Judge grants temporary injunction to suspended Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke has been granted a temporary injunction that may allow her to avoid a one-year suspension from coaching.

On Wednesday, a U.S. Magistrate Judge ruled in Burke's favor during a hearing over a federal lawsuit that was filed earlier this fall against the PIAA over an imposed one-year suspension for recruiting violations, according to the Tribune-Review. 

Burke's lawsuit was seeking a permanent injunction.  

In July, the PIAA ruled that Burke broke the organization's rules on recruiting, suspending her from coaching for one year.

Burke was initially suspended by the WPIAL after parents of a player from South Fayette High School alerted school district officials that they had been messaged on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, saying that the coach had reached out asking if they had any interest in Shady Side Academy. 

Burke says that she sent the message to the parents only after they followed her account on the social media platform first. 

The WPIAL had a hearing after South Fayette administrators alerted the league, and by a unanimous vote of 12-0, Burke was suspended for one year by the WPIAL. She then appealed to the PIAA, who upheld the suspension by a panel vote of 5-0. 

The lawsuit which was filed in federal court claims that Burke was not provided a written copy of the complaint prior to the hearing with the PIAA. 

Shady Side Academy also is suing the PIAA, claiming it didn't get a copy of the complaint either. 

Burke has been the coach of Shady Side Academy for two seasons following nearly 25 years of coaching, including 14 years at Bethel Park and eight years at Butler.

Through her career, Burke has amassed more than 500 wins as a head coach. 

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• WPIAL