Pinellas schools halt new athletic contracts with St. Petersburg Catholic

Pinellas County Schools has directed every public high school in the district to stop entering new athletic contracts with St. Petersburg Catholic, effectively preventing the private school from scheduling most competitions against district schools during the 2026-27 school year.

The directive, confirmed in a district statement Wednesday, July 15, applies to all district high schools, including Palm Harbor University High School and Dunedin High School. District Athletic Director Marc Allison instructed schools not to schedule St. Petersburg Catholic in any sport until further notice.

The district said the move marks the first time Pinellas County Schools has formally prohibited new athletic scheduling with a private school.

District and school leaders met privately Tuesday, July 14, to discuss concerns involving St. Petersburg Catholic, according to the statement. Officials said those discussions will continue this fall but did not announce a meeting date or disclose the reason for the decision. The district also did not indicate whether or when the restriction could be lifted.

Previously signed games will still be played

Athletic contracts signed before June 25 will remain in effect.

That means St. Petersburg Catholic's football season opener against Gibbs High School and a volleyball match against Northeast High School will proceed as scheduled. However, contests that had not been finalized with signed contracts will not move forward.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg Catholic's volleyball team alone lost five scheduled matches against Pinellas County public schools because of the directive.

Informal practice becomes district policy

For years, some public school coaches had informally avoided scheduling private schools they believed were recruiting student-athletes, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Allison's directive formalizes that practice across the district.

"I sent a thank you note to Allison," St. Petersburg High School football coach Denis Gillen told the newspaper. "This is out of control. I'm glad somebody finally stood up and did something about it."

Decision comes amid district enrollment decline

The scheduling freeze comes as Pinellas County Schools continues to experience significant enrollment losses, although district officials did not cite enrollment as a factor in the decision.

The district has lost about 17,000 students since the 2018-19 school year, the largest percentage decline among Florida's large school districts, leaving roughly 45,000 unused seats across its campuses.

In February, the School Board approved closing Cross Bayou Elementary School and Disston Academy while consolidating several other campuses. A second, broader round of school closure recommendations is expected to come before the board this fall.

The enrollment decline has coincided with Florida's expansion of universal school vouchers in 2023. Since then, more than 500,000 students statewide have used public funds for private school tuition or homeschooling.

District to revisit issue this fall

Pinellas County Schools has not announced a timeline for lifting the scheduling restriction.

District and school leaders are expected to resume discussions this fall to determine whether St. Petersburg Catholic will be allowed to resume scheduling athletic contests with Pinellas County public schools in future seasons.