The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association unanimously approved a series of recommendations Wednesday morning that will allow for fall sports in the commonwealth.
Within those recommendations was the call for a four-season athletic schedule that places football, other high risk sports and moderate risk sports that cannot be modified into a “floating season” that will take place in the spring.
Overall, the MIAA’s Board of Directors approved more than a dozen recommendations with most coming from its COVID-19 Task Force. Read about the meeting here.
Below are the recommendations that the Board of Directors voted on, along with the outcome of the vote and any major discussion points from the virtual meeting.
Dr. Keith Crowley, the principal of St. John’s Prep, and Thomas Holdgate, the athletic director at Duxbury High School, did the presentation as the co-chairs of the COVID-19 Task Force.
Recommendation: Adopt September 18, 2020 as the start of the fall athletic season.
Discussion: The move from Sept. 14 — the original start date for practices agreed upon by the board of Directors — allows for the majority of schools to return (whether that is remote, hybrid or in person) before the season begins.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends that MIAA Board of Directors endorse the general health and safety protocols and practices developed by the MIAA Sports medicine Committee.
Discussion: This recommendation featured minimal discussion.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors endorses the following season structure for the 2020-2021 academic year:
- Sept. 18th - Nov. 20th — Fall Sports - B/G Soccer, Fall Gymnastics, B/G Cross Country, Field Hockey, Girls Volleyball, Swim & Dive, Golf
- Nov. 30th - Feb. 21st — Winter Sports - B/G Basketball, B/G Hockey, Wrestling, Winter Gymnastics, B/G Indoor Track & Field, Alpine Ski, Nordic Ski, Winter Cheer, Dance, Swim & Dive
- Feb. 22nd - April 25th — Fall Sports II (”Floating Season”) - Football, Fall Cheer, Unified basketball, sports not played in fall season because of remote learning model/other
- April 26th - July 3rd — Spring Sports - Baseball, Softball, B/G Lacrosse, B/G Tennis, Boys Volleyball, B/G/Unified Outdoor Track & Field, Rugby, Sailing, Girls Golf, Crew
Regions have the ability to adjust dates with the approval of their District Athletic Committee (DAC).
Discussion: Two of the topics that came up during the discussion of this recommendation were tabled for the end of the meeting — specifically whether or not students could play in all four seasons and what a school would do if its sport in Fall Season I was canceled. The focus on this vote was solely on the ability to have four seasons.
The clarification was made during the discussion that while a sport may be approved, the region can determine if the sport needs to be moved to Fall Sports Season II, as noted by the reference to the DAC at the end of the recommendation. In addition, the timelines noted in the recommendation are flexible.
Oliver Ames principal Wesley Paul asked whether or not there was consideration for the football season to fully take place in the spring season instead of having a second fall season. Holdgate noted in his response that the task force did not want to force kids into a conflict between which sport they were going to play.
“We very much so did not want one sport to be the reason we were doing anything,” Holdgate said.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors endorse the following process to arrive at the modifications necessary for B/G Soccer, Fall Gymnastics, B/G Cross Country, Field Hockey, Girls Volleyball, Swim & Dive, and Golf to be played this fall:
- Respective Sport Committees and the Sports Medicine Committee collaborate to arive at guidelines/modifications for respective fall sports to meet level 3 play requirements outlined in EEA guidelines by Tuesday, August 25.
- MIAA COVID-19 Task Force reviews work by Sports Committees and Sports medicine on Thursday, August 27.
- MIAA COVID-19 Task Force shares finalized fall sport modifications by Friday, August 28 with MIAA President and Executive Director for final consideration and action by Tuesday, September 1.
Discussion: This recommendation featured minimal discussion.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors encourage schools to create a fall season schedule within leagues, or geographic regions to limit travel and number of opponents.
Discussion: This recommendation yielded no questions or discussion.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors eliminate MIAA sponsored postseason tournaments for the fall 2020 season.
Discussion: MIAA Board of Directors president Jeff Granatino pointed out during the discussion of this recommendation that the inclusion of the phrase “MIAA sponsored” was intentional. Leagues and districts could develop some form of a postseason as long as it fits within the EEA’s guidance.
