Religious Rights Foundation of PA. v. Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association

Pennsylvania parochial school students who were unfairly excluded from athletic opportunities can now take the field at their home school districts. On September 15, 2025, a groundbreaking Interim Consent Order was entered in federal court, ending the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's (PIAA) discriminatory exclusion of religious school students from PIAA-regulated sports.

This legal battle built on a prior TMS victory against the State College Area SchoolDistrict (SCASD). In July 2023, TMS attorneys sued SCASD for imposing an identical policy of religious discrimination. In June 2025, SCASD settled and agreed to a Consent Order signed by a federal judge, granting parochial school students equal access to athletics, clubs, and activities, provided that their religious schools did not offer equivalent programs

This victory against the PIAA came in response to a federal lawsuit filed by Thomas More Society attorneys on behalf of several Pennsylvania parochial school families in Religious Rights Foundation of PA v. PIAA, alleging that the PIAA's Bylaws violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S.Constitution. The PIAA already permitted non-public school students, like homeschool and charter school students, to compete in sports not offered at their schools but denied the same opportunity to parochial school students in a blatant example of religious discrimination. As a state actor, the PIAA must respect constitutional guarantees and cannot discriminate based on religion. Yet, the PIAA forced taxpaying families to choose between faith-based education and athletic participation in sports programs their tax dollars support.

"Our family is deeply grateful to Thomas More Society for standing up for families like ours. Because of their work, our son can now play football with his peers at our local public school without us having to sacrifice our faith, values, and educational freedom." —David Aungst, parochial school father and plaintiff

This case sets a powerful precedent, not just for Pennsylvania, but nationwide. By securing equal athletic access for parochial school students, a fundamental principle has been reinforced—the principle that the government cannot punish families for choosing a faith-based education.

As the PIAA works to bring its Bylaws into compliance, thousands of Pennsylvania students of faith will finally enjoy the same opportunities as their peers.Thomas More Society remains committed to defending religious freedom and will continue to challenge any policy that forces families to choose between their beliefs and the benefits their tax dollars support.