The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, which was accused earlier this year of religious discrimination by an Orthodox Jewish day school in Houston, has approved a policy effective immediately that accommodates religious observances of all its member schools. As The Dallas Morning News reports, sports teams will no longer be required to participate on the Sabbath or other traditional religious holidays - including Christmas, Easter and Yom Kippur.
"As the TAPPS membership has grown, so has the uniqueness of TAPPS member schools," reads a statement on the association's website. "In order to provide the opportunity for all of our member schools to participate in team sports, the TAPPS Executive Board believes that accommodations are necessary to protect the Sabbath and religious days of observance of our schools. … The accommodation for religious observance shall be the standard as TAPPS prepares for state competitions that are accessible to all member schools and the students that they serve through team activities."
In February, Houston's Beren Academy was set to forfeit its semifinal game in the TAPPS 2A state basketball tournament because the scheduled tip-off time conflicted with the observation of the Jewish Sabbath. But after lawyers representing three Beren players and their parents applied for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court, alleging religious discrimination against TAPPS and the Mansfield Independent school District (host of the state championship), the organization amended the game's schedule. Beren then advanced to the state finals, where it fell to Fort Worth's Nolan Catholic High School.
TAPPS' new policy has been in the works for several months, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
