Return to School and Sports with COVID-19
Many have questions and concerns around safe return to sport and school. We are midway through summer, many districts have released fall plans, and some sports programs have resumed.
Is it SAFE for my child to return to sport?
That depends on the sport AND the management of protective measures implemented by sports leaders. Let’s dissect…
High risk sports should be avoided – those are sports with EXTENSIVE, SUSTAINED interaction between athletes. There is no safe way to play these sports amid a pandemic. And yes, football falls in that category. Friends, this is temporary. We will get back to normal life in the future, but we cannot jeopardize the health and safety of our children and those who lead them.
All other sports may be played with protections in place. Distance, masks, sanitizers and leaving out mass events until we determine how to conduct them with appropriate spacing and safety.
Two excellent examples –
Wellmark YMCA swim teams – these teams have two athletes sharing one lane with each at opposing ends. They have set locations for stuff and staggered times for practice. I’ve seen this in action and it is truly impressive.
Roosevelt Cross Country – Boys are grouped in teams, wear masks while not running, run spaced, carry individual sanitizer to practice, have own water bottles. The key here was extensive communication by the head coach (shout out to Coach Schweny!) ahead of practice.
What is going on with CDC and return to school guidelines?
I realize the intersection of politics and public health is inevitable in a public health crisis; however, we MUST prioritize health and safety in a pandemic.
SUPPORT your school board and administrators who are taking extra precaution to keep our kids safe this fall. Email, call, vocalize your support for remote learning for staggered, smaller classes and protections for our students and teachers. Again, this is not forever.
Which school guidelines are important?
• Staggered schedules limiting indoor time with the same groups at the same times (e.g., freshmen on Monday, sophomores on Tuesday…)
• Smaller class sizes with distance between students and avoid mixing in common areas
• Masks for students and faculty REQUIRED while moving through the building. Masking may not be needed during class IF adequately distance between students. CAVEAT – WHO is examining the ability of COVID-19 to linger in the air. If true, face coverings will be needed in the classroom.
• Option for entirely remote learning for high-risk students.
• Remote learning outside of classroom time.
Really Important - Phased Adjustments – schools should plan for tightening restrictions and loosening throughout the next year, including the possibility of another shutdown. The key variable is amount of disease present in the community.
Please note, there are many potential approaches to staging safe learning environments for our children and teachers. The notes in this post are not all-encompassing. The point is to protect and to advocate.
I posted several return to sport resource guides for reference here - https://aperiostatisticalconsulting.com/covid19-resources. A general COVID-19 FAQ will be posted later this week. CDC link - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html.