By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Nine juniors and seniors at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North would not have had to forfeit playing varsity football at their high school for a lack of players, under legislation introduced by state Assemblyman Daniel Benson (D-Mercer, Middlesex).
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North varsity football team was scrapped for 2017 because only nine students signed up to play. School district officials tried to work out a solution that would have allowed them to join West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South’s varsity football team.
But the two schools are situated in different group classifications, and the request was denied by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), the West Jersey Football League and the state Department of Education.
Public schools in New Jersey are classified in four general groups, based on enrollment. Group 4 is the largest and Group 1 is the smallest. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North is listed as a Group 3 school in the NJSIAA General Public School Classifications while West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South is classified as a Group 4 school.
Parochial and private schools are placed in Non-Public A and Non-Public B, with the former group reserved for larger schools.
According to the NJSIAA by laws, " Cooperating schools must be classified as Group 1, 2, 3 or Non-Public B according to the general classification but only one school in the agreement can be classified as Group 3. In addition, a Group 4 school may co-op with a Group 1 school when the Group 4 school is attempting to start a new program. Such a co-op between a Group 4 and Group 1 may exist for two years and cannot be renewed."
That ruling thus prohibited West Windsor-Plainsboro North, a Group 4 school, from merging as a co-op with West Windsor-Plainbsoro South, a Group 3 school.
Benson’s bill, however, would require the NJSIAA to allow public high schools in the same school district to enter into a cooperative sports program for football – regardless of the teams’ classification – if neither one could field a complete football team at the varsity level.
Benson, who represents Plainsboro Township in the 14th Legislative District, said that rapidly shifting demographics in certain school districts "begs for an approach that is not one-size-fits-all, so students are not penalized because of rigid state regulations."
"Football offers so much more than just athletic awards," Benson said. "It is a community in and of itself. For many students, it is a pathway to future opportunities. It opens the door to college and beyond."
The football program also is a booster for countless other programs, such as the marching band and cheerleading squad – all of which would suffer if a football program is forced to shut down, Benson said.
"This bill will ensure that programs can stay afloat for the sake of all these students," Benson said.
