Spring sports cancellation a possibility as COVID concerns grow

As of late Thursday night, local school districts had yet to present any sort unified policy with regard to interscholastic athletics in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the rapidly changing situation has already produced a number of sharp responses.

As the crisis deepens, one very real possibility is that all local schools will agree to follow in the footsteps of San Diego State University and others, suspending spring season competition indefinitely.

Sources have confirmed that, while nothing is definite at this point, there has been talk around the CIF San Diego Section offices about a possible blanket spring sports cancellation. Such a measure could be mandated by the State Federation, which has already taken the step of canceling the last remaining state basketball championship contests.

There is an expectation that a concrete plan of action could be in place on or before March 17, when the commissioners of the various sections are scheduled to meet in Sacramento to discuss matters pertaining to COVID-19.

If a blanket cancellation were to be implemented, it would represent an abrupt volte face from the federation’s position on Wednesday, when CIF-SDS Commissioner Jerry Schniepp indicated that the any decisions to interrupt play would be made at the school district level. Additionally, any overarching policy would run counter to a press release issued by the CIF Southern Section on Thursday that did not anticipate a “one size fits all” approach.

In this unsettled ecosystem, many different outcomes remain on the table.

Locally, one school district has already suspended its athletic extracurriculars in response to two confirmed COVID-19 cases within the Imperial Valley. An initial, early-morning release by the Calexico Unified District office on Thursday announced that all school-related out-of-county travel would be restricted until further notice, but discussions with Calexico High School administration revealed the decision has since been made to put all sports contests, including those in the county, on hold. A second, late-afternoon release by the district confirmed this.

Other districts hadn’t reached for that extreme as of press time. The Central Union High School District and the Imperial Unified School District had each posted announcements their respective websites that have nixed assemblies, with an eye toward complying with the California Department of Public Health’s recommendation that no “non-essential” gatherings of more than 250 people take place, but athletic events weren’t included in this policy.

CUHSD superintendent Dr. Ward Andrus said on Thursday that the district continues to maintain a watchful stance with regard to athletics, but that, at this point, there were no plans to scrap large numbers of games wholesale, noting that most spring sports, such as baseball and tennis, don’t involve a lot of direct contact and don’t typically draw crowds to the extent that they would conflict with current CDPH guidelines.

Beyond that, Andrus said, neither of the two COVID-19 cases confirmed at the El Centro Regional Medical Center had any connection, ancillary or otherwise, to district students or employees. “Given that, we haven’t felt the need to cancel [athletic events],” he said.

A letter published by Calipatria Unified superintendent Doug Kline early on Thursday indicated that the district planned to continue hosting athletic events for the time being, but that spectators would not be allowed.

Still, it would not be a surprise to see these “toe-in-thewater” districts follow Calexico’s lead if things worsen. Even if they don’t, the district’s suspension directly impacts dozens of scheduled Imperial Valley League games.

More light should be shed on these matters in the very near future. Brawley Union High School superintendent Simon Canalez indicated that local district administrators had been invited to participate in a conference call with the CIFSDS main office late Thursday evening, with the express purpose of trying to get everybody on a similar page in terms of response.