School districts’ masks policies could impact WPIAL competitions

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, December 7, 2020 | 8:26 PM

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“Mask or no mask” has become a WPIAL dilemma.

Some school districts will require athletes to wear masks during competition this winter and others will not, a disagreement likely to cause conflict and maybe cancellations. For now, there is no WPIAL or PIAA guideline, so the issue is left for individual schools to solve.

What will happen when a school that opposes masks during competition visits a venue that requires them?

“That’s something that’s going to need to be addressed sooner or later,” said Peters Township athletic director Brian Geyer, whose school requires masks. “You’re going to have teams that play a section opponent, one school district is requiring masks and the other is saying you don’t need to wear a mask.”

Currently, all schools require masks before and after competition and while sitting on the bench.

Geyer, a member of the WPIAL board, has begun notifying opponents that their athletes will be required to cover their nose and mouth while engaged in competition at Peters Township. For example, a basketball team would need to wear masks on the court.

“I know one school in particular is not requiring masks, but when they’re coming to our place, they told their kids they have to wear masks,” Geyer said. “They’re following the home site requirements.”

The issue becomes more pressing Friday when regular-season competition for winter sports starts. For now, high school teams statewide can only scrimmage.

“I haven’t had push back yet,” Geyer said. “I don’t know if it’s coming.”

WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said she’d already heard from a number of schools that intend to require masks during competition. The WPIAL board likely will discuss the issue when it meets online Thursday, but might await guidance from elsewhere.

The PIAA board meets Wednesday.

“It’s the next layer of decisions in a constantly changing environment,” she said. “It’s going to be a challenge to see how we approach it, but I don’t think it’s one we can’t get past.”

If two schools can’t reach an agreement and cancel a game, how will that contest be counted in the standings? Scheuneman said the WPIAL still must make that determination.

In the fall, games canceled because of covid-19 were declared “no contest.”

The mask issue for sports seemed settled until Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration issued a universal mask mandate last month. The mandate, a mitigation effort for coronavirus spread, said athletes must wear masks during competition unless they meet one of the exemptions listed under Section 3 of the health department order.

One exemption says: “If wearing a face covering would either cause a medical condition, or exacerbate an existing one, including respiratory issues that impede breathing, a mental health condition or a disability.”

Many high school, college and professional sports teams across the state have used that exemption to avoid mask use altogether during competition, but Geyer said Peters Township’s administration disagrees with that interpretation.

“Our kids have been practicing with masks on the entire time and they will play with masks on unless they fall under Section 3 of the governor’s exemption for masking,” Geyer said. “Out of our athletes, I think there’s one athlete that falls into that category.”

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart also will require athletes to wear masks but may show some leniency with visiting teams, athletic director Michael McDonald said. When OLSH held a three-way boys basketball scrimmage Saturday, one opponent wore masks while the other refused, he said.

McDonald blames the governor’s lack of clarity on the issue, noting that the requirement now falls somewhere between a recommendation and a mandate.

“Some school districts are choosing to follow it. If their opponent refuses to wear them, they cancel the game,” McDonald said. “Their boards say, ‘We are going to wear them at all times. If you are not, we’re not going to play you.’”

At times, school districts have received conflicting advice from the PIAA and the governor’s office. The PIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee has opposed wearing masks during competition.

“If there was a consistency, that would be helpful,” Geyer said. “The issue is every school is doing something different. Individual schools are following their health and safety plans — and that’s no problem — but there’s very little consistency across the board. Masking is the most pressing issue.”

McDonald said OLSH athletes have worn masks for a few weeks of workouts and practice without problem.

“We have had zero issues with kids running up and down the floor with masks on,” he said. “Every once in awhile their nose pops out and we remind them that that’s supposed to be covered too.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.