LEWISTOWN — Mifflin County School District’s Board of Directors Thursday discussed a PIAA change for faith-based school sports participation which would likely result in the termination of Mifflin County School District’s co-op agreements.

Chief Operations Officer Clint Aurand explained the PIAA change. According to a form given to directors, the PIAA recently approved a consent order providing for the participation of Pennsylvania faith-based schools without a particular sport to return to their home public school district to participate.

The form read that this change is a result of a recent consent order agreement approved by the Middle District of PA Court and a recent lawsuit filed by the Religious Rights Foundation of PA.

So, if a public school that is a member of the PIAA has a sport that a faith-based school (PIAA member or not) does not, a student who resides in the area of the public school may try out for the sports team based on public

school procedures.

A student at a faith-based school (PIAA member or not) that has their desired sport can only participate in sports there and cannot return to their local public school for sports participation.

A faith-based school that is a PIAA member that co-ops with a public school (PIAA member) where the student does not reside would continue the co-op agreement. So, the student would participate through the co-op and not the public school in the area where they reside.

Also, according to the form, when a Pennsylvania private faith-based student returns to participate at their public school of residence, all attendance and academic requirements must be met at the PA faith-based school.

The student would participate as any public school student, so all tryouts, practices, roster/number of participants, and other expectations apply.

Aurand stated that the agenda under Board action may read “pending PIAA passage’ the Board recommends eliminating co-op agreements to comply with the recent PIAA development.

The Board plans to continue discussion on this topic and will likely revisit it under Board action agenda items at their voting meeting Thursday, Sept. 25.

Further information regarding the Mifflin County School District Board of Directors committee of the whole meeting will appear in a later edition of The Sentinel.