PIAA request for emergency stay denied
Tagged under: District 7, News
Billy Splain | July 18, 2024
The Commonwealth Court denied the PIAA request for an emergency stay, essentially keeping Aliquippa in 4A for this season.
From Judge McCullough opinion: “However, PIAA does not enjoy unbridled authority of regulating high school athletics. Rather, this Court bears the obligation to intervene if the PIAA action complained of “is fraudulent, an invasion of property or pecuniary rights, or capricious or arbitrary discrimination. On this point, the Court completely agrees that alternating the competition class of Aliquippa’s football team so close to the start of the 2024 season “will unjustly burden other schools.” (Id. ¶136). To grant PIAA’s requested relief would be to create a seismic disruption to the carefully synchronized orchestra of scheduling 4A and 5A WPIAL teams on an expedited-several week basis. Not only would such decision be substantially harmful—it may not even be possible. Finally, the Court finds the public interest is best served by denial of the Emergency Application. As the trial court observed, all other considerations in this matter are superseded by the health and safety of our youth.”
The PIAA was seeking to uphold their ruling that Aliquippa be moved to 5A based on their success formula. With today’s ruling, the PIAA may file an appeal, though it isn’t know how that would affect next year. Stay tuned to PFN for more info as it becomes available.
Full Ruling available here:
BREAKING: Here is the 21 page opinion of PIAA vs Aliquippa from Judge McCullough of Commonwealth Court: pic.twitter.com/injx74gGMU
— Bob Greenburg (@BobGreenburg) July 19, 2024
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