The Marlboro and Highland school districts have the approval to go forward with high-risk sports after receiving authorization from both Ulster County and their respective Boards of Education.
The authorization was effective Monday and will give high-risk winter sports – basketball, wrestling, and cheerleading – an opportunity to play for a one-month season if schools choose to do so. New York State authorized high-risk sports on Jan. 22.
It also authorizes football, volleyball, and boys’ lacrosse to practice and play as well.
However, Ulster County added several wrinkles, including requiring resolutions from the county’s Boards of Education, and a sports-specific preparedness plan.
The Marlboro school district Board of Education unanimously voted on Friday night authorizing Superintendent Michael Brooks and Athletic Director Jonnah O’Donnell to move the process forward. The winter season was scheduled to start Monday and will end on Feb. 28.
“We believe that we want to give this a good try,” Brooks said. “We really want to see if we can make this happen.”
The Highland school district Board of Education on Friday afternoon voted 5-1 with one abstention to allow high-risk sports if the district can comply with all stipulations laid out by the Ulster County Health Dept.
Wallkill Superintendent Kevin Castle said on Friday the school district shared the Ulster County Dept. of Health guidelines with its attorney and insurance carrier and will decide once they provide documents.
While that is happening, Castle said Athletic Director B.J. Masopust and the district’s coaches are developing “return to play” documents.
“We need to ensure everything is in order before we make a recommendation to the Board of Education,” Castle said. “Safety of our students is our number one priority.”
Highland, Marlboro, and Wallkill play in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League, which mostly encompasses Ulster County.
“In response to NY State DOH’s new guidance on sports, we are committed to working with our schools, parents and student-athletes to ensure all school sports are conducted as safely as possible,” Ulster County Commissioner of Health Carol Smith said.
The MHAL also has teams in northern Dutchess County, making regional approval key for Section 9 competition.
However, after initially joining the seven-county agreement, MHAL Director Dennis Burkett said the county Health Dept. sent out additional guidance, reported to be weekly COVID-19 tests for high-risk sports athletes that brought the process to a halt in the county.
“At the present time, I am not aware of any Ulster-based MHAL school that can satisfy the criteria as we understand it,” Burkett said.
Brooks said the Dept. of Health also required the district to maintain a valid policy of insurance and that the county be indemnified from liability by any third parties.
The Section 9 Athletic Council launched into action immediately, holding an emergency meeting on Jan. 25, in which Executive Director Greg Ransom was authorized to write letters asking for approval from Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Dutchess counties.
The council also announced that it scheduled the winter high-risk season from Feb. 1 until Feb. 28. Low- and moderate risk sports were authorized to start on Jan. 4 in the MHAL and Jan. 19 in the OCIAA.
According to reports, Section 9 has no plans to expand the winter season beyond Feb. 28.
The Fall 2 season will begin practice on March 1 and is scheduled to end on April 18 with all sports authorized.
Practice for the spring season is scheduled to begin on April 19 until an undetermined ending date, which depends on Regents exams and state playoff dates. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association has canceled state championships for the fall and winter seasons, but as of Jan. 22, Executive Director Robert Zayas said spring championships are still on.