ALIQUIPPA, Pa. — A Pennsylvania State Representative in Beaver County introduced a bill aimed to resolve problems with the way the state’s schools are classified for athletic competition.
According to State Representative Rob Matzie (D), the legislation will tackle problems with the way athletic classifications are handled for Pennsylvania’s 1,400 public, private and charter schools.
The legislation comes a few weeks after PIAA’s competition classification formula said the Aliquippa Junior/Senior High School football program had to move from Class 4A, where they won a state title in November, to Class 5A.
>> Aliquippa football to be moved to Class 5A after winning championship, PIAA says
According to Rep. Matzie, the bill addresses longstanding concerns that PIAA’s procedure for classifying schools places student athletes in harm’s way and skews competitions in favor of wealthier schools and those with larger enrollment numbers.
The formula says it uses enrollment numbers to establish a school’s classification that has stood the test of time for decades. It also states there is general view that enrollment numbers may not clearly indicate equal competition factors and there should be additional items that need to be considered in the classification process to keep athletic competition in balance, like transfers and success on the field.
“When the PIAA determines the athletic level at which our high schools compete, they use a competition classification formula based on enrollment, success and transfers,” Rep. Matzie said. “Based on the formula, PIAA can force schools to move up a classification. But there is a dangerous flaw in PIAA’s formula that they have been stubbornly unwilling to address.
In 2021, Aliquippa Junior/Senior High School had 117 teenage boys enrolled, which would have put them in Class 1A. However, while they “volunteered” to play in Class 3A for the previous two seasons, PIAA enacted the formula which forced them to move to 4A. This pitted them against schools with three times their enrollment.
>> Aliquippa football team to move up due to PIAA rule
“When considering enrollment as part of the formula, schools that voluntarily play up in a higher classification are pigeonholed by the PIAA into that higher classification used for the formula – regardless of the school’s actual enrollment size. The result is that a football team with 144 players can end up being forced to play a school with 424 players. It’s a dangerous system that jeopardizes the health and safety of students in smaller schools that lack the numbers to field larger rosters or the finances to match athletic budgets. It also sends the wrong message to our kids by in effect punishing successful efforts to voluntarily seek better competition,” Rep. Matzie said.
Aliquippa won the PIAA State Championship in Class 4A in 2021, as well as the WPIAL Championship. This caused the PIAA to force them to move to Class 5A, but they won their appeal to stay put in 4A.
>> Aliquippa football team wins appeal, will stay in 4A
Aliquippa appealed the decision at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. The appeal was ultimately denied.
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