Salem-Keizer Schools to join Bend Schools after Appeal is denied by OSAA

The Oregon School Activities Association has officially declined the Salem-Keizer appeal of not aligning the leagues with 3 Bend area schools which now puts South Salem along with 4 other Salem-Keizer schools in the same conference as Bend, Summit, and Mountain View. The appeal was declined earlier today after the Salem-Keizer School District filed the appeal late January after the annual redistricting that happens every 4 years.
The OSAA made the decision to combine them into a league on Oct. 16 but was immediately not accepted by the Salem-Keizer School District as this would increase the costs in busing and more things that go along with the merging of the schools. To go to the games, each team will have to travel over a mountain range and have to leave at a very early time. Both of these went into Salem-Keizer’s argument but it was still not denied.
The new leagues and classifications will take place in Fall of 2018 and the details are being worked on to bring on a smooth transition into a new league.