Pennsylvania Senate Passes Bill Allowing School Districts To Make Decision On Fans At Games
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill giving school districts the power to decide who can attend sporting events.
House Bill 2787 passed on Wednesday, and now Governor Tom Wolf's office says he will veto the bill. The office says the bill is "unnecessary" and says school districts already have local control over athletics. Both the state House and Senate have enough votes to override the veto.
The Senate just passed House Bill 2787 to ensure decisions about school sports and spectators can be made at the local level. This is not just about sports, but the important life lessons and mentorships that come with these activities. I encourage Gov. Wolf to sign this bill. pic.twitter.com/KOZnlk6yjJ
— Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (@RepBenninghoff) September 9, 2020
The bill would allow the districts to determine rules and regulations regarding practices, games and spectators, rather than Governor Wolf.
"I don't think that we are in any place, as the general assembly, to tell parents and school districts what they should be doing with those students," Rep. Natalie Mihalek told KDKA last week.
The Wolf administration's updated guidance no longer bans spectators from school sports, but gathering restrictions must still be followed. The guidelines, updated on Sept. 2, say that spectators can attend sporting events, but they'll count towards the statewide gathering limitation of 25 people indoors and 250 outdoors.