Fayette sets date for high school teams to start workouts. Here are the dos and don’ts.
Fayette County Public Schools on Wednesday announced its plan to phase in sports and extra-curricular activities beginning June 29 and following state and federal guidance on how to proceed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Voluntary on-campus training for cheerleading, cross country, dance, football, golf, soccer and volleyball can resume June 29 under limitations prescribed by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association with middle school activities and other high school sports returning on July 6. Fayette County’s public high schools are Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tates Creek.
According to FCPS, a task force of district leaders, school principals, athletic directors, athletic trainers and coaches developed detailed plans, protocols and safety procedures that are aligned with guidance from the CDC and Governor’s Office and meet both Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) and Lexington-Fayette County Health Department recommendations to minimize risk for students, staff and families.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our students and staff, and we believe we have taken all the steps necessary to ensure a safe return to campus,” Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk said in a press release.
Last month, the KHSAA decided to allow high school sports to resume voluntary workouts beginning Monday and many schools around the state, including Lexington Catholic, Lexington Christian and schools in Lexington’s surrounding counties began on-campus activities this week.
Sports activities are limited to conditioning and skills training and no games, scrimmages or game-like activities are yet allowed under KHSAA rules. No date has been set for when those limitations will end.
“Although their plans allowed groups of 10 or fewer to participate in on-campus conditioning as early as June 15, our work team felt strongly about taking additional time to ensure all of our schools were fully ready to safely resume practice before welcoming back our more than 5,200 student athletes,” said Fayette County Public Schools High School Chief James McMillin, noting that the primary consideration in this decision was the availability of athletic trainers.
The originally scheduled opening of high school football practice had been July 10 with other sports set for tryouts and full practices beginning July 15. The KHSAA is expected to announce whether those dates remain feasible sometime before the end of this month. Activities held by coaches before these July dates are typically optional and usually targeted at keeping athletes in shape.
In its ruling last month, the KHSAA also eliminated the traditional summer “dead period,” which shuts down all high school sports activities and communications for the last week of June and the first week of July. This “dead period” is aimed at giving student-athletes a break from sports responsibilities, but was removed this summer on the reasoning that all sports have been shut down since the onset of the pandemic in early March.
Since June usually falls within the KHSAA “dead period,” four of the six trainers who serve FCPS high schools had pre-planned vacations during this time, the school system said in its release.
“Our commitment to families is that an athletic trainer will be present any time our student athletes are practicing or playing, and this will not be possible until after June 29,” McMillin said.
Here is an FCPS list of safety measures it will take when athletics resume.
▪ Installing signage for designated workout areas around campus, and for drop-off and pick-up points to avoid congregation of students and families before, during, and after practice sessions.
▪ Adding outdoor sanitizing stations.
▪ Working with Kentucky American Water Company to procure individual water bottles for each athlete.
▪ Ensuring an adequate inventory of face shields, masks and no-touch thermometers.
▪ Training coaches.
▪ Developing practice schedules to ensure adequate space for teams and social distancing guidelines.
Fayette County said families and athletes should do the following:
▪ Ensure child is healthy and check their child’s temperature daily.
▪ Wash hands thoroughly before and after training.
▪ Bring hand sanitizer to every training for personal use.
▪ Wear mask before and immediately after all training.
▪ Provide a full water bottle for each training.
▪ Refrain from group celebrations, including high fives, hugs, handshakes etc.
▪ Do not touch or share anyone else’s equipment, water, snack or bag.
▪ Carpooling with other teammates is prohibited.
▪ Adhere to social distance requirements based on state and local health guidelines. Entering the practice area or assisting the coach/director with equipment before or after training is prohibited.
▪ Practice social distancing by placing bags and equipment at least 6 feet apart.
▪ Wash child’s clothing after every training session.
▪ Sanitize all equipment/instruments (e.g. cleats, ball, etc.) before and after every training.
▪ Notify the coach/director immediately if your child becomes ill for any reason.
▪ Be sure your child has necessary sanitizer with them at all times.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Fayette sets date for high school teams to start workouts. Here are the dos and don’ts.."
