Schools urged to stick to crowd limits
Just when parents and fans of school sports thought they had been given an all-clear to allow as many people who wanted to attend a game to go, the Pennsylvania Department of Education is recommending school districts stick with the current limits.
A memo that went out to school districts on Friday from the Education Department asks schools to voluntarily follow the state’s earlier guidance: attendance limits of 250 for outdoor games and 25 for indoor games.
The Education Department’s message states the federal court ruling issued this week that found Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration’s limits on gatherings to be unconstitutional is not “a blanket end to the mitigation orders put in place to protect residents of the commonwealth from the deadly COVID-19.”
The department urges districts to “stay the course to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities,” while awaiting the court to rule on the stay request to put the judge’s ruling on hold while an appeal makes its way through the court system.
The a d mi n i s t r a t i o n announced on Sept. 2 rules that placed the attendance limits for indoor games at 25 and outdoor contests at 250.
Those rules said everyone in attendance, including but not limited to players, coaches, event staff, officials, media members, along with fans and family members, count against the venue’s capacity limit, which cannot exceed 50% of “occupancy otherwise permitted by law.”
It left it upto individual schools to figure out how to comply with those limits.
Some parents objected, saying those limits would prevent any family members, or any spectators, from attending games.
The letter that went out to
districts Friday said, “The ruling was not a blanket end to the mitigation orders put in place to protect residents of the commonwealth from the deadly COVID19 virus and we must all stay the
course to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. Indeed, all other orders of the governor and Secretary of Health remain in effect, including the order on face coverings.
“School entities remain responsible for enforcing the face covering order and requiring social distancing at school and at all school events, includ
ing school sporting events. The administration encourages schools to voluntarily enforce the 25-person indoor and 250-person outdoor gathering limitation while all of us wait for the court to rule on the stay request.
In his ruling this week, U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV found the Wolf administration’s limits on social gatherings to be a violation of “the right of assembly enshrined in the First Amendment.”
The PIAA and various athletic directors, including Cumberland Valley’s Mike Craig, said they could support a 25% capacity limit of a venue.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan bill sits on Wolf’s desk that would allow local school officials to not only have the exclusive authority to decide in 2020-21 whether to hold interscholastic sports and other activities, but also how many people could attend them. Wolf has said he plans to veto the bill, citing potential public health risks it could pose. He has until Monday to act.
State lawmakers held a news conference on Wednesday urging him to change his mind, saying students’ ability to participate in extracurricular activities is part of the high school experience and allowing parents and family members, along with others, to attend helps to make the experience more memorable for the participants.
In a related matter, state Sens. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster County, and Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria County, announced on Thursday plans to introduce a bill that would ensure recreational leagues and other non-school-related sports also do not have to abide by the administration’s total occupancy limits of 25 people for indoor events and 250 for outdoor games.
“Recreational leagues throughout the state proved over the summer that sporting events can be held safely if we follow the proper steps to avoid COVID-19,” Martin said.
Langerholc added, “Throughout the pandemic, we have consistently said these decisions can be made safely by local officials. this bill would give the decision-making power back to the people who know our communities best.”