The separation of Pennsylvania private and public schools competing in the same state championship competitions has taken the next step towards being potentially being split up by the state association.<\/p>\n
According to a PennLive.com report<\/a>, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday passed House Bill 41 by an overwhelming 178-23 vote. This now sets the stage for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) to have the ability to evaluate and potentially implement separate private\/public postseason formats.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]<\/a><\/p>\n The bill now will go to the Senate for a vote before taking the next steps of becoming law in the Keystone State. HB 41 looks to amend the Public School Code of 1949 to add a new section on playoffs and championships that permits the association to establish separate athletic playoffs and championships for boundary schools and non-boundary schools.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has gone on long enough, it is egregious to me,\u201d Pennsylvania representative Scott Conklin said in the report. \u201cThe time has come.\u201d<\/p>\n The legal barrier that stood in the way of separating private and public schools in Pennsylvania, via Act 219 \/ Section 511(b.1)), now is just a Senate vote away from becoming one step closer to reality in the state. When it comes to folks around the state wanting change, the complaints have gotten louder, with the loudest being\u00a0Old Forge<\/a>\u00a0(Penn.) School District Superintendent\u00a0Dr. Christopher Gatto, who\u00a0sent a letter to the PIAA<\/a>\u00a0regarding the competitive imbalances between private and public schools.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The letter was regarding the competitive disadvantages the public school\u00a0Old Forge<\/a>\u00a0Blue Devils (Penn.) boys basketball team faced at the PIAA state championships when they lost to\u00a0Sewickley Academy<\/a>\u00a0(Penn.) in the AA title game, which the PIAA reviewed and sent a response back to Gatto.<\/p>\n Gatto continued the dialogue with the PIAA regarding the imbalances and points to Pennsylvania House Bill 41 and Senate Bill 1253, which still currently exists.\u00a0The two bills take aim at reforming Pennsylvania high school sports by separating public (boundary) and private\/charter (non-boundary) schools in PIAA state playoffs to create a more balanced overall system.<\/p>\n Four out of the six PIAA high school boys basketball state championships were won by private schools this past 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n How to Follow Pennsylvania High School Football<\/p>\n