Greensburg Salem moves ahead with homecoming after last-minute legal decision

Greensburg Salem officials were forced to make quick decisions after a last-minute legal ruling made it uncertain whether the school district could have spectators at Friday’s homecoming game.

The district decided to carry on as planned, but separate spectators into three “pods” of no more than 250 people each.

“We want to do the right thing for our students, and our parents and community,” said Superintendent Gary Peiffer. “This back and forth between what’s allowed and what’s prohibited has been very confusing for everybody.”

In March, Gov. Tom Wolf prohibited gatherings of more than 250 people in an attempt to mitigate the spread of covid-19.

Business owners from Butler and Washington counties challenged the governor’s orders, saying they were unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV last month agreed with the plaintiffs and overturned Wolf’s mandate.

Wolf appealed and, on Thursday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay, reinstating Wolf’s limits while the court considers Wolf’s appeal of Stickman’s ruling.

That left Greensburg Salem with one day to decide what to do about homecoming, after many tickets had already been sold.

“We got the alerts at 1:30 in the afternoon the day before,” Peiffer said.

The district posted an message to its website and Facebook page as soon as it got the news, saying the district considering changes to the crowd limit for the next day’s game.

Officials consulted with lawyers and other school districts, eventually deciding to allow spectators in seating “pods,” Peiffer said.

They decided to seat high school students in one part of the stands, high school parents in another, and the remaining spectators in a third.

The district announced its decision on its website Friday afternoon.

Peiffer said he believes this upholds the spirit of Wolf’s order while still allowing members of the community to participate in homecoming.

Tickets were not sold at the gate.

Plans for the homecoming parade from Greensburg Salem Middle School to Offutt Field were unchanged.

“Everyone’s doing everything they can to support the kids and manage the pandemic,” Peiffer said. “I think the board is trying to balance both the mandates coming out and the needs of the kids and the community.”