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Penn Hills officials say Connellsville team brought armed guards to game

The Penn Hills School District confirmed to Channel 11 on Wednesday night that Connellsville sports teams are bringing armed guards to games in Penn Hills.

Parents are upset by the move, which is unusual for WPIAL teams.

The two schools have been embroiled in controversy after Penn Hills filed a complaint with WPIAL that players on its boys' soccer team were subjected to racial slurs from players and fans during a game at Connellsville on Sept. 6.

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Penn Hills suspended all games against Connellsville teams pending a WPIAL investigation, which eventually found the allegations may have been true, but there was no hard evidence. The league instructed Connellsville to train its student-athletes in racial and cultural sensitivity, which the district agreed to do.

After that Sept. 26 decision, Penn Hills resumed playing Connellsville in all sports. Penn Hills school board president Erin Vecchio confirmed to Channel 11 that armed guards accompanied Connellsville's boys' soccer team to a game against Penn Hills on Monday.

A letter from Superintendent Nancy Hines to district parents obtained by Channel 11 indicates armed guards were also present at games between the schools on Saturday and Tuesday, as well.

The district sent a letter to WPIAL on Tuesday expressing its concerns about a team bringing armed guards to their playing fields, particularly when Penn Hills was the recipient of the initial abuse, Vecchio told Channel 11.

She added Connellsville's choice to bring armed guards has upset Penn Hills parents.

The Connellsville Area School District released the following statement Thursday:

"The Connellsville Area School District is saddened and disappointed that any school district employee accompanying our students could be construed as culturally insensitive or inappropriate in any way. CASD is taken aback by this communication especially in light of completing two cordial athletic events between the two schools this week with zero issues. In both of those contests although competitive, it was evident that the students are trying to move forward and maintain a positive relationship between the school districts. However, communications such as this are preventing that from happening."