By Roger Rubin and Gregg Sarra
Nassau school superintendents voted to postpone high school sports until 2021 at an emergency meeting held Wednesday morning. The intention is to play all three sports seasons between January and June when, hopefully, the danger of COVID-19 transmission has decreased, there is a treatment or a vaccine is found. The seven-person committee of Section VIII officials voted unanimously to postpone.
“This decision comes from an abundance of caution and health and safety for our students,” said Hank Grishman, Jericho’s superintendent of schools. “No matter what procedures are put in place it’s just not safe to return to sports – there’s still too many unknowns with the virus. In my 50-year career in education nothing holds a candle to this. It’s all a bad dream.”
The coronavirus pandemic halted high school sports across New York State in the second week of March and ultimately wiped out the entire 2020 spring sports season. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday issued guidance that would permit lower-risk sports – which he named as soccer, tennis, cross county track, field hockey and swimming – to begin practice and play on Sept. 21.
However, the superintendents did not consider the current conditions safe enough. Nassau is the first of New York state's 11 sections to announce postponement.
Grishman said Tuesday this was one of three paths the superintendents could go down. The other choices were to postpone a decision and wait to see how students returning to classrooms would affect infection numbers or to go ahead with the Governor’s guidance.
“The timing of the Governor’s decision was too late and it put the superintendents and athletic community in immediate conflict,” said Ed Ramirez, the director of athletics for Baldwin Schools. “The athletic community wants sports to start and believes kids should have that experience. But to ask school administrators to put that together in such a short period of time, with so many ‘ifs’ still out there, is impossible. Had the Governor given that green light in early August, that would have given us time to prepare. You don’t just throw a switch and it all comes together. There are going to be protocols in place for every sport, including busing, locker rooms, athletic trainers, coaches, fan attendance – everything.”
“It’s the prudent thing to do – wait until January,” said Pat Pizzarelli, the executive director for Section VIII, which governs high school athletics in Nassau. “We know this will be a very unpopular decision, but it is the only one we can make at this time. We’re unanimous in our feeling that we’re just not ready. It’s just not time to allow kids to play sports. And my first and foremost concern is the safety of our student athletes.”
“We are still learning about this virus and its effects, short and long term,” Pizzarelli added. “The science behind it continues to uncover scary truths, especially the potential for heart ailments and long-term heart damage for kids.”
The Section VIII plan calls for compacted seasons of approximately nine weeks, beginning with winter sports in January. Fall sports would be the second season and spring sports would follow. Tennis would be played in the spring.
Section XI, the governing body for high school sports in Suffolk County, also is holding a Wednesday meeting with its executive board, which includes representation of school superintendents. It is not clear if Suffolk will make the same decision as Nassau.
If Section XI and Section VIII play the same schedule, it could potentially open the door for Long Island championships to be held in some or all sports.
In a New York State Public High School Athletic Association meeting of section directors on Tuesday, the topic of the January-to-June option was discussed and a number section leaders were considering it, according to several participants. Sections I, III, IV and IX were said to be considering it, in addition to the Long Island sections.
“Let’s have things calm down and we’ll run condensed seasons from January to June,” Grishman said. “We’ll have more information and a better idea how to keep kids safe.”
Nassau school superintendents voted to postpone high school sports until 2021 at an emergency meeting held Wednesday morning. The intention is to play all three sports seasons between January and June when, hopefully, the danger of COVID-19 transmission has decreased, there is a treatment or a vaccine is found. The seven-person committee of Section VIII officials voted unanimously to postpone.
“This decision comes from an abundance of caution and health and safety for our students,” said Hank Grishman, Jericho’s superintendent of schools. “No matter what procedures are put in place it’s just not safe to return to sports – there’s still too many unknowns with the virus. In my 50-year career in education nothing holds a candle to this. It’s all a bad dream.”
The coronavirus pandemic halted high school sports across New York State in the second week of March and ultimately wiped out the entire 2020 spring sports season. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday issued guidance that would permit lower-risk sports – which he named as soccer, tennis, cross county track, field hockey and swimming – to begin practice and play on Sept. 21.
However, the superintendents did not consider the current conditions safe enough. Nassau is the first of New York state's 11 sections to announce postponement.
Grishman said Tuesday this was one of three paths the superintendents could go down. The other choices were to postpone a decision and wait to see how students returning to classrooms would affect infection numbers or to go ahead with the Governor’s guidance.
“The timing of the Governor’s decision was too late and it put the superintendents and athletic community in immediate conflict,” said Ed Ramirez, the director of athletics for Baldwin Schools. “The athletic community wants sports to start and believes kids should have that experience. But to ask school administrators to put that together in such a short period of time, with so many ‘ifs’ still out there, is impossible. Had the Governor given that green light in early August, that would have given us time to prepare. You don’t just throw a switch and it all comes together. There are going to be protocols in place for every sport, including busing, locker rooms, athletic trainers, coaches, fan attendance – everything.”
“It’s the prudent thing to do – wait until January,” said Pat Pizzarelli, the executive director for Section VIII, which governs high school athletics in Nassau. “We know this will be a very unpopular decision, but it is the only one we can make at this time. We’re unanimous in our feeling that we’re just not ready. It’s just not time to allow kids to play sports. And my first and foremost concern is the safety of our student athletes.”
“We are still learning about this virus and its effects, short and long term,” Pizzarelli added. “The science behind it continues to uncover scary truths, especially the potential for heart ailments and long-term heart damage for kids.”
The Section VIII plan calls for compacted seasons of approximately nine weeks, beginning with winter sports in January. Fall sports would be the second season and spring sports would follow. Tennis would be played in the spring.
Section XI, the governing body for high school sports in Suffolk County, also is holding a Wednesday meeting with its executive board, which includes representation of school superintendents. It is not clear if Suffolk will make the same decision as Nassau.
If Section XI and Section VIII play the same schedule, it could potentially open the door for Long Island championships to be held in some or all sports.
In a New York State Public High School Athletic Association meeting of section directors on Tuesday, the topic of the January-to-June option was discussed and a number section leaders were considering it, according to several participants. Sections I, III, IV and IX were said to be considering it, in addition to the Long Island sections.
“Let’s have things calm down and we’ll run condensed seasons from January to June,” Grishman said. “We’ll have more information and a better idea how to keep kids safe.”
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