Hempfield Area school leaders are allowing two sporting teams to exceed suggested gathering limits by allowing spectators at events.

Girls volleyball and varsity football will be allowed two spectators per participating athlete, equating to between 175 and 200 people at volleyball events and between 1,000 and 1,100 at football events, including parents of cheerleading and band members.

The move comes almost a week after all other fall sports were allowed two spectators per student, which fell in line with Gov. Tom Wolf’s gathering limits of 250 people outdoors and 25 indoors. But with the fate of those limits hanging in limbo, Athletic Director Brandon Rapp suggested extending spectators to those two sports.

“We believe when we look at the two facilities that we would compete in, both our fieldhouse and our stadium, we believe that we can safely allow those students to participate, bring all those parents and spectators in to allow them to watch their students to participate, and do so safely with social distancing,” Rapp said.

Hempfield’s stadium holds 6,078 people. That means social distancing measures can still be enforced with the increased crowd size. Superintendent Tammy Wolicki noted that people will not be permitted to move between home and visitor sides of the stadium, concession stands will not be open and gate monitors will be in place. Masks will be required.

Last week, a federal judge in Pittsburgh found Wolf’s gathering limits to be unconstitutional because they violate the First Amendment’s right to freedom of assembly. Wolf said in a statement his office will file an appeal, leaving the order on hold as it moves through the court system.

By the end of the week, the state Department of Education encouraged schools to “voluntarily enforce” the gathering limits while the court makes a decision.

Another attempt by legislators to allow schools to determine whether they will permit spectators, House Bill 2787, was vetoed by Wolf Monday. It is now up to state lawmakers to decide if they will work to override the veto.

“As all Pennsylvania school districts, I think we’re certainly caught in the middle of a political battle and unfortunately it’s our student athletes, and more importantly, their parents who are most impacted in regards to having spectators at our events,” Wolicki said.

During Monday’s meeting, school board members were split over the number of spectators that should be allowed, with members Tony Bompiani, Jeanne Smith and Paul Ward vying for more people at sporting events that have smaller rosters.

“If it’s two tickets for each football player, maybe each field hockey player, each soccer player, gets five, whatever it happens to work out to,” Ward said.

According to Rapp, if the number of of spectators were to increase across the board, it would be a decision made in the coming weeks.

Diane Ciabattoni was to lone board member who expressed concerns over the number of spectators at volleyball and varsity football events.

“My bottom line is the health … The larger the number the more risk, I think,” Ciabattoni said. “I have a little bit of a problem with the numbers, but then again I’d love to see two people for each student. I think those numbers are a little high.”

The number of spectators will be evaluated each week as the situation continues to change.

“We recognize a lot can change between now and then,” said Rapp. “That would be our plan of attack as it stands now, but what we had communicated last week is we would put a release out each Wednesday of varsity home football games the week of.”

The next home football game is Oct. 2.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)