The MIAA on Tuesday set Sept. 14 as the start date for any fall sports that are viable to begin under state COVID-19 guidelines. Exactly what sports can start on that date, if any, is still being determined.
The start date is one of three recommendations for the fall sports season OK’d by the MIAA’s board of directors at a digital meeting. The recommendations are based on work by the state’s COVID-19 Task Force.
One recommendation is to follow the forthcoming guidelines from the Department of Secondary Education (DESE) and the Executive Office of Environmental Energy and Affairs (EEA) in regards to youth and K-12 sports in the fall. The recommendation was approved with little discussion, meaning the future of fall youth and high school sports will be decided by the state.
The second recommendation was to solidify the start date of Sept. 14 for any fall sports that can begin under DESE/EEA’s guidelines. The COVID-19 Task Force members explained that this was the recommendation of the Sports Medicine Committee, which advised that schools should have time to adapt to the new norms of protective measures to hold class. The latest start date for any school in Massachusetts is Sept. 10.
The final recommendation calls for the MIAA to hold a meeting to discuss the fall season three business days after the release of the DESE/EEA guidelines.
Shortly after the voting, Commissioner of Education Jeffrey C. Riley appeared on the meeting call. He estimated that fall sports guidelines would be released in early August, while transportation guidelines should be available by the end of this week.
Riley said the state is exploring all possibilities for the fall, including consideration for some sports that may be safer than others.
Under state guidelines for Phase 3, fall sports like football, soccer and competitive cheerleading are considered “higher risk,” and can currently only conduct socially distanced group activities. Field hockey, cross country and volleyball are considered “moderate risk” and can currently compete, but not hold tournaments. Tennis and golf are considered “lower risk” and can currently compete and hold outdoor tournaments.
As part of its presentation before the MIAA on Tuesday, the COVID-19 Task Force shared feedback from a community survey and other work over the last two months. A subgroup of the task force met with members of DESE/EEA and Gov. Charlie Baker’s staff on July 2 to discuss fall athletics.
The task force also sent a survey to superintendents, principals, athletic directors, coaches and athletic trainers in mid-June regarding COVID-19 and fall sports, and have received over 1,000 responses.
The top priority for the respondents was the overall health and safety of student-athletes and athletic staff members. The mental health of student-athletes was also emphasized as a high priority.
Other clear trends from the responses included prioritizing the start of the school year before considering the beginning of fall sports practices and competition, as well as prioritizing scheduling regular season play opportunities as opposed to attempting to hold postseason or state tournament play.
The meeting concluded with a few items related to internal MIAA affairs, though one motion was called that affects all competition — the handshake. The board unanimously approved to suspend the requirement to shake hands at the end of MIAA contests, formalizing the social distancing protocol into the official rules.