Breaking News: Beren Academy Allowed To Play State Semifinal, Shabbos Wins

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basketballThe Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools has received a temporary restraining order that will allow Beren Academy to participate in the boys 2A state semifinals.

Edd Burleson, the executive director of TAPPS, said today that he will abide by the TRO and is making the necessary arrangements.

“Unlike many people, TAPPS does follow the law, and we will comply,” Burleson said. “We’re trying to make those arrangements at this time. As soon as those arrangements can be made, we’ll post those on our web site.”

The TAPPS Executive Board had voted 8-0 – with one member not attending – on Wednesday to deny an appeal to reschedule the games.

Beren is a  frum Day school and cannot play games during the originally scheduled Friday and Shabbos window because of Shabbos.

Abilene Christian and Sugar Land Logos Prep Academy were set to play at Mansfield High School at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Beren had been scheduled to play Dallas Covenant at 9 p.m. Friday at Mansfield High School, with Kerrville Our Lady of the Hills set to take Beren’s place in the semis.

“First of all, I’ve got to call the three schools who are involved – the semifinal opponent and the other two opponents – and find out when they want to play,” Burleson said. “Those folks need to have some word as long as they comply and they don’t request a time during the Sabbath. We’re going to allow them to have some input as to when and where and what time.”

The state championship was scheduled for 2 p.m. on Shabbos at Mansfield Legacy High School.

The following is a statement that the Beren Academy sent to Matzav.com:

Robert M. Beren Academy (RMBA) is pleased to announce that the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) has informed us that they will reschedule the Class 2A basketball schedule to permit the RMBA team to play this Friday without violating our Sabbath.

We are thankful to the TAPPS for ultimately making the right decision. The school administration and board was not involved in any legal action and we regret that it took a law suit filed parents to bring about this decision.

We greatly appreciate the strong outpouring of support from so many. We thank Mayor Anise Parker, Senator John Cornyn and others from throughout the city of Houston, the great state of Texas, the United States, and around the world. We particularly want to acknowledge the many member schools in TAPPS who supported efforts to change the schedule to enable our boys to play. Special thanks to Our Lady of the Hills Catholic High School, for allowing us to reschedule the start time of the regional finals round game on Friday, February 24th.

We are very proud of our basketball team, the Beren Stars. Not only have the boys demonstrated considerable skill on the court this season, they have handled the stress of the past week with extraordinary maturity and composure. We also thank Coach Cole, the RMBA Athletic Director, for his outstanding leadership.

The Beren Stars look forward to competing in the state semi-final round tomorrow afternoon.

{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com/Chron.com/Matzav.com Newscenter}


15 COMMENTS

  1. Parents filed a lawsuit? Oh, no.

    No, “Shabbos” didn’t win. It sounds like the board had its arm twisted, and that is not a kiddush Hashem.

    This is Galus, people. I am shomer Shabbos but I do not see why TAPPS had to bend over backwards, especially when their rules were laid out clearly in advance.

    I’m rooting for the boys to win, though. It’s not going to be a pretty game.

  2. It seems to me that the ends did not justify the national uproar that this caused. This is not our place, and we need to be in the spotlight as little as possible…

  3. This will not end well,
    up until the jews filed the lawsuit it was a wonderful kiddush hashem, now it looks like the jews are bullies.

    I understand Tapps made other exceptions, but Beren entered knowing that they were not going to be given an exception. So much is lost for so little gained.

  4. #1, #3, it is universally accepted in USA that there exist different religions and way of life and that they deserve respect. Muslim citizens are routinely accommodated in regards to Ramadan (and if necessary, to prayers) even though it puts some burden on employers and coworkers. Why should not an amateur match be moved to the early afternoon? All other teams had stated having no problem with it. It was TAPPS who had refused to agree to the rescheduling.

  5. A lawsuit? Not again!

    All they brought on is bad feelings. Why should the parents of the other schools now have to miss it because it’s on a workday? Why is our desires, more important than their’s?

    Yes, I’m a shomer Shabbos Yid. But to keep Shabbos we don’t have to play this game. So the game becomes a desire. I don’t see why our desires should be more important than other people’s – when it’s their leagues. (I really hope we won’t suffer from this…..)

  6. I understand why this is an intresting news story for frum jews. However why has this gotten so much national media coverage? I even saw this as a top story on yahoo!

  7. Fox news is not representative of the country, as its viewers skew to the right, and are naturally more in sympathy with the concerns of religious people than is the general US population. I’m with #1. We are in golus, and shouldn’t be taking a stand over something so trivial.

  8. #10 This event has brought shabbat in the spotlight for countless secular and reform jews. And – sorry but it is a right to file a lawsuit. Maybe I would not do, they did, good for them.

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