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Monday 10 August 2020 | 11:57 AM
Christopher Horner | Tribune Review
Elise Riley (20) of Seneca Valley clashes with Peters Twp.’s Hannah Stuck during the WPIAL Class AAAA girls soccer championship game Saturday, November 3, 2018, at Highmark Stadium.
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The WPIAL supports playing high school sports this fall despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s strong recommendation that they be postponed until January.
“The WPIAL’s response to the governor’s remarks and document is one of frustration,” said WPIAL Executive Director Amy Scheuneman on Monday, “because of the unpredictable, inconsistent and unjustified approach to this guidance.”
Scheuneman spoke at a press conference outside the WPIAL office in Green Tree.
She cited data from the Allegheny County Health Department that showed that sports have not been a major cause of coronavirus spread in recent weeks, according to contact tracking. The governor’s guidance is “inconsistent” because he has not issued a recommendation that all schools cancel personal classes, she said, only sports.
It was ‘unfair’, she added, because Wolf’s administration in June provided guidance to schools to resume sports. That guidance required each school district to create and implement a health and safety plan for covid-19. Those plans are in place and working successfully, she said.
The position of the WPIAL was in line with what the PIAA board decided last week when it delayed the start of fall sports by two weeks. The delay was intended to give the PIAA extra time to talk to Wolf’s administration, state lawmakers and others before deciding on a way forward.
“The WPIAL is in favor of the PIAA’s approach to gaining more clarity on what a ‘strong recommendation’ actually means legally for schools if they choose to offer sport this autumn,” Scheuneman said. “We also support the continuation of sports under the established guidelines.”
The mayor on Thursday said youth sports should not be played until at least Jan. 1 to prevent potential spread of coronavirus. His brief comment at a press conference was followed a few hours later by a document from the state Department of Health and Education, which described Wolf’s guidance as a “strong recommendation” and not as a mandate or mandate.
The WPIAL announcement came the same day public Philadelphia Public Schools plans to follow Wolf’s recommendation and shut down sports, with the various reactions seen statewide. Administrators of Pittsburgh Public Schools have already made plans to shut down City League sports.
“We wanted to make this public announcement to let the schools and the students know that we are fighting for them to have a season,” Scheuneman said.
This story will be updated.
#WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman press conference #HSSN https://t.co/gJYc3xBsAS
– Chris Harlan (@CHarlan_Trib) August 10, 2020
Chris Harlan is a Staffune Review Staff Writer. You can contact Chris via email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
