CHESAPEAKE, Ohio (WSAZ) – Sports and extracurricular activities will happen for the Chesapeake City Schools this coming school year.

Arthur Suiter the school board president, told WSAZ over the phone Tuesday night that after listening to Gov. Mike DeWine’s announcement Tuesday, they were able to reverse course.

Suiter said the governor lifted some restrictions that were burdensome for them, including testing, which he said the school system would not have been able to afford.

He also said the school will not be held liable for any cases of COVID-19 contracted at the school, which was another concern of board members.

Each student will be allowed two spectators per event. Spectators and student athletes will all have to sign waivers, he said.

The board has not voted on this yet, but Suiter says after phone discussions with board members Tuesday night they all indicated sports can move forward. They will vote at a virtual meeting in the near future.

Suiter says they wanted to make the call tonight because the Ohio Valley Conference is meeting tomorrow to deal with scheduling for the season and they didn’t want to be removed from the calendar.

Several parents and students gathered Tuesday evening to protest recent decisions in the school system.

Meanwhile, classes will remain virtual during the first nine weeks. School is set to begin Aug. 31.

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CHESAPEAKE, Ohio (WSAZ) – The Chesapeake School Board met Monday evening and decided to move the first nine weeks of the fall semester to virtual learning.

The announcement also stated that sports programs have been suspended.

Some parents had already registered their children to begin in-person classes five days a week beginning Aug. 31, many of them taking to social media to express frustration and disappointment with the decision.

“We decided yesterday that our social distancing was not going to be appropriate and that during food service, lunchtime, masks would come off and we would have students too close together,” said Superintendent Jerry McConnell. “Unsafe, so we made the decision that we would postpone.”

Many parents cited concerns with how to help their children learn from home, while some are working two jobs.

Others worry about their students IEP or Individualized Education Program. A few parents said they don’t have reliable internet access where they live.

Ashley Roberts is a mom of two. She says she’s glad for the decision and is happy to keep her kids safe at home, but is nervous to see how this process will work.

“I have to scramble and set up a school space for my kids,” Roberts said. “Some people may not like all of the answers, and it is very stressful. Hopefully everything will go well.”

The school district says more announcements from each school will be coming in the next few days.

“I have one that is on the autism spectrum and I’m concerned about how he is going to learn or progress to learn,” Roberts said. “Every day is something new or something different. I just try to stay calm for my children’s sake.”

McConnell tells WSAZ the district plans to provide Chromebooks for each student.

“We’re hoping that those go out soon,” he said. “That was something we felt we could do for our community.”

A protest is planned at 6:30 Tuesday evening outside Chesapeake High School. Parents say they want to discuss their options since many districts have already closed open enrollment.

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