PIAA Set To Make Final Decision On 2020 Fall Sports

PENNSYLVANIA — The PIAA, the governing body of middle and high school sports in Pennsylvania, will make a final decision on the fall 2020 season at their Board of Directors meeting this afternoon. The meeting will bring to an end, one way or another, the months-long holding pattern which many school districts and student-athletes have been in around the state, unsure just what the coming fall would look like.

The decision will come a week after the PIAA pushed back strongly against Gov. Wolf's newly updated guidance, recommending that no organized sports take place in Pennsylvania until 2021 due to the risk of coronavirus transmission.

>>Battle Over Sports In PA: Protesters Rally Ahead Of PIAA Decision

A bill backed by Republicans in the Pennsylvania legislature passed through a House committee on Thursday, two days after hearings were held and members of the PIAA testified regarding the possibility of school sports. That legislation would guarantee some sort of season takes place and would give each individual school district the final say on whether or not they felt safe to compete.

"The ability of children to safely play fall sports should be a parent/student decision," Sen. Jake Corman (R-34), the Senate Majority Leader and a backer of the bill, wrote on Twitter. "All parents should have the right to choose if their children should play under the safety provisions outlined by @PIAASports."

Corman joined several other Republican legislatures and hundreds of students, coaches, and supporters at the capitol steps in Harrisburg Thursday morning to protest Gov. Wolf's guidance and to express support for the fall season.

The PIAA faces sharp criticism no matter what they decide. Backers of Wolf's plan, including state health officials, say that sports constitute a "congregate setting," with a large gathering typically involving more than 25 people.

"The guidance is that we ought to avoid any congregate settings, and that means anything that brings people together is going to help that virus get us," Wolf said. "Anytime we get together for any reason, that's a problem."

Opponents of the state guidance, meanwhile, say it's a decision that should be in the hands of families, and warned of the mental health risks for children not able to play fall sports.

"It is clear to the PIAA, the unintended consequences of cancelling fall sports need to be further reviewed," the group said in a statement following their most recent Board meeting last week.

The virtual meeting will take place on Zoom at 3 p.m. Friday.