The Newburgh Enlarged City School District won’t let high-risk sports play, but the Board of Education will let them practice.
In a pair of 5-3 votes, the school board on Feb. 9 allowed the high-risk winter sports to practice only starting late last week, and allowed the high risk Fall 2 sports – football and volleyball – to practice beginning March 1.
Board of Education President Carole Mineo, Shane Henderson and William Walker voted against both resolutions.
Five days earlier, the Board of Education had voted against allowing basketball and cheerleading to participate in shortened seasons against other schools. Practice would limit Newburgh to its own district.
“This would allow our seniors to come together on their respective meet and respective field and practice with their coaches and teammates,” Superintendent Roberto Padilla said.
Practices would be three days per week for about 90 minutes and the athletes would have to fill out contact forms and have their temperatures checked.
Boys’ basketball coach Frank Dinnocenzio said on Thursday morning that no one had started yet as there were still some logistical issues to work out. The district also has a weeklong recess this week.
Padilla also requested that the board allow the Fall 2 high-risk sports – football, volleyball, and competitive cheer – to begin practicing on March 1 with the rest of the Fall 2 teams. All of Section 9’s fall sports will compete in a season that begins on March 1 and ends on April 18.
“I am not asking if you are willing for them to take place altogether,” Padilla said. “But will you allow them to practice.”
Board of Education member Darren Stridiron suggested before allowing high-risk athletes, especially football players to practice, they should be tested with the COVID-19 rapid test, and then tested weekly.
There was a question of how those tests would be paid for, but Deputy Superintendent of Schools Ed Forgit said the district has the protocol in place for administration of the test. All the district’s nurses have been trained to administer and should someone test positive, they would be recommended to take the PCR test. He said the district has some tests remaining from when it had to do 20 percent testing, and now that they don’t, the district has received permission to use them as needed.
Forgit said he will investigate the cost of ordering more.
Board of Education Vice President Philip Howard asked for more information about what a practice would look like going forward, and he voted for allowing it to go forward because football was outdoors.
Padilla said he expects to ask the board to approve Fall 2 high-risk sports to compete at next Tuesday’s meeting. The district’s high-risk sports have not been practicing, while the low- and moderate-risk sports have been practicing and competing.
District attorney David Shaw said parents have quite a bit of information and parents will get all the safety protocols set down by the state and Orange County Health Dept.
“At some point we have to take risk and the parents are signing the waivers,” Stridiron said. “I’m not comfortable with it, but at this point we have to move forward.”