Gov. Tom Wolf, having empowered school districts to craft their own individual reopening plans, is denying them similar leeway when it comes to organizing sporting events.

Wolf has recommended districts cancel the fall sports season, but has stopped short of an outright ban. His announcement Wednesday that some fans will be allowed to attend fall events seems like a concession, but with a 250-person limit on outdoor events and a 25-person limit indoors, it still shuts out the majority of parents, students and fans.

Indoors, the limit makes meaningful public attendance virtually impossible. For football, it severely limits attendance, particularly when one includes bands, cheerleaders and officials.

The state House, with bipartisan support and a veto-proof majority, passed a bill Wednesday that would give districts the ability to fashion their own attendance plans for games while requiring appropriate measures for social distancing.

The Senate is very likely to do the same next week. Wolf should avoid a pointless veto that would only rob districts of the time necessary to develop attendance plans with football games scheduled to begin in less than two weeks in some conferences.

Local school boards and administrators have shown they can thoughtfully fashion education plans that meet the particular needs of each district based on enrollment, building layouts and other factors. There is no reason they cannot do the same with game attendance based on roster sizes and stadium layouts.

Most stadiums offer plenty of room to socially distance spectators and multiple points of entry. Each district could set its own attendance limits based on its own circumstances.

Local districts have shown they can keep students, teachers and administrators safe while continuing their education mission. Gov. Wolf should give them the freedom to do the same for athletes and fans.

— The Citizens’ Voice,