WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – It’s been a rollercoaster of a week for Wichita Public Schools.

On August 24, the 259 Board approved starting the school year online for middle and high school students and with it, deciding to halt in-person fall extra-curricular activities.

A week later, the backlash from coaches, players and parents is leading to another look at fall sports.

A decision could come Sept. 1, when the board will hold a special meeting.

Before that, on August 31, the district’s new COVID-19 Advisory Committee will hold their first meeting with a focus on the issue of if it’s safe to move forward with competitive athletics and how to do so safely.

The committee comprises of parents and representatives from several different organizations including: Kansas COVID Workgroup for Kids, the Pandemic Leadership Team, the City of Wichita, the Sedgwick County Health Department, the Academic Learning Options Task Force, United Teachers of Wichita, Service Employees International, and the Board of Education.

The idea is this will be a multidisciplinary team that will bring in multiple perspectives on how to view and interpret COVID-19 trends in the community.

The committee can only provide recommendations. The school board will have the final say.

Parent Alina Parrett said, “Our coaches have extensive plans put in place. They have safety protocols that they’ve been following all summer.”

Alina Parrett is one of the parents hoping Wichita Schools reverse course on fall sports to allow them to continue.

Her son is a senior football player at Northwest High School, and she said it’s not just an issue of athletics but academics.

“That if they don’t have sports or activities, something to give them an out at the end of a long day of being on a computer, I’m just afraid they’re not going to have a reason to want to be engaged in schoolwork,” said Parrett. “I can just tell you from where I’m coming from, my son’s freshman year, he was failing every one of his core classes, and we were kind of at a loss as to what to do. I took him to counseling; we weren’t really getting anywhere. It was his football coach who took him aside and said, ’look, I need you to step away from this. Go focus on school. Get your grades where they need to be and then you can come back to sports.’ That will of being a part of a team and with his sports family, is really what drove him to get his grades up.”

Another one of her concerns is she doesn’t want her son and other seniors to miss out.

“Communities that surround us that have decided, they have the same data, and they’re all moving forward with sports and extracurricular activities. I just don’t want to see the students of 259 get left out,” she said.

Eyewitness News also talked with Wichita Public Schools’ athletic direction,

He said based on the board’s decision Tuesday, practices for fall sports could resume as early as Wednesday.

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