GOP bill on school sports clears House panel

Republican-sponsored legislation that would give Pennsylvania school districts the final say over whether to hold sports and other activities during the pandemic cleared a House committee Thursday, one day before the governing body for interscholastic sports was to decide the fate of the fall season.

With dozens of parents, students and coaches staging a “Let Our Kids Play in PA” rally on the steps of the Capitol in Harrisburg, the House Education Committee passed a bill that would give “exclusive authority” to public and private schools to make decisions on sports, and require them to develop safety protocols.

Majority Republicans in the Legislature introduced the legislation after Gov. Tom Wolf issued a “strong recommendation” that all youth athletics be canceled until 2021 to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Wolf and his administration have repeatedly said the decision on whether to hold fall sports rests with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and individual school boards.

Some districts and leagues have already canceled fall sports, saying the risk of spreading the virus is too great, while others plan to play if they get the PIAA’s blessing. Several Pennsylvania high schools have already reported virus cases among athletes, prompting temporary shutdowns of sports programs.

The bill passed the committee largely along party lines, though it attracted the support of two Democrats.

The PIAA had been making plans to start the season as scheduled when the Wolf administration recommended Aug. 6 that scholastic and recreational youth sports be put off until January.

The surprise announcement prompted the PIAA to push back the start of mandatory sports practices for two weeks while it decided on its next move. The PIAA board plans to meet today to make a final decision on fall sports. It has signaled that it is seriously considering moving forward with sports despite the governor’s recommendation.

Outside the Capitol on Thursday, a small rally crowd pushed for the resumption of fall sports, chanting “Let them play! Let them play!”

Ashlyn O’Neill, a senior at York Catholic High School, asked the PIAA to “fight for us” and allow sports to continue, saying that canceling them would take a physical and mental toll on high school athletes as well as hurt those hoping to get noticed by college recruiters.

“This was supposed to be our year,” said O’Neill, adding: “I beg those of you who played athletics at any point in your high school life, how would you feel if you didn’t get to play?”