State guidelines for schools reopening don’t answer questions about sports returning

Those wondering whether high school sports will resume in the fall didn’t get a definitive answer on Monday when Tony Thurmond, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, released the California Department of Education’s guidelines for helping schools reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are still in the waiting game,” said Chris Fore, the California Coaches Association President and a high school football coach. “The state superintendent’s ‘Stronger Together’ document doesn’t give student-athletes, coaches and school districts the answers that they have been waiting for. It simply refers all of us to public health experts.”

Two items in the 62-page document stood out as far as high school sports are concerned.

One is that local education agencies (LEA), which are county officials and school districts, should consult public health experts to determine when high school sports can safely resume.

The state superintendent’s document also stated that the guidelines are suggestions, not mandates.

The CIF Southern Section has said it hopes that by July 1 school districts and/or county officials can give the section more direction as to how schools will proceed with athletics.

CIF-SS assistant assistant commissioner Thom Simmons also reacted to the guidelines released by the state Monday.

“Local school districts and private schools will make their own decisions based on the recommendations of state and local authorities and health professionals,” Simmons said. “We are monitoring what local school districts and private schools are doing in preparation for resuming high school athletic activities, so in that regard, we are certainly collaborating.”

The state’s recommendation highlighted the challenges facing the return of high school football.

The state suggested that “physical education and intramural/interscholastic athletics should be limited to activities that do not involve physical contact with other students or equipment until advised otherwise by state/local public health officials.”

“I do not know anything, except that L.A. County health will have more to say about our ability to gather than any school districts will, private or public,” Bishop Amat football coach Steve Hagerty said. “There are so many moving parts to this thing that have to be synced up that we are not really close in my opinion. There is nothing official from any of those entities, and we are all still speculating.”

Fore sounded confident that high school athletes in all sports will be able to get together soon for group workouts as long as they follow social distance and safety practice guidelines.

“Well, public health experts have allowed youth sports camps to start on June 12,” Fore said. “So is that the answer for high school sports?

“Also, state health experts have given professional sports in California the green light to resume training and competition without live audiences. So I assume that the California Department of Education would be OK with schools following this same model.”

As far as high school sports actually getting the green light, it’s complicated, Fore said.

“The first thing that needs to happen is that schools need to be given the go ahead to open per their county superintendent,” Fore said. “Right now, schools are still closed. Until that happens, sports are off the table.

“Then, when the county superintendent gives the green light, then the school district superintendents need to give the green light.”

There has been speculation that county superintendents could make recommendations regarding sports that all schools under its jurisdiction would follow, but many don’t expect that to happen.

One coach who asked not to be identified said, “The county officials don’t want that responsibility, it’s easier and safer for them to let school districts make those decisions to release them of some of the liability should things go bad.”

Fore noted it will be interesting to watch what school districts do with the recommendations from state and county officials, because at the end of the day, they’re just recommendations and districts will have the final say.

“Some school districts will take this suggestion as the law,” Fore said. “And some will take it as a suggestion and make their own decisions.”

If sports do resume in the fall, one major item schools will have to deal with is transportation to and from games. With strict social distancing measures on school buses, it might take multiple buses to transport athletes to schools.

“If they follow these suggestions, it’s going to make the transportation budgets skyrocket,” Fore said. “We will probably need at least two buses for every route, maybe even three buses in some situations.”

With the state’s revenue plummeting this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom last month issued a revised state budget that included major funding cuts to California school districts.