FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, January 10, 2005

IMMEDIATE CHANGES TO PIAA BY-LAWS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, AND 2007-2008

PIAA BASKETBALL SEASON

At its meeting of Friday, December 10 and Saturday, December 11, 2004, the

PIAA Board of Directors approved the following changes to the PIAA By-Laws

and Policies and Procedures, effective immediately.

The first immediate change comes under Article XIII, Penalties, Section 10.

Fairness to Opponents.  While there was previously a general understanding

that the provision was applicable to any ineligible person, this Section has

been clarified to now include ineligible coaches as well as ineligible

students.  If a student or coach who is ruled ineligible under the

Constitution, By-Laws, Policies and Procedures, and/or Rules and Regulations

of PIAA, continues to participate or coach under the protection of a court

restraining order or injunction against PIAA, and said injunction is later

reversed, the District Committee may take steps to remedy the harm to

opponents caused by such participation or coaching, including the forfeiture

of team victories that were earned during participation or coaching by such

ineligible student(s) or coach(es).

The second immediate change was made to the Procedural Standards for Appeal

Hearings, II. Constitutional Basis for Appeal, which can be found in the

Policies and Procedures Section of the PIAA Handbook.  This change was made

to provide clarification of the limitation on the Board of Directors to hear

appeals submitted more than thirty days after decisions of District

Committees.  The standard now restricts the Board of Directors to hear an

appeal submitted to it, within thirty days of the decision of a District

Committee.

Finally, the Board of Directors amended Article XVI, Season and

Out-of-Season Rules and Regulations, Table II - Schedule of Winter Sports,

of the PIAA By-Laws, for the 2007-2008 basketball season.  The last Regular

Season Contest Date will be moved up one week from Saturday, February 23,

2008 to Saturday, February 16, 2008.  This will also cause the PIAA District

and Inter-District Championships deadlines to be advanced from Saturday,

March 1, 2008 to Saturday, February 23, 2008 and Saturday March 22, 2008 to

Saturday, March 15, 2008, respectively.  This change was made to avoid

playing the 2007-2008 PIAA Basketball Championships (Finals) on Friday,

March 21, which is Good Friday that year.