PEPPER PIKE, Ohio — Parents and students in the Orange City School District had their voices heard at the Orange Board of Education meeting Monday (Aug. 10), and the message was clear and almost unanimous: “Please allow fall sports and extracurricular activities to go forward.”

About 20 parents and five students expressed their disappointment with the district’s decision to follow the recommendation of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health July 30 to discontinue athletics and other extracurriculars during the remote learning period this fall, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of them seemed to accept that the district plans to be fully remote for the first semester — through Dec. 18 — as Superintendent Lynn Campbell had announced in a July 31 email to families, also based on the Board of Health recommendation.

The school board allowed more than an hour for public comment during Monday’s meeting, which was held virtually and live-streamed on YouTube.

Two Orange High School seniors, Abby Thompson and Katie Hollington, spoke from the same location, both wearing face masks.

“I think everyone agrees that sports is beneficial,” said Abby, a soccer player. “It’s a matter of, ‘Do the benefits outweigh the risks?’ and I really think they do.”

Not being able to participate in sports “really impacts a student’s motivation,” both within the sport and the school, she said.

“If you don’t have sports to keep you regulated and motivated every day, then it leads you to do other random things that aren’t as productive in life,” she said. “Without having regulated sports, students are probably still going to have sports; it’s just going to be unregulated.

“Knowing that sports could be canceled will make students focus on keeping it as safe as possible.”

Hollington, who plays several sports at the high school, said she also takes part in many extracurricular activities.

“I think (both of) those are very important for scholarship opportunities,” she said. “If we allow extracurriculars and not sports, I can see that, because it is so much easier to stay socially distant and wear masks.”

Katie added that she believes there is a better way to handle the situation than “to just cancel everything.”

“I think a lot of students are prepared to take safety measures that have been put in place,” she said. “If practice is the only thing we can do right now, I think a lot of students would be happy with that.”

Why not cross country?

Rich Gent said many student-athletes at the school are “devastated” with the decision, including his son, a cross country runner. He noted that cross country is a non-contact sport, as defined by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

“My son had a hard time understanding why they are not allowed to practice,” he said. “Many schools around us are competing in cross country. I think we have to follow the OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) guidelines on this, at least to continue practicing.”

Amy Stover said her son plays golf, which she described as “the most socially distant sport there is.”

“It should be each family’s decision (whether) to participate in sports,” she said. “Kids need that face-to-face interaction.

“Let them play, sooner rather than later.”

Marty Shagrin said he has two daughters who are seniors.

“There are no easy answers, but our children deserve a seat at the table,” he said. “Once your senior year is over, you don’t get it back.

“We elected (the school board) to make the best decisions for our kids. We didn’t elect the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. Put our kids first,” he said.

Miki Beachler urged the school board and the administration “to not take the easy way out.”

“Do not hide behind a county recommendation,” she said. “It’s not fair to the students, our families, the board or our reputation in Orange.

“Sports are an excellent way to inspire them, motivate them and keep them focused. Let’s be leaders, not followers.”

Steven Fellinger, a senior student-athlete, said sports have given him an outlet to become a better person.

“This is my last year,” he said. “It’s our last chance to be with our teammates and coaches, playing the sports that we love.

“There are ways to do it safely. Please, I’m begging you, let the seniors play.”

‘This virus is for real’

Campbell said he appreciates the public feedback.

“I can’t say clearly enough how hard this is,” he said. “It is very complicated.

“I’m a teacher, and nothing pains me more than the thought of school not proceeding. This virus is for real; it’s painful to watch what’s going on around our nation and the world.”

Campbell said Heidi Gullett, medical director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, said three things would need to happen to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.

“We need to have ample testing, we need a vaccine and we need to have treatment,” he said. “As of right now, according to (Gullett), they have none of those, and that’s all very scary.

“I think there is the likelihood that we’ll get to orange (Level 2 of the Ohio Public Health Advisory Alert System) and be able to stay there and then get back (to school). But we have data we’re going to follow and keep in contact with the county, and I’d love to see us get back, as well,” Campbell said.

The Orange Schools had been planning to open the academic year with two options for students, as recommended by Campbell at the school board’s July 13 meeting.

In addition to a fully remote model, students could choose blended learning, in which they would attend school daily for a half-day in person. The rest of the school day for this group would be devoted to remote learning at home.

“This is an ever-changing situation,” school board President Beth Wilson-Fish said. “If things get better, we are going into hybrid learning.

“Let’s hope this (Level 3 designation) doesn’t last the whole semester. Going back to a hybrid model is not off the table.”

Board member Jeffrey Leikin said the number of calls and emails he has received over the district’s decision to go fully remote this fall far exceeds any parent contact he’s had during his tenure on the board.

“To be clear, I gave my full support to the superintendent’s recommendation to have virtual classes and to close down fall sports and other activities,” he said.

“Based upon the situation of Cuyahoga County, it is hard to argue that it’s not the safest decision for our teachers, our staff, our children and each of their families.”

Leikin said he asked other board members this past week for discussion as to whether the district’s four fall sports programs could resume their prior practice schedules.

“These sports and activities have been practicing through the summer, and have demonstrated they can do so safely and within established guidelines,” he said. “This can give some of our kids the opportunity to stay healthy, stay in shape and be ready to go when called upon.

“We should discuss whether to continue non-contact sports as long as the sports can be run safely and under established guidelines. As board members, I think we need to be responsive to our community and discuss these issues.”

Revised calendar approved

The board approved the revised calendar for the 2020-21 school year, which changes the first day of instruction for students from Aug. 20 to Aug. 27.

Staff members will still report on Aug. 17, as originally scheduled.

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