A ‘disaster’ on high school football

The state should be embarrassed by the reckless, irresponsible behavior of the CIAC, whose stance on high school football shows a complete lack of awareness. Earlier in August, the body disregarded a recommendation from its committee and voted to go full steam ahead with fall sports. Now, as of Aug. 27, the organization is proceeding with an

Oct. 1 start-up date, after conditioning and practices take place. The group keeps hedging its bets, thinking, perhaps, that a vaccine might miraculously surface and be distributed within the next month. Why else provide an Oct. 1 date?

The state’s Department of Public Health, whose concerns target the people of Connecticut and not just school sports, has since recommended that football and volleyball not be played due to obvious reasons. So, the CIAC is now in a place where it has teenagers and their families super-excited only to learn that their games may not take place.

Schools statewide are starting with carefully managed hybrids that spell out social distancing. But in October, the CIAC hopes, football players can merge in piles on the field while classrooms are safe and sound. We’re treating sports as something that’s clearly more important than education, apparently, as the risks there are far more worthwhile — according to the CIAC.

The CIAC clearly wants the state or local school boards to play the heavies, to be the ones to tell students and families that they can’t play ball. It wants to be “the nice guy” because it doesn’t have the courage or sense to do the right thing.

The state should now do what it should have done years ago: disband this rogue public-private organization and establish its own body to govern school sports.

This is a disaster.

Martin Glasser

Guilford