ANN ARBOR – Even as Ann Arbor public schools proceed with a plan to hold all classes virtually this fall, district officials say sports could still be held if the MHSAA does not postpone them.

Leaders of the Ann Arbor Public Schools district announced Wednesday evening that classes in the fall could be completely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic pending a final vote next week.

Jazz Parks, executive director of middle level education for AAPS, said during the Zoom meeting to announce the plan that the board would defer to the Michigan High School Athletic Association on how to move forward with athletics at Huron, Pioneer and Skyline high schools.

The MHSAA announced last week that it plans to move forward with the high school fall season as planned and is scheduled to hold another meeting Wednesday, July 29, for further discussion on the topic.

With still some uncertainty involved with sports being played in the fall, Parks said the district is navigating the situation based on the MHSAA’s guidance.

“We’re ready to pivot with whatever guidelines they push down for our teams and our staffs and our students to be able to follow,” she said during the meeting. “We know that we want to try and maintain as much normalcy as possible in what our athletic activities and our extracurricular activities look like, but we also understand that we’re going to have to be fluid and know that it’s going to look a little different in a virtual environment.”

Several inquiries regarding the fate of fall sports were raised during the meeting, as well as their impact on students.

“This is hotter than whether we’re going to school or not,” AAPS superintendent Jeanice Swift said with a laugh after Trustee Jessica Kelly raised the question about fall sports.

Kelly said sports is what keeps some students attached to their school after their enthusiasm for academia has waned and it’s important for students relying on it from a college scholarship perspective. Swift agreed, “It’s a very big deal.”

Paul DeAngelis, executive director of high school education for AAPS, said he expects the MHSAA’s announcement next Wednesday will give more guidance on how the district will be able to move forward with their fall sports season.

DeAngelis said the district has had to do some contact tracing after reports of positive coronavirus tests but said the offseason workouts have gone smoothly.

Still, he said coaches have had to warn athletes to make sure they practice social distancing after some have been spotted clustering near their cars on campus.

“Occasionally, we have to deal with some issues around kids being too close, but so far, the guidelines that we’ve put in place, the expectations that we’ve put in place are working.” said DeAngelis.

The MHSAA is working on sport-by-sport guidelines and contingency plans for the fall and has hopes of having three sports seasons as usual.

“I think we’re happy that we are the leader only because this is what we do,” said Geoff Kimmerly, media and content coordinator for the MHSAA. “We’re really thankful to the Governor for the opportunity to build these plans. We’re taking in input from literally all over the country, especially all over the Midwest; really relying on medical people and still working hand-in-hand with the Governor’s office to get all of this figured out.

“Is there pressure? I think the pressure is that we want to come up with something that gives our students the opportunity but keeps everybody safe. We’re dealing with a scenario that we’ve never dealt with in nearly 100 years of the MHSAA. I think we feel confident that we’re going to have good plans moving forward, we just want to make sure that we’re putting everything in them that’s available.”

Ann Arbor Pioneer football coach Bill Bellers said he is following the direction of school officials and the MHSAA.

“Everybody wants to ask,” he said. “You’re in a position as a head coach, but these decisions are well beyond me. I have no say in any of these decisions. These are coming from much higher up than me and my stance all along has been to keep doing what we’re allowed to do.

“For me to speculate, well that’s just a waste of breath because me speculating; I could be way off. I’ve tried to not speculate; I’ve tried to be honest and say I really don’t know. I’m not going to try and guess on what decisions people a lot higher than me are going to make.”

Swift said there are options being explored by the board that would involve keeping teams intact even if they’re virtual workouts, should the MHSAA later decide to change their direction.

But as of now, Swift said goal is to move forward with fall sports as usual in the virtual academic climate.

“We’ll do everything to keep our teams together, even if they’re unable to participate (in school) in the normal ways,” she said.

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