Section 1 amendment could lead to private schools' departure

The crowd noise can no longer be ignored. For at least the last decade, a system that allows private schools to compete for sectional and state championships alongside public schools where talent pools are restricted by district boundaries has been a source of debate. There has been some yelling and screaming, too.

A string of proposals and counterproposals at the state level resulted in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) resolution earlier this year that Section 1 administrators insisted would have little impact on the issue of competitive fairness. One way or another, changes are coming. If administrators in Section 1 get their way, NYSPHSAA will be forced to go beyond the recently approved oversight committee many deem incapable of restoring a competitive balance and draw up plans for a playoff system that separates public and private schools.

If representatives from the 11 NYSPHSAA sections on Friday elect to go in a less controversial direction, Section 1 is likely to vote on a constitutional amendment that will leave four member schools with a difficult decision to make. Albertus Magnus, Ursuline, Leffell School and Keio Academy would essentially be excluded from traditional Section 1 and NYSPHSAA postseason tournament play, starting with the 2027-28 school year. “We’ve gotten here because of the inaction of the NYSPHSAA,” Clarkstown School District superintendent and Section 1 President Marc Baiocco said.

“We need to get them to realize there are structural inequities that exist across the state. … There are predictable results when a school can assemble rosters from a regional talent pool that no public school can draw from. ” As schools without boundaries, Albertus Magnus, Ursuline, Leffell and Keio can pull talent from multiple towns, states and even countries.