The KSHSAA Board of Directors approved a plan that will allow schools who opt out of the fall sports season to play those sports in the spring during a special meeting on Friday.
Alternative Fall Season Available for Schools; that are unable to complete their traditional fall activity.FULL RELEASE: https://t.co/ObRMErgIjq
— KSHSAA (@KSHSAA) August 28, 2020
The board, which has representatives from every league and classification in the state, voted in favor of KSHSAA’s alternative plan with a 45-29 vote.
“Any time kids have opportunities, that’s a win,” KSHSAA Executive Director Bill Faflick said. “Our member schools needed the option. They may not know they need it now. But it’s worth it even if its just for the five Kansas City Kansas Public Schools that look like they won’t have a season. We’re sitting on August 28. What’s it going to be like on September 15? On September 28? There may be schools that can’t continue and they don’t know that. Now there’s an option down the road.”
The alternative plan for fall sports — football volleyball, girls tennis, girls golf, boys soccer, cross county and gymnastics — will allow schools that are forced to cancel seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic to play in the spring.
KSHSAA Alternative Model fo... by Sean Frye
The alternative season model is available for any school that cancels an activity this fall. However, fall championships will still be held in the fall, for now. Schools that use the alternative model will not compete for a championship.
There was one amendment to the plan initially approved by the KSHSAA Executive Board on Monday. The plan includes two bands of classifications. If over half of one band elects to utilize the alternative model, it triggers a delayed start to traditional spring sports.
The original bands were Classes 1-2-3A and 4-5-6A. The amendment, proposed by Paola High School Principal Jeff Hines, adjusted the bands to Classes 1-2-3-4A and 4-6A.
“That was a smart move for everybody,” said Labette County High School Principal Shane Holtzman, who represents the SEK League on the board. “It was a good amendment. Fewer schools have to opt in at the higher band, and they’re the schools that are most affected anyway.”
If 37 schools from Classes 5-6A or 142 from Classes 1-2-3-4A elect to use the spring alternative model for fall sports, that will trigger the delayed start to spring.
Holtzman was one of the 29 votes against the proposal. He said he was representing a straw poll he took with fellow SEK League schools but that he personally supported the plan.
“Personally for Labette County High School, I was in favor of the proposal,” Hotltzman said. “It opens up options if things change down the road. We hope things keep going well and that we have fall sports now. But if that doesn’t happen, we have the possibility that our fall sports athletes could participate at some point.”
The primary opposition to the plan was the potential impact on spring sports. Any schools that participate in fall sports in the spring will face an overlap of seasons.
“The opposition I heard from our league was the impact on spring sports,” Holtzman said. “They’ve already lost one season and didn’t want to disrupt another one.”
“They lost so much last year. So we did our best to make sure they have a full season with every plan that has been developed,” Faflick added. “A full season is not just number of games, but length of season.”
Fall sports around Kansas are starting their seasons, which sports like tennis and golf holding their first events this week. The rest of fall sports start next week.
As the season begins, schools are immersed in implementing health guidelines and deciding what types of games and tournaments can be safely held.
“We’re going to let administrators have the dialogue, first and foremost,” Faflick said. We hope that the majority of our games will be localized so they’re under similar conditions. We have asked leagues to adopt policies so there are more universal guidelines. If a league says we’re going to mask up, that’s going to be a league policy that will be easier to enforce.”
One crucial aspect of the alternative model passed on Friday was that the winter sports season was left untouched.
“Preserving any activity is important,” Faflick said. “We’re trying to preserve the fall for those that can with all the risk mitigation protocol. Right now, we’re still planning all those championships.”
Faflick said the association is not averse to adjusting the winter season calendar should the need arise.
“We can still have a truncated winter season,” Faflick said. “But it’s the front half we’d lose, not the back half. That’s what hurt so much with basketball last year. We lost the last two days. Being able to have those championships in place is important to us.”
The executive director again emphasized the association’s belief that universal masking and other health and hygiene strategies are critical to the preservation of activities.
“The message has been we need to all do our part,” Faflick said. “It starts with me taking care of myself. Washing my hands, covering my face, staying out of large crowds. Universal masking is so important. The great thing the association did was we launched a pledge that athletes are pledging to follow the guidelines in place so they can have a season.
“The schools that did things right over the course of the summer have provided an opportunity for us to be here today. Our schools have done things the right way. Our schools know there is a lot of responsibility that is theirs. As they adhere to guidelines, they give themselves a chance to play deep into the season and be back in school.”
KSHSAA will continue to coordinate with the Kansas State Department of Education, the governor’s office, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and others to continuously gauge the viability of sports taking place.
“The single biggest factor we look at is the status of school and the opportunity for teaching and learning to take place,” Faflick said. “We want to look at the rate, impact and disease burden as it occurs in the age group of our student-athletes as well as their communities. The gating criteria that has been developed is very good because it is unique that respective community.
“If we have the success that Iowa summer baseball and softball had with 97% of their schools that started in their championships, that’s a pretty good record. I’d feel terrible for the 3% that don’t get to end in the postseason. But that’s better than not having any opportunity.”
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KSHSAA passes alternative model for fall sports to occur in spring if schools opt out - Parsons Sun
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