St. Pius X Removed From Jefferson County Athletic Conference

(FESTUS)    A near unanimous vote by participating schools in the Jefferson County Athletic Conference  Wednesday resulted in amending the constitution of the conference, essentially removing St. Pius X High School from the conference.  The eight districts voting in favor of the amendment were: Crystal City, Dunklin R-5,

Festus R-6, Grandview, Hillsboro R-3, Jefferson R-7, Perryville and Windsor C-1. Schools who abstained were De Soto, St. Vincent and St. Pius.

Dunklin R-5 School District Superintendent Dr. Clint Freeman says one of the concerns regarding St. Pius stemmed from 2016.

KJFF obtained a document listing the other complaints against St. Pius.  Those items also include:

– The forfeiture of a varsity-level football game by St. Pius X for exceeding the allowed quarters of play.

– Repeated instances of poor sportsmanship, including running up scores and disrespect towards schools and facilities.

– The hosting of camps at St. Pius X, attracting athletes from public schools.

– Recruitment advertisements by St. Pius X during events attended by neighboring schools, potentially targeting students from these institutions.

Freeman says the conference with St. Pius as a member was no longer a good partnership.,

Freeman believes the decision will allow the schools involved to move forward.

St. Pius X High School President Jim Lehn says he and the school will look forward to the future.

Lehn says St. Pius will consider their options.

We asked Lehn if he thought the decision by the member school districts was imminent.

Freeman says he can’t speak for the other schools, but in the future, Herculaneum High School will not schedule games with St. Pius.