Guidance Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration released Friday for the safe reopening of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic may impact the NJSIAA’s protocols for the resumption of high school athletics.
NJSIAA Chief Operating Officer Colleen Maguire previously stated “the public needs to understand that high school sports” must “be in sync with our schools,” adding “scholastic sports are part of the curriculum” and “don’t operate independently.”
While the NJSIAA’s COVID-19 Medical Advisory Task Force is responsible for providing safe return-to-play protocols, it’s newly established COVID-19 Sports Advisory Task Force, according to the New Jersey Department of Education’s restart and recovery plan, will be “charged with reviewing state and local health guidelines, as well as NJDOE guidance, regarding the 2020-21 school year to determine, among other things, the extent to which changes may be needed for each interscholastic sports season.”
One brief section of the state department of education’s 104 pages of guidance, which provides minimum standards school districts are required to meet, is devoted to athletics, but NJSIAA officials will likely be paying close attention to recommended guidelines regarding transportation, the use of locker rooms and physical education.
The NJDOE asks school officials to “consider closing locker rooms to mitigate risk and prohibit students and staff from confined spaces with limited ventilation,” adding “if not feasible to close, stagger use and clean and disinfect between use.”
Under the NJSIAA’s recently released return-to-play guidelines, locker rooms will be closed during Phase I, which commences July 13, with the exception of allowing one student at a time to use bathrooms located inside locker room facilities.
NJSIAA and school district officials could be challenged to figure out a safe space for student-athletes to change into their uniforms should scholastic competition resume in the fall.
Transporting student-athletes to road games may also prove challenging, based on the state Department of Education’s guidelines and the availability of busses.
“School districts should maintain social distancing practices on buses (at least six feet of distance between riders) to the maximum extent practicable,” the guidelines read, noting under that scenario 11 passengers may be seated on a 54-passenger school bus.
The NJDOE guidelines, however, provide an “accepted minimal standard” that might allow entire teams to travel together, provided all passengers wear a mask.
“If a district is providing transportation services on a school bus but is unable to maintain social distancing,” the guidelines read, “a face covering must be worn by all students who are able to do so upon entering the bus.”
The availability of busses, depending upon how school districts across the state decide to transport their students to and from school, must also be considered. During the 2019-20 school year, nearly 740,000 students were transported.
The state Department of Education’s guidance for recess and physical education does not address indoor activities, leading readers to wonder if indoor sports will be permitted. The NJSIAA is expected to address indoor sports in subsequent phases of its return-to-play guidance.
While Maguire says high school sports must operate “in sync with our schools,” the messages out of Murphy’s office in Trenton and the NJSIAA's headquarters in Robbinsville have not been in lockstep regarding the return-to-play for youth sports and high school athletics.
High school-aged players, who fall into both categories, are following distinctly different return-to-play guidelines and timelines with the Murphy administration’s youth sports guidance establishing a comparatively accelerated return to practice and competition.
A high school-aged baseball player, for example, has been able to practice with his club or youth league team since June 22 and will be eligible to play in games with those teams starting July 6.
The same player cannot commence conditioning and sport-specific drills with his high school teammates on school grounds until July 13. The player’s high school coach can currently coach him at the youth or club level, but can’t have in-person contact with that player until July 13.
Maguire addressed the disparity of those guidelines on the eve of the state Department of Education releasing its back-to-school guidance.
“While we are witnessing a rush to return to play by youth sports organizations, including your club sports,” she said, “the NJSIAA has no jurisdiction over these programs.”
The state Department of Education guidelines, which have been in the works for weeks, take into account the geographic, demographic and economic differences among school-communities statewide.
“There is no one size fits all guidance that can be applied to every school and every district,” Murphy said.
While clearly delineated standards must be followed, Murphy said individual superintendents and boards of education have the flexibility to implement plans that meet the specific needs of their own districts.
Email: gtufaro@gannett.com
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Will NJDOE guidance impact NJSIAA sports? - My Central Jersey
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