HAVERHILL — Superintendent Maureen Lynch and Director of Athletics Kevin Bradley report that the start of the fall athletic season 1 will be postponed until later this school year. 

The decision to postpone the fall sports season 1 comes in the wake of joint guidance issued by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on Aug. 18 due to COVID-19 concerns. To view the announcement, click here.

The MIAA and DESE will allow districts this year to hold a “floating” season, in-between the winter and spring sports seasons, in lieu of the traditional fall sports season.

For districts pursuing a traditional fall sports season this year, the MIAA has outlined sport specific regulations and expectations amid COVID-19. Sports deemed a low or moderate risk can commence their fall seasons while following MIAA guidance.

“After significant consideration and a careful weighing of our options, we felt postponing the season would be the best decision for our student athletes, coaches and the broader Whittier Tech community,” Bradley said. “We know this will deeply disappoint many of our student athletes, and we are right there with them; we miss sports games and practices, teammates, training and the entire sports experience, but we look forward to seeing everyone a little later this year.”

“We will continue to provide updates on sports as soon as we have more information to give, but we are committed to the health and wellbeing of all students, staff and members of the Whittier Tech community first and foremost. That will continue to be our main priority,” Superintendent Lynch said. “This was a difficult decision, and we appreciate our students, families, coaches, faculty and staff for cooperating and remaining patient during this difficult time.”

The Commonwealth Athletic Conference Athletic Directors have collaborated to formulate a comprehensive plan for the transition from the fall sports season to the floating season, with a focus on creating consistency within the league and among other schools in the state. 

Over the coming weeks and months, Whittier Tech will continue to plan and prepare to pursue its winter, floating and spring sports seasons, and Bradley — along with other district officials, members of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference, and other local high school representatives — will review the options for providing students with the most rewarding sports seasons possible. 

Whittier Tech will tentatively pursue the following sports schedule, contingent moving forward on COVID-19 concerns and the status of the virus in district communities:

• The Winter Season will begin in late November and run through late February. This will include basketball, wrestling and ice hockey.
• The Fall Sports II/Floating Season will begin in late February and run through early May. This will include football, soccer, cross country, volleyball and golf. 
• The Spring Sports Season will begin in early May and run through mid July. This will include baseball, softball, track and field, and lacrosse. 

Whittier Tech will continue to regularly update all stakeholders as more information is available about the coming sports seasons. For the latest updates, visit the District’s website here, on Twitter @WhittierTechHS, and on Facebook @WhittierTech.

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