Prep spring seasons appear done for year
As COVID-19 worries keep schools closed, officials say events cannot be held.
It appears that the high school spring sports season is done in California.
Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction, acknowledged in a letter to district superintendents Tuesday that schools likely will not be able to reopen this school year because of safety concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter states: “I’m writing to you regarding the current status of schools in California.
“As you know we continue to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus and how those impacts make it unsafe for our students to be served on school campuses at this time.
“The need for safety through social distancing warrants that we continue to keep our school campuses closed to students during this pandemic.
“Due to the current safety concerns and needs for ongoing social distancing it currently appears that our students will not be able to return to school campuses before the end of the school year. This is in no way to suggest that school is over for the year, but rather we should put all efforts into strengthening our delivery of education through distance learning.”
When asked about Thurmond’s letter, Ron Nocetti — executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body of high schools sports — said, “If schools do not reopen, it doesn’t leave an avenue to compete in spring sports.”
The 10 CIF section commissioners have a teleconference scheduled for Friday in which an official announcement could be made on the status of the season. All games and competitions were suspended after social distancing measures across the state went into place last month.
Trent Cornelius, who runs athletics in the L.A. Unified School District, said athletic events can’t be held if schools are closed.
“We need schools to be open because of all the support personnel who help run events,” he said.