Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
With a letter to the governor, and concurrent revised recommendations from his office about returning more kids to in-person learning, the approaching date to begin delayed high school sports in 2020-21 is a just over a month off.
Are its chances to get started now improved?
“We gotta get our kids playing again, or in any activities,” said Ken Lindgren, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) board member and longtime Oakesdale athletic director, teacher and coach. “Idaho just finished a football season, volleyball. What is that magic barrier that runs along the state line?”
The letter was signed by 71 superintendents, athletic directors and principals in Eastern Washington, noting “a moral obligation to take action for our students.” It went on to call for the return of local sports “with strict safety protocols, and under the guidance of our staff... The data is showing very limited transmission of the virus within schools leading to the conclusion that the school campus is one of the safest places a student can be during this pandemic.”
Lindgren was one of the signers of the letter.
Following the governor’s announcement Dec. 16 about opening more in-person learning, the WIAA released a statement that “while sports and activities were not covered during the announcement, the WIAA is hopeful that guidelines for extracurricular participation will also be revised to align with the data and information that was presented (by the governor).”
The WIAA board will meet again Jan. 4, incidentally the day that Governor Jay Inslee has extended the current statewide restrictions too.
Just after the last meeting, Mick Hoffman, WIAA executive director, wrote an editorial, published in several newspapers statewide, laying out a case, based on studies and data from other states, that extra-curricular activities could go ahead safely.
So what has come of that?
“He’s been asking, the WIAA lobbyists are asking and a lot of the answers are not coming through,” said Lindgren.
Inslee’s announcement of plans to encourage districts to get more kids in school touted new data saying that schools have not been significant spreaders of the virus.
“I think maybe there’s a little light in that tunnel,” said Lindgren. “Though he’s talking about mainly younger kids. For superintendents, for high school, the question they face is, how do we allow extra-curricular activities to take place when we’re not even bringing kids back in to school for learning? You can, based on what we’re hearing from insurance companies.”
He added more.
“I don’t want to speak for them,” Lindgren said. “But they also say you need to follow the governor’s guidelines.”
The Jan. 4 meeting is a special gathering, which will mark the four-week point before the set start date for winter sports.
“What counties are gonna be eligible?” said Lindgren.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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