Rep. Scott Conklin’s (D-Centre) bill authorizes the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to split playoffs between public and private high schools. (Photo by Emily Scolnick/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Emily Scolnick is a 2026 Dow Jones News Fund intern at Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
House lawmakers are urging the state Senate to pass a bill that would allow Pennsylvania’s governing body for high school athletics to split playoffs for public and private schools.
House Bill 41First introduced by Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Center), would give Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has the legal authority to make changes to the playoff structure.
Standard passed the House in delayed April by a 178-23 bipartisan vote and currently serves on the Senate Education Committee.
Proposed text Amends the Public School Code of 1949 to allow the PIAA to separate playoff games for border and non-border schools.
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The bill “does not require PIAA to make any changes,” said Sen. Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna), who introduced it Senate version of the billhe said. “It simply gives the organization the power to make changes.”
The legislation gained momentum this year after the boys basketball team from Old Forge High School in Lackawanna County made a historic run to the PIAA championship before losing to Sewickley Academy, a private school near Pittsburgh, prompting its principal to call for reform.
“The issue wasn’t about working harder, it wasn’t about coaching, it wasn’t about dedication,” said Chris Rasmus, a recent graduate of Old Forge High School and a member of that basketball team. “The problem is competitive balance.”
Paul Brennan, Director of Riverside School Districtstated that it is necessary to consider whether “our children [lost] to a better team from another community, or did they lose to a system that allowed one side to build differently?”
The issue of fair competition in high school sports in Pennsylvania is not novel: Conklin said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, schools outside the PIAA’s boundaries were considering forming their own league because “it has become crystal clear that the idea of high school sports is to teach that we all stay at the same level.”
Several speakers emphasized that the bill is not an attack on private, religious or charter schools, but is intended to ensure equal opportunities for student-athletes across the state.
“We are here because equity and opportunity matter, and public schools and athletes matter.” Stara Kuźnia School District said Superintendent Chris Gatto.
Out-of-bounds schools currently make up 24% of PIAA members but win 57% of state titles compared to out-of-bounds schools, Gatto said. Since 2011, foreign schools have won 68% of state basketball titles.
“The current system adapts to wins and losses, it does not adapt to access to talent,” he said. “No formula will ever do this unless we are willing to honestly admit that there is a difference between the two models.”
Flynn, representing Old Forge, added that the goal of the bill is to prioritize fair and equitable competition.
“We don’t always see that the votes were unequal,” said Rep. Jim Haddock (D-Luzerne), who also represents Old Forge. “Democrats and Republicans came together to support House Bill 41 because it was not about politics, it was about students.”
Casey Scanlan, a prominent Lehigh Valley mother community organizer Supporting the bill, they said state school administrators’ associations and school boards also support the measure, along with a coalition of more than 400 superintendents from across the state.
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Haddock said “PIAA is working” to ensure the bill is passed and “understood.”[s] situation.” Scanlan said that if it passes the Senate, the changes could take effect in delayed 2027 or early 2028 after a series of public hearings.
“We believe they will hear from the public what we say,” Scanlan said.
Scanlan also made a direct appeal to Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (Indiana) and Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (Westmoreland), urging them to move the legislation through the Education Committee and consider it on the floor.
“The time has come,” he said. “The House just passed you the most bipartisan legislation you will see. Our coalition does not want to be kept waiting.”
