Exemptions From Mask Wearing Creates Confusion For High School Sports
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The wearing of masks has been a hot topic recently and now that topic has reached the world of high school sports.
Last November, the state issued a mandate requiring anyone inside a public place to wear a face covering.
"Our instructions to the schools was to check with their school solicitors, medical professionals and school boards to make their local decisions on that," said WPIAL Executive Director Amy Schueneman.
School districts seem to disagree over who qualifies for an exemption to that policy and that's why some athletes are wearing masks and others are not.
"You don't have to have a doctor's excuse, the schools can decide," said Post-Gazette high school writer Mike White. "So the athletic director, principal and superintendent can say 'Hey, do you have trouble breathing with a mask on when you play'? 'Yes, I do'. 'All right, you have an exemption.'"
Many schools, like North Allegheny, have provided those exemptions.
"We do understand the importance of wearing masks," said North Allegheny boys basketball coach Dan DeRose. "But when it comes to actually playing sports, the kids seem to have trouble breathing."
And that's why even the players who are required to wear masks often don't do so properly.
"It is not easy even as a coach to wear a mask," said White. "I don't blame kids in the middle of a game where they have the mask down as a chin diaper because the officials are not in charge of mandating the rule, nobody really is. It's not easy."
When the state playoffs begin in a few weeks, teams will be required to list individual exemptions on a form, which is not currently required by the WPIAL.
Despite the inconsistencies, everyone at the administration level says they have two goals: first, to keep the athletes safe and second, to allow them to compete.
