Latham, NY – The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) held the second meeting of the COVID-19 Task Force on Tuesday, June 30.
Representatives from the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) provided updates pertaining to the COVID-19 crisis. The Task Force then discussed the Governor’s reopening plan and its impact upon interscholastic athletics.
The Task Force discussed Governor’s reopening plan and its impact upon interscholastic athletics. At this time, schools are still prohibited from any indoor activities, any in-person instruction (excluding special education), and any organized sports or recreational activities that are hosted/operated.
The NYSPHSAA Task Force reviewed six potential return to school scenarios, including a full return to school, a hybrid education model, a full virtual learning model, and regional differences model. Proposals to address the scenarios reviewed included a full return to athletic participation, potential adjustments of seasons, and/or condensing all three seasons. The Task Force reviewed proposals to address each scenario. The proposals include a full return to athletic participation, potential adjustment of seasons and/ or condensing seasons. The Task Force is finalizing the proposals and plans to release the document to the NYSPHSAA membership by the end of the week in an effort to gather feedback.
The meeting concluded with a presentation of the EzSCRN Application from Paul Bailey, President of Total Concussion Management. The EzSCRN Application, which provides a unique online tool for schools to utilize if screening is part of their reopening plan, would allow a school or team to easily screen students and immediately notify school administrators and health care officials of any students who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. The Task Force plans to continue discussion about this application at their next meeting.
A full report, including meeting report, will be released later this week. The next meeting of the COVID-19 Task Force has not yet been announced.
