“What we deemed were what sports could operate as close to normal as possible,” said Bedford Athletic Director Corey Parker. “The sports that ultimately we made those decisions on to move ahead with were sports of the least incidental contact.”

Parker said he is setting up meetings with athletes and parents to go over the parameters for each sport.

“We are in difficult times,” said Parker. “Every sport will have some form of modification.”

In an email to coaches Wednesday, Bedford High School Principal Bob Jozokos said, “The procedures governing athletics and co-curricular activities mimic the risk reduction measures we are using for school.

“The same students who go to class participate in these activities, and the same decision rules for keeping students and staff healthy in school have been used to keep students and staff healthy in athletics and co-curriculars.

“Co-curricular clubs and organizations will not start until after everyone settles into the Hybrid Learning schedule. For athletics, Mr. Parker will send a follow-up email to parents and athletes, and he will also have a meeting with each coach and team to walk through the specifics for each sport.

“Due to the ongoing pandemic, some teams will be able to practice and compete near to normal as usual while others will not. I know the importance of school athletics and none of our decisions were made lightly.”

According to Bedford Superintendent of Schools Michael Fournier, football and boys and girls soccer will not have interscholastic competition, but will continue to work out, practice, and prepare for a possible spring season with other districts.

Volleyball can be played if Bedford officials find other districts willing to play outdoors, Fournier said.

An online petition to save sports at Bedford High School was posted at the website change.org Wednesday afternoon. More than 240 people had signed the petition as of 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.