Wisconsin’s largest school district pulled the plug on high school sports Monday.

Milwaukee Public Schools announced it has indefinitely suspended the start of all regular season fall sports due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a news release, the district said the decision was made to protect the safety of student-athletes, staff and spectators.

“We understand the disappointment and frustration with the delay in the start of athletics,” MPS athletics commissioner Bobbie Kelsey said. “But we must always make responsible decisions when it comes to the health of our athletes and fans.”

The district went on to say in the release it  “will continue to consider the dynamics of low- to high-contact sports and the ramifications of student-athletes participating. However, MPS will not facilitate sports until it is determined the district can do so safely.”

The decision comes two weeks before the start of practice for football, girls volleyball and boys soccer, sports the WIAA categorized as high risk when it comes to the spread of coronavirus. Practice for sports considered “low risk,” girls tennis, girls golf, girls swimming and diving and boys and girls cross country, started last week, although those workouts were put on hold at MPS schools..

The decision falls in line with the district’s decision earlier this summer to not allow summer contact days for its coaches. The district has started the school year with online learning and plans to return to the classroom in phases when the coronavirus subsides.

Milwaukee County has been a hot spot for the virus. The Black and Latino communities that are is largely served by the district have also been hit hard by the virus.

“You don’t want to tell people straight no because mental and physical well-being is important, too, but we know this COVID affects people differently,” Kelsey said in an interview in June. “Some people have a sniffle. Other people, unfortunately, pass away. We’re not going to put people in harm’s way just to play.”

MPS students, however, could still get a season. Earlier this month the WIAA approved a plan for an alternate fall season that, depending on the sport, could begin practice as early as Feb. 15 (girls swimming and diving) or as late as March 22 (boys soccer). Football practice for the alternate season would start March 8.

MPS students aren’t the only ones who won’t have sports this fall. The Racine Unified School District announced last week that its teams would not play this fall.

There are also a number of small private schools in the city such as Messmer, Salam and St. Anthony that will not participate in the fall season.

The School District of Waukesha and the Kenosha Unified School Districts, the next largest districts in the area, plan to have a fall season.

The Woodland Conference has announced its intention to go forward with girls tennis, swimming and golf as well as boys and girls volleyball. An announcement about the league’s plan for football and boys soccer has not been made, but Shorewood/Messmer football already has said it won’t play this fall while New Berlin Eisenhower and New Berlin West will attempt to have all fall sports.  

Contact Mark Stewart at Mark.Stewart@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MarkStewartMJS.