IHC accuses Frontier League of discrimination
WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - The Frontier League, a group of high school sports teams in the north country, is playing defense after being accused of discrimination.
Immaculate Heart Central School Principal Daniel Charlebois says IHC’s varsity girls basketball, girls soccer, and boys soccer teams are being grouped with teams that are far too large in the Frontier League.
He asked that the teams be moved from the “A/B” Division down to the “C” Division for next season, but the Frontier League Executive Committee opted to keep the teams in “A/B.”
Charlebois says it’s not an even playing field.
“We feel we should be placed just like every other school. Every other public school is based on their BEDS (Basic Education Data System) numbers. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t (be) either,” he said.
A BEDS number is a measure of enrollment. Strictly speaking, the Frontier League does not use BEDS numbers but its divisions follow them closely except regarding IHC.
While the league has worked with IHC since 2020 to place its teams more appropriately sport-by-sport, Charlebois says the Frontier League is unclear in its reasoning.
“We didn’t get a clear-cut rationale as to why our school continues to be pushed up,” he said.
In response to a letter from Charlebois, the league gave these reasons for the teams’ placements:
- For girls basketball, it said the team was ranked 4th out of 7 A/B Division teams at the time of the January 12 meeting, meaning it is competitive.
- For boys soccer, the league said it would monitor the team’s 2024 season and make changes if needed in 2025.
- For girls soccer, it said the team was competitive in most games despite being a relatively young team.
“Our girls soccer had one win in the Frontier League last year. They were 3-13 overall. Boys soccer didn’t even have a varsity team. The determination for our girls basketball team was made midway through the year,” said Charlebois.
Charlebois says ultimately it’s a safety and skill issue when the school has to pull younger students up to varsity to field a team.
“It creates a struggle for our students to be able to compete at that level,” he said.
In a statement Tuesday, Scott Connell, the Frontier League’s assistant director said, “The Frontier League will review each sport annually and place IHC appropriately. We plan to place them in the division where they will be most competitive. The Executive Committee will consult with the Athletic Directors and decide based on what is best for all 17 Frontier League schools.”
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