PA Governor Recommends Cancelling School Sports Until 2021

[Youth Hockey Info]

In a surprise announcement during a press conference early this morning, the governor of Pennsylvania dropped a bombshell, recommending a full stop to all scholastic sports activities until Jan 1, 2021.

Over 90k signatures against PIAA pushing back competition.

https://www.change.org/p/pennsylvania-interscholastic-athletic-association-dear-piaa-please-do-not-terminate-our-sports-seasons

As the governor has stated on several occasions, often, he's not making the decisions, the virus is. What does this mean for high school hockey? While public high school ice hockey is not PIAA sanctioned, they do still adhere to all scholastic sports policies. If they are shut down, so is high school ice hockey.

It is entirely the governor's recommendation with no outside perspective from PIAA, as the board put it, "we were completely blindsided". The board and the governor's office are currently meeting to discuss and decide on the immediate future of the scholastic sports activities.

A decision is expected before the end of the day.


UPDATED 3:58pm 8/6/2020

Full recommendation from the state:

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Education today jointly recommended that Pre-K–12 school and recreational youth sports be postponed until at least Jan. 1, 2021, to protect children and teens from COVID-19.

The administration is providing this strong recommendation and not an order or mandate. As with deciding whether students should return to in-person classes, remote learning or a blend of the two this fall, school administrators and locally elected school boards should make decisions on sports.

Highlights of the recommendation to pause youth sports until Jan. 1, 2021:

Applies to team and individual, school and non-school recreational youth sports;
Includes competitions, intramural play and scrimmages;
Continue conditioning, drills and other training activities on an individual basis;
Does not apply to collegiate and professional sports;
Gathering limits remain unchanged – no more than 25 persons may gather indoors and 250 outdoors.
The administration is updating existing sports guidance to reflect this recommendation.

The administration recognizes the importance of getting children back to school, while also protecting the safety and well-being of students and educators. Guidance for schools is available. The guidance represents endorsed best public health practices related to social distancing, face coverings, hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfecting in school settings. It also outlines how to accommodate individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions, procedures for monitoring symptoms, and responding to confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 in the school community.

Website

UPDATED 4:18pm 8/6/2020

PIAA releases statement, an announcement will be made tomorrow.

[Guest]

Vote Republican in November

[Guest]

Absolutely.  Guy has shown he’s an absolute dictator and shows preference to organizations and businesses that support his org and views. 

[Guest]

insanity here.  PA has one of the lowest covid case counts as a % of population because of his actions.  mind numbing the ignorance.

[Guest]

He keeps on mentioning new cases but all tests are counted as new regardless of the result! He and Levine never show statistics which prove its over 75% seniors who are stricken. There's no logic here the sick should be quarntined not the healthy. We all know this is about the election but why put the kids in the same position as the adults they can't vote?!!!!

[Guest]

Not just school sports, youth rec as well.  What will state hockey leagues do here?

Twitter

[Guest]

How are the low number of cases in Philly HIS doing, when he has the same authority over the rest of the state that are seeing increases (Pittsburgh)?   Philly is declining because people are wearing masks and listening, so let us continue to restart life using safe practices. 

If you want to reduce congregations, then apply it across the board to schools, restaurants, church services, shops, sports etc.  Focusing on a group of kids playing a sport when you allow other large gatherings is the issue. 

[Guest]

INCENSED! These governors have no moral compass they will stop at nothing to win this election. I will never vote democrat again.

[Guest]

I will never vote democrat again.

you should have seen this coming 1000 miles away after 2008-2016

[Guest]

#voteredinnovember