Baltimore City Public Schools Provides Athletics Update

Press release from (the) Baltimore City Public Schools:

March 3, 2021

Thank you for your patience as we have continued to explore ways to offer in-person athletic opportunities to our scholar-athletes in the safest environment possible. City Schools understands that the relationships that student-athletes have with their coaches and teammates are often central to their social and emotional well-being and academic success.

The district will resume in-person athletics starting with spring sports on March 8, following the schedule outlined below.

Scheduling

• The five-phase plan will begin on March 8 with voluntary small group conditioning.
• Try-outs and practices will be from March 14 through April 3.
• Competition season will be starting on April 5 through May 22 in keeping with the schedule set by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA).
• During competition season for spring sports, City Schools will also offer conditioning and end-of-year opportunities for non-spring athletes. This offering will provide student-athletes a chance to engage in physical activity and interact with peers and teammates.

Requirements

• All students in grades 9 -12 will be academically eligible to participate in practice and athletic competition, as long as they are making satisfactory progress towards graduation.
• We will require students participating in spring athletics to demonstrate strong attendance in all classes throughout the spring season. All spring student-athletes who are failing one or more courses will be required to work with an academic advisor. 
• Students must complete all participation requirements, including a valid physical.

The timeline was informed by school athletic directors' feedback and will allow time for training, registration completion, and document verification. All in-person groups will meet state and local guidelines.

The district has been eager to see our student-athletes return to play. However, our priority has always been to protect their health and safety. Canceling the fall and winter season has been a difficult decision, and we know the wait has been hard, but we are looking forward to the spring season and additional opportunities to engage all athletes.

Thank you for your patience as we have continued to explore ways to offer in-person athletic opportunities to our scholar-athletes in the safest environment possible. City Schools understands that the relationships that student-athletes have with their coaches and teammates are often central to their social and emotional well-being and academic success.

The district will resume in-person athletics starting with spring sports on March 8, following the schedule outlined below.

Scheduling

• The five-phase plan will begin on March 8 with voluntary small group conditioning.
• Try-outs and practices will be from March 14 through April 3.
• Competition season will be starting on April 5 through May 22 in keeping with the schedule set by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA).
• During competition season for spring sports, City Schools will also offer conditioning and end-of-year opportunities for non-spring athletes. This offering will provide student-athletes a chance to engage in physical activity and interact with peers and teammates.

Requirements

• All students in grades 9 -12 will be academically eligible to participate in practice and athletic competition, as long as they are making satisfactory progress towards graduation.
• We will require students participating in spring athletics to demonstrate strong attendance in all classes throughout the spring season. All spring student-athletes who are failing one or more courses will be required to work with an academic advisor. 
• Students must complete all participation requirements, including a valid physical.

The timeline was informed by school athletic directors' feedback and will allow time for training, registration completion, and document verification. All in-person groups will meet state and local guidelines.

The district has been eager to see our student-athletes return to play. However, our priority has always been to protect their health and safety. Canceling the fall and winter season has been a difficult decision, and we know the wait has been hard, but we are looking forward to the spring season and additional opportunities to engage all athletes.

Thank you for your patience as we have continued to explore ways to offer in-person athletic opportunities to our scholar-athletes in the safest environment possible. City Schools understands that the relationships that student-athletes have with their coaches and teammates are often central to their social and emotional well-being and academic success.

The district will resume in-person athletics starting with spring sports on March 8, following the schedule outlined below.

Scheduling

Requirements

The timeline was informed by school athletic directors' feedback and will allow time for training, registration completion, and document verification. All in-person groups will meet state and local guidelines.

The district has been eager to see our student-athletes return to play. However, our priority has always been to protect their health and safety. Canceling the fall and winter season has been a difficult decision, and we know the wait has been hard, but we are looking forward to the spring season and additional opportunities to engage all athletes.

This press release was produced by the Baltimore City Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.