The Alberta Schools Athletic Association’s announcement detailed how to bring back athletic and fine arts programs safely for staff and students.
Under the Athletic Association’s guidelines, interschool competitions are prohibited, it is recommended that the sharing of equipment is kept at a minimum and club cohorts should be limited to 50 participants.
Sporting events should be scheduled to avoid overlap between clubs or teams, and hygiene and social distance measures should be enforced when possible.
It is also recommended that no spectators be allowed, however, the document says that 100 spectators are allowed to watch indoor activities, and 200 are allowed at outdoor activities as long as social distance can be maintained.
Murray Besenski, the associate superintended of Rocky View Schools, said that board managed to reach a consensus on how to proceed this fall.
Summarizing the board’s decision, Besenski said “extracurricular athletics, and extracurricular fine arts are permitted in a practice format only, with no interschool games or in-person performances being allowed until further notice.”
Although the Board of Rocky View Schools decided to direct the schools in the division to follow the guidelines set out by the Alberta Schools Athletic Association, the number of spectators will also be a bit stricter than the recommendations.
The number of spectators and participants will be limited to 100, Besenski said. If there are 50 participants in a cohort, only 50 spectators will be allowed to watch outdoor practices or scrimmages.
In-gym activities such as volleyball will have no spectators permitted, he said.
Besenski added that people attending the practice events will be asked to wear masks and observe public health measures, like social distancing guidelines.
Besenski said that although the choice differs from the provincial recommendations, the board had to make the decision for the best interest of the students and staff within its jurisdiction.
“We as a board then had to— Because that’s the governing body— Individual boards and superintendents then have to make the decision as does that affect your own school system and the schools in that system.”
Before Thursday’s meeting, Rocky View Schools’ plan was to cancel those programs completely, he said, but with the new guidelines released, the school board decided to go ahead with those programs on a practice-only basis.
Several programs, including golf, volleyball and track and field, would have commenced on Aug. 16, but the start date for those activities has been changed to Sept. 1, he said.
As of now, cross-country, golf, volleyball and football, will be permitted to proceed with practices.
In the event of an outbreak within one of the programs, Besenski said that the school board would defer to the direction of Alberta Health Services (AHS) on how to proceed with containment.
“We would follow the direction given to us by AHS depending on what it is, and who is impacted by it,” he said. “It’s difficult to say specifically what would happen. It may be the removal of the ability to have extracurricular fine arts, or it could be a change to how they’re offered.”
Besenski said that the board feels confident that the students and staff will be safe, given the guidelines provided by Alberta Health and the Alberta Schools Athletic Association.
“We’re following the directions AHS has put in place, we’re hopeful that those directions will keep all staff and students safe as they return to school,” he said. “There are lots of changes and guidelines in place from hand washing to the use of hand sanitizers throughout the day as you enter the classrooms, et cetera. We’re hopeful that those will have positive results … And we’re hopeful that we can move forward and the kids and staff can return to a sense of normalcy.”
Besenski said that he understands the nervousness associated with the return to school, but as long as the health measures in place are followed staff, students and their families will be safe as everyone returns in the fall.
“I know there is incredible stress, anxiety and trepidation about going back to school. I think that is everyone who is involved in schools from parents to staff and students,” he said. “Hopefully, cross your fingers, if everything we hear is true and all guidelines are followed it will be a smooth and safe return.”
To see the full list of the recommendations made by the Alberta Schools Athletic Association visit asaa.ca/.
