Citing three primary areas, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District announced Thursday that it has canceled all fall sports and the marching band season due to concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement from Superintendent Dr. David Aderhold, the district based its decision on:

• Health, safety and wellness of its student-athletes, coaches, spectators and school community
• Social and emotional welfare of its teams
• Financial complications for the school district

“Our approved reopening plan bans the utilization of in-person after-school clubs and activities, closes locker rooms and eliminates weekend events. We have taken these steps to ensure that strict social distancing guidelines are followed and that we can uphold our cleaning and disinfecting plan. Eliminating facility usage allows us to shift custodian staff from the evening to the day shift to further protect our students and staff that are participating in an in-person hybrid model,” Aderhold said.

“There is an inherent risk in bringing athletes, fans and coaches from other districts, or the risk that another district may experience as we bring our students, coaches, and fans to their school community. Unfortunately, these risks could completely invalidate all our efforts to keep our school community safe and our schools open.”

According to Aderhold, the WW-P District has spent an additional $3 million in technology, enhanced safety measures, PPE, instructional materials and other things in order to meet New Jersey Department of Education and public health guidelines.

“This increase in spending has occurred following a substantial loss in state aid at the end of June. Further, we await the potential of additional loss of state aid as Governor Murphy will deliver a special budget address on or before Aug. 25 covering Oct. 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, time period,” Aderhold said.

“These financial considerations are compounded by the fact that the cost of our fall athletic programs will likely increase significantly in order to conduct sports seasons safely. Factors would include increased transportation routes (11 students per bus), social distanced practices, enforcement of restrictions in those attending games, and after-hours adherence to the highest standards of cleaning protocols.”

The district, which oversees West Windsor-Plainsboro North and South high schools, will be operating on an early-dismissal schedule for both in-person hybrid and virtual students in an effort to comply with social distancing regulations.

“The return to athletics presents logistical challenges with regard to offering our athletic program equitably to all of our student-athletes as there will be no late buses or after-school transportation,” Aderhold added.

The West Windsor-Plainsboro district joins Carteret Public Schools in shutting down fall sports and marching band.

Under the direction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, schools in the Garden State are permitted to conduct summer workouts until Aug. 28. Official fall practices are scheduled to begin Sept. 14, with the start of the fall season set for Oct. 1.

“I do not envy the position of the NJSIAA. While I appreciate the difficult position in which the NJSIAA finds itself, I implore them to act in the best interest of all student-athletes, coaches, spectators, referees and officials,” Aderhold said.

“The West Windsor–Plainsboro Regional School District remains committed to offering a full continuum of extracurricular experiences to our students. At this time, a return to competition places our student-athletes, coaches, musicians, band directors, parents, spectators, officials and referees at risk. This decision is painful, but it is the necessary decision to protect our school community and athletes. While I have championed the importance of athletics and fought for changes to the rules of the NJSIAA to ensure increased participation of our students, at this time safety is our top priority. Subsequent seasons will be reviewed in due course based upon the impending public health crisis.”

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Kevin Minnick may be reached at kminnick@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @kminnicksports.