it's interpretation. Do they think that's a firearm or is that some type of weapon?" At the end of the day, the coach said it's about making sure players understand the rules and understanding sportsmanship. He also said the fans and parents need to monitor their behavior. "It does happen sometimes, we have kids that will do something like that and I try to correct it," he said. "I think the biggest thing is that the message should be to every student section, to every fan, to every parent: Cheer for your team and cheer their moments. If the other team doesn't make a good play or something like that, cheer - but do not get into the personal." The new rule also states that if a player sitting on the bench is called for mimicking a weapon, that player will receive a technical foul but it will be charged to the head coach. Once the technical has been charged to the coach, they must remain seated for the rest of the game.
