Pawtucket Times

PCOA finds Mount in violation of policies

By BRENDAN McGAIR bmcgair@pawtuckettimes.com

WOONSOCKET – Mount St. Charles Academy is mulling over its options after the R.I. Interscholastic League’s Principals’ Committee on Athletics (PCOA) imposed multiple sanctions upon the school regarding two sports-related issues.

At the PCOA meeting held on March 20, the committee voted unanimously (15-0) on a pair of matters brought to their attention. In both instances, Mount was found to be in violation of the RIIL’s policies concerning the recruitment of student-athletes.

The Principals’ Committee discussed MSC’s decision to establish and actively promote a soccer and basketball skills development elective to be offered during the school day beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. In January, Mount St. Charles announced a partnership with Next Step Training to, per the school’s website, “offer an innovative program for soccer players of all levels in grades 6-12 to supplement their on-the-field skills during the school day.

This soccer skills program allows for valuable supplemental training time, can cut external training and coaching costs, and creates time for extracurricular activities so that Mount student soccer players can be more than athletes.”

Concerning basketball, Mount in February announced it was partnering with It’s Possible Basketball LLC and planned to model the approach similar to the soccer skills development elective that would be offered during school hours. In the cases of soccer and basketball, the training would be delivered by an outside organization.

Mount St. Charles has been offering a during-the-school-day figure skating elective in conjunction with the Sur La Glace figure skating program. The RIIL’s concern stems from the approach that Mount is taking concerning soccer and basketball – two sports offered by the league.

In deeming that Mount was in violation of Article 3, Section 11 (Recruitment of Student-Athletes by Private, Parochial, and Public Schools) and Article 7, Section 7 (Coaching Out of Season), the Principals’ Committee on Athletics voted to levy a $200 fine as well as impose a one-year probation period. Mount St. Charles has 10 business days to submit a written corrective action plan to the Interscholastic League that details the steps the school will take to comply per the league’s rules and regulations.

Additionally, the Principals’ Committee discussed the relationship between Mount St. Charles Academy and the Rhode Island Saint M’s hockey program that’s been competing on a national level since the 2019-20 season.

On a motion made and seconded at the March 20 PCOA meeting, the committee voted that Mount St. Charles wasn’t in compliance with the RIIL rules concerning recruiting as well as the regulations that address nonschool athletic programs and boarding students. A $600 fine was imposed as well as a one-year probation period. Similar to soccer and basketball, Mount has 10 business days to submit a plan detailing how the Rhode Island Saint M’s program will become compliant with RIIL rules.

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2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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