PIAA has sent out its “Spring Officials Bulletin” for officials in all spring sports. If you’ve lost track of yours, it can be viewed through this link.

The Chapter “Meeting Guide” for interpreters has been posted on the PIAA website here. Chapter members can find suggested agendas, as well as rule questions for review.

The PIAA Preseason Bulletin for Track and Field can be viewed and downloaded here.

Rule changes and adjustments to next season’s rule book have been announced by the NFHS rules committee and have just been listed on the NFHS website here. 

Some of the rule changes and clarifications are:

• expanding acceptable starting devices and calibers of guns for meets;
• restricting athletes from “wearing any type of type of audio or video recording devices during a race, trial, or while in restricted areas;”
• standardizing warm up times for athletes entering the high jump and pole vault after 60 minutes have elapsed;
• clarifying that padding is required for hard and unyielding surfaces that are elevated relative to the ground;
• incorporating javelin construction specifications into the rules book;

Additionally, points of emphasis for the coming season will be safety in the throwing events, restricted areas during a meet and the protest/appeal process. Further information and situation examples will be available on the NFHS website later in the summer and into the fall.

The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), the organization behind our rule books we receive each year, has created a new digital platform for both Apple and Android devices.

Going to this link on a phone or tablet will allow you to download a new app from the NFHS. The app will give you access to rule and case books that can be downloaded – as well as officiating manuals for individual sports.

The new 2026 rule and case books will be available for download later this year. Digital copies of each book will be available for download under the “Store” option for $6.99 each.

Pennsylvania saw several records broken in the state meet over the Memorial Day weekend, but those were not the only outstanding performances. The National Federation “Voice” column highlights a LOT of outstanding performances at other state championships. Click here to read.

The Rule changes for 2025 have been released in the annual summary form and are available to review on the NFHS website here. Changes include limiting recalling races only in the first 50 meters and clarifying whether an infraction occurs when a runner leaves the track on a straightaway.

Other rule clarifications focus on warnings for field event time limits and conducting jump-offs when competitors finished at different heights. For the first time, there is also guidance for exact placement of standards and crossbar in the high jump event.

Further information about this year’s changes is available in a separate posting on the NFHS site here.

Additional information will come in the rules explanation meeting at the annual PIAA convention in August.

PIAA has released the preseason Bulletin for the 2024 season. Every member should have received the document in an email from PIAA. If you need to download another copy or just look up something in its contents, you can go here.

If you don’t remember getting the email from PIAA, you can click HERE to go to the file with information and reminders about the upcoming season – as well as the timetable for paying your 2024-5 dues.

Now that sports are back on schedule, so is the annual release of rule changes coming out of the National Federation of High Schools for the 2021-22 school year and track season. They can be viewed here.