Attorneys for Bishop McCort Catholic Academy are asking to add PIAA District 6 Chairman Ralph Cecere’s name to a lawsuit against Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference members and the PIAA.
The lawsuit accuses the two sports organizations with religious discrimination, civil conspiracy and violations of constitutional equal protection and religious freedom rights. It claims a procedural rule change that was adopted by the LHAC requires a two-thirds majority vote from member schools to approve a school’s four-year commitment letter. While settlements have been reached with many of the districts in the conference, litigation is continuing against six other districts Bishop McCort officials claim were the masterminds behind the rule change. The school also claims the public school members targeted its religious identity in violation of the US Constitution and state public policy protecting school choice. The PIAA was named in the lawsuit as Bishop McCort said it failed to intervene against the rule change.
The lawsuit adds Cecere to the list of defendants, claiming that he made threats in August in front of an unnamed educational superintendent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown about investigating student-athlete transfers should the litigation continues.
We reached out to Cecere and he has declined to comment on the matter.
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