By Mike Zummo
Here we go again.
The New York State Education Dept. released guidance for the 2021-22 school year on Thursday, which included a suggestion that high-risk sports or extracurricular activities should be canceled in areas of high community transmission of COVID-19 unless all participants are fully vaccinated.
As of Aug. 11, the CDC has classified Orange County’s transmission rate as “high”, up from “substantial” two weeks early and “moderate” two months earlier.
The CDC also has classified Ulster County’s transmission rate as high as of Aug. 11.
According to county health dept. officials, the county’s COVID-19 cases increased over 115 percent over the past week.
The guidance from the 2020-21 school year lumped football, competitive cheerleading, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, and lacrosse as higher risk sports.
Fall sports, including football, volleyball, and cheerleading, are scheduled to open for the preseason on Monday.
“We encourage our member schools to utilize this document and consult with local health departments as they plan for the 2021-22 fall interscholastic athletic season scheduled to begin on Aug. 23,” NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas said in a statement. “NYSPHSAA will continue working with state officials to ensure student athletes have a safe and successful and academic and athletic school year.”
Section 9 Executive Director Greg Ransom said last Friday section officials will review the document this week and make decisions at that point.
“It’s going to take a little bit of time to read it carefully and what each school district is going to want to do with it,” Ransom said. “It doesn’t look like there are any mandates in it, but recommendations, so you know how that goes.”
Leading up to the preseason, local football teams have been hosting offseason workouts to prepare.
Wallkill football coach Brian Vegliando didn’t have much of a reaction to the guidance but said the document won’t change how his team is preparing for Monday’s start of practice.
The Panthers have been conducting voluntary workouts both on the field and in the weight room with the expectation of the start of official practice on Monday.
“We’re just rolling along and looking forward to getting started up in less than two weeks,” Vegliando said.
Last season, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association postponed high-risk fall sports to a March/April “Fall 2” season. Section 9 went a step further by postponing all Fall sports to the Fall 2 season.
Additionally on Thursday, the Orange County Dept. of Health recommended all people wear masks while indoors in public.
The first higher-risk sports to take the field was basketball and wrestling in February in empty gymnasiums and a few teams not being able to get their approvals together in time to participate.
However, most local programs were on the field in March, while a few teams had to shut down for a period during the Fall 2 season, there were fewer required quarantines during the spring season.
Among football teams, Newburgh Free Academy didn’t have to shut down, but Pine Bush, Marlboro, Highland all missed at least one game due to COVID-19.
Pine Bush volleyball also missed time during the Fall 2 season.
According to the Education Dept.’s guidance, schools are encouraged to use COVID-19 screening testing for student athletes.
Assemblyman Colin Schmitt (R-99) came out against the recommendations and said he planned to introduce legislation that would bar the guidance from being enforced.
“I find it troubling that one of the first actions would be to once again cancel some school sports for our kids,” Schmitt said. “The science on the issue has not changed. It is safe to play all interscholastic sports and teams have the ability to do so following proper safety protocols. The state needs to get out of the way and let them play.”
While the guidance refers to “higher-risk” sports, it does not define “high-risk” sports and the guidance are not mandates, only recommendations.