Granatino went on to explain that the board was not looking down the line at other seasons. Those discussions will happen closer to the start of those seasons as the situation is fluid.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors allow out of season coaching from September 18th, 2020 through July 3rd, 2021.
Discussion: This recommendation featured the most discussion and was the lone motion to not pass unanimously. It took just shy of an hour for the Board of Directors to come to an agreement on the language of the ruling, including two votes on amendments to the recommendation.
Marblehead principal Daniel Bauer made the recommendation that the word “coaching” change to “contact,” while MIAA Executive Director Bill Gaine asked if the wording should just be changed to waiving Rule 40.
Rule 40, which can be read in full on page 39 of the MIAA handbook, states in part that “Unless otherwise permitted in this rule, between seasons a coach may conduct a meeting(s) with team candidates only to elect captains, collect equipment, issue equipment, to provide for physical examinations, to conduct legitimate fund-raising events, or to offer wellness workshops or activities.”
Thomas Arria, the athletic director of Cambridge, noted that the challenge with specifically referencing and waiving Rule 40 is the language within the rule that stops coaches from pressuring athletes to participate out of season.
Ultimately, an amendment to the recommendations language was added to make the recommendation “The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors allow out of season coaching from September 18th, 2020 through July 3rd, 2021 as approved by the school principal.”
That amendment passed 13-7.
Westborough High School principal Brian Callaghan called for an additional amendment to the language to make the recommendation only apply to sports that were moved from Fall Sports Season I to Fall Sports Season II.
Arria noted his concern with the amount of time students have gone without contact with their coaches.
“If we can get kids together with their own basketball just to have a coach stand there, I think the engagement is really important for kids,” Arria said. “If we cannot handle that in our own buildings, that is our fault.”
The amendment to limit the recommendation to the fall season failed, 7-13.
Ultimately the Board of Directors voted on the following recommendation as a whole: “The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors allow out of season coaching from September 18th, 2020 through July 3rd, 2021 as approved by the school principal.”
Vote: Passed 13-7
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors notifies member schools that if schools opt to engage in out of season sport activities that the MIAA has not attested to sport specific guidance and modifications per EEA guidelines that it is the school/district’s responsibility to comply with all EEA and DESE guidance regarding levels of play.
Discussion: This topic featured minimal discussion.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors requires member schools to report to the MIAA and their scheduled opponents if their designation according to public health metrics requires them to cease play.
Discussion: Northeast Metro Regional Vocation School’s Deborah Davis brought up the concern of how regional schools should handle the situation. If a regional school has multiple towns, and only a few of those towns are in the red, how should the school handle that situation. Davis also brought up Holyoke, which is in the red but has a long-term care facility that impacts its numbers.
“Schools should work with their local Department of Public Health,” Dr. Crowley said in response. “If community is in red but that is due to a segment of the population, then local DPH in conjunction with DESE could allow for things at school level.”
Dr. Crowley added that regional guidance has not been announced by DESE yet.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors charge the Executive Staff with the task of creating professional learning opportunities for school staff and game officials related to return to play modifications, health and safety protocols, planning and implementing practices, facilities usage and management and event management. in addition, the MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the Executive staff develop and implement a communication strategy to educate student-athletes and their parents on what sports will look like this fall and the general public health and safety guidelines related to COVID-19 and athletic participation.
Discussion: No discussion on this topic.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: The MIAA COVID-19 Task Force recommends the MIAA Board of Directors set aside time on their October 29, 2020 meeting agenda to consider the recommendations for the MIAA COVID-19 Task Force regarding the next season of play.
Discussion: No discussion on this topic.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: Brookline athletic director Peter Rittenberg puts forward a motion to recommend that the any school that has a Fall I season cut short due to a change in COVID designation may bring forth a request to the DAC to allow for that sport to take place in Fall II.
Discussion: This motion featured minimal discussion as it had occurred earlier in the meeting when reviewing the task force recommendation for a four-season athletic calendar.
Vote: Unanimously approved
Recommendation: Bauer puts forward a motion for students to have the ability to participate in all four season.
Discussion: Mount Greylock athletic director and Board of Directors vice president Lindsey von Holtz initially asked this question earlier in the meeting. Her main concern was that a student might hold off on a low-risk fall sport with the hope of playing during the “floating season,” only for that season to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Vote: Unanimously approved
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