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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The state Education Department recently released formal guidance to help schools and school districts as they plan to reopen in the fall amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic — including cleaning protocols, grading policies, health screening, safe transportation and providing school meals.
While getting kids back into the classroom in a safe, healthy environment is clearly the number one priority, it’s no secret that school sports and extracurricular activities play a pivotal role in youth development and provide invaluable experience in the way of team building and social skills.
With that in mind, the state has provided preliminary guidance and continues to evaluate ways in which school sports and extracurricular activities can take place safely in the coming school year.
Schools and districts are required to develop reopening policies regarding extracurricular activities, including the types of activities that will be permitted, as well as the cleaning, social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols that will be in place.
“Interscholastic sports, and extracurricular activities are an important aspect of student life and the school community. During the COVID shutdown students were unable to engage in and enjoy these social activities that are part of the fabric of any school program,’’ according to state guidance. ”As schools plan for reopening in September, attention should be paid to bringing back activities that can be conducted in a safe environment with appropriate social distancing protocols.”
Here’s what we know so far.
INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS AND ATHLETICS
Interscholastic sports are not permitted at this time, according to guidance from the city Health Department.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYPSPHSAA) has established a COVID-19 Task Force that will provide guidance as to when high school students are permitted to return to athletic activities and when interscholastic sporting events can take place.
The task force is also examining a variety of factors and plans to issue guidance regarding safety protocols, practice requirements, fan attendance, transportation to and from sporting events and more.
On July 16, the COVID-19 Task Force officially announced that the NYSPHSAA has delayed the start of the 2020 fall season and canceled the fall 2020 regional and state championships.
“As the state considers reopening, it is unrealistic to believe athletic seasons can start on Aug. 24 as originally scheduled,” said Paul Harrica, NYSPHSAA president. “The priority will continue to be on the educational process and a return to learning in the safest way possible.”
The fall 2020 season has been delayed until at least Sept. 21, but if interscholastic sports cannot resume in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic, a plan has been put in place to play a condensed season for fall sports during spring 2021.
Due to varying levels of coronavirus spread within different parts of the state, certain regions may be permitted to resume interscholastic sports before others.
For regions where the fall season either can not take place or is interrupted, the following condensed season plan would be implemented, with all dates still tentative at this time:
Winter sports — including basketball (girls & boys), bowling (girls & boys), gymnastics, ice hockey (girls & boys), indoor track and field (girls & boys), skiing (girls & boys), swimming (boys), wrestling and competitive cheer — would take place from Jan. 4 to March 13.
Fall sports — including football, cross country (girls and boys), field hockey, soccer (girls and boys), swimming (girls), volleyball (girls and boys) and unified bowling — would take place from March 1 to May 8.
And spring sports — including baseball, softball, golf (girls and boys), lacrosse (girls and boys), tennis (girls and boys), outdoor track and field (girls and boys) and unified basketball — would take place from April 5 to June 12.
Due to the high-risk, close-contact nature of wrestling and competitive cheer, those two sports may be moved to the fall or spring seasons.
The NYSPHSAA said it encourages schools returning to interscholastic sports to use the ezSCRN application, an online tool that allows the school to efficiently screen, trace, track and report any students or staff who are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
“The association will continue to follow state guidance and will work collectively with State officials to ensure high school athletics will start up responsibly in the future. As an association, we must be willing to be flexible and continue to explore all options with students’ safety as our main focus,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA executive director.
More information regarding the status of high school sports is expected in the coming weeks and will be made available on the NYSPHSAA website.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND FACILITIES
As part of their reopening plans, schools and school districts have been tasked with determining what types of extracurricular activities can restart safely once students return to school.
The schools must then develop policies and protocols to ensure social distancing, proper mask usage and adequate cleaning and disinfecting to minimize any potential viral spread.
The guidance also encourages schools to limit the use of district/school facilities to sponsored extracurricular activities and groups. Should the school decide to allow an outside community organization to use such facilities, the school must ensure that the organization will follow all applicable health and safety protocols.
“In addition, schools might consider the creation of extracurricular activities that can be continued remotely in the event of another shut down,” according to the guidance.
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