BENNETT'S MINUTES: Scary guidelines in terms of school, sports are hopefully just that

Most people on social media, by now, have seen a list of suggested guidelines released this week by the Center for Disease Control about schools re-opening this fall to have students in a traditional learning situation.

Many of them seem impossible to accomplish, such as:

• Spacing on school buses, putting one student in every other row; and

• Canceling of field trips, events and extracurricular activities.

Each school would need to at least double its supply of buses, and most can’t find enough drivers now in the current situation.

The National Federation of High School also issued a list, including such gems as:

• A basketball player can shoot with a ball(s), but a team should not practice/pass a single ball among the team where multiple players touch the same ball.

• Softball and baseball players should not share gloves, bats or throw a single ball that will be tossed among the team. Prior to another athlete using the same balls, they should be collected and cleaned individually.

The key word in both of these lists is “guidelines.” In no way, at this point, are these lists mandated rules that have to be followed.

Any school corporation thinking it’s going to open for regular business either in classrooms or athletic fields is simply misguided.

Moderation and common sense will have to prevail. Schools should strive to utilize as many guidelines as they can from these lists both in and out of the classroom, but in no way will they all be able to get all of them put in place.

Another of the classroom guidelines indicated that desks should be moved a certain distance apart, have partitions between them if possible and numerous other organizational factors.

My wife teaches high school science, and her room has those wooden tables with the black slate tops (like every high school science classroom does) which are not mobile.

As far as sports goes, teams will end up with more managers than players if the “clean the balls individually before anyone else uses them” happens.

Because our society is the way it is, there are plenty of potential avenues for abuse.

One football program from a nearby county which is in a sectional with some of our teams has already been caught by the IHSAA having illegal weightlifting and workout sessions at its coach’s home before the July 1 allowable date.

Some people find fault with the fact that travel/AAU type teams in basketball, softball, baseball and soccer are now permitted to start practice and before too long will be able to have contests.

High schools already face competition for athletes from such programs, and the possibility exists that some athletes could forego their high school experience for one with fewer rules and restrictions.

Such an occurrence would be incredibly harmful to the school environment. As a former teacher, I had numerous students for whom academics was not their favorite part of the day tell me that they only got passing grades because they needed them to play sports.

If sports are taken away from the high school scene, the concept of “education-based athletics” that the IHSAA likes to trumpet will be gone.

Another potential downfall would be the possibility that some schools would offer athletics and others wouldn’t. The influx of transfer students in search of schools having sports would be a nightmare. (Surely one that pales in comparison to the thousands of deaths that have occurred from this virus, but still a potential problem.)

The IHSAA did well to buy itself some time by putting an opening date for facilities to re-open far enough into the future to allow for more time to pass before doing it.

It’s all or nothing. Either have regular school with sports, or don’t have either. If contact is unsafe for athletes, it’s worse with the whole student body.

When I taught, it became more and more difficult every year to get the kids back into things after Christmas or spring break. If they lose another huge chunk of time with only e-learning, we may never get them back.

Links to CDC, NFHS guidlines

Center for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.ht...

National Federation of High School Associations: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/guidance-for-state-associations-to-consider-in-re-...

IHSAA gives update on status of sports

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. continues to monitor daily the events and determinations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. As the State of Indiana tenders guidance respective of the reopening of the state, the association parallels this management with the potential restart of high school sporting activities.

A brief summary of the IHSAA’s current status offers that all IHSAA school-sponsored activities are suspended through June 30.

This shutdown is in concert with the directive from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction which clarified the ending of the 2019-20 school year and that school facilities are to remain closed through this date. Beginning on July 1, and with the approval of local school boards and/or superintendents, IHSAA member schools may conduct athletic activities under the provisions of Rule 15-3 of the by-laws.

Additionally, and as approved by the IHSAA Board of Directors at their May meeting, Rule 15-3.4 – Moratorium has been waived for 2020. Furthermore, if additional local or statewide restrictions are not re-instituted, the beginning of the fall sports season is set for Monday, August 3, except girls golf, which is listed to begin July 31.

The National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) through the work of its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) has recently provided guidance for schools to consider regarding the reopening of high school athletics across the country.

Please understand the attached guidance is current as of this communication and changes may be announced at any time. Member school administrations are heartily encouraged to review these guidelines and fashion these suggestions to the reopening of activities.