Hempstead Town Councilman To Schools: Let Students Play Sports

SEAFORD, NY — A Town of Hempstead councilman is urging Nassau County school officials to "reconsider and reverse" their decision to postpone the 2020 fall sports season.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week that low-risk sports such as tennis, soccer, cross-country, field hockey and swimming were allowed to resume practicing and playing games in all regions beginning Sept. 21. School sports must abide by guidance set forth by the state Department of Health, and no travel practice or play would be allowed outside the school's region until at least Oct. 19.

But the Section VIII committee of the Nassau County superintendents voted unanimously to postpone the season anyway, a decision that Cuomo said Thursday was up to local school districts. Nassau officials hope to play all sports next year, condensing the fall, winter and spring sports seasons from January to June.

In a letter obtained by Patch, Town of Hempstead Councilman Chris Carini said he was disappointed the panel voted 7-0 to postpone high school sports until 2021. The move could affect children's mental health, college scholarships and future, success, he said, and Carini urged members to rethink the decision.

"This summer, locally, without any incidents low-risk youth sports were safely played in our parks and ball fields," Carini said. "Parents, coaches and players all safely and smartly worked together to provide for a much-needed outlet for our youth."

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association, which oversees sports in the state, voted in July to delay the start of the season until Sept. 21. The association planned to condense all three seasons into the back half of the school year as well, which is what will now be implemented in Nassau County.

The condensed seasons would be:

• Winter sports, Jan. 4 - March 13: Girls and boys basketball, girls and boys bowling, gymnastics, girls and boys ice hockey, girls and boys indoor track and field, girls and boys swimming, boys swimming, and possibly wrestling and competitive cheer leading.
• Fall sports, March 1 - May 8: Football, girls and boys cross country, field hockey, girls and boys soccer, girls swimming, girls and boys volleyball and unified bowling.
• Spring sports, April 5 - June 12: baseball, softball, girls and boys golf, girls and boys lacrosse, girls and boys tennis, girls and boys outdoor track and field, and unified basketball.

The condensed season depends on whether the coronavirus is under control and schools return to normal by January.

The federal Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said youth sports groups can take certain actions to lower the risk of a coronavirus outbreak.

"The more people a child or coach interacts with, the closer the physical interaction, the more sharing of equipment there is by multiple players, and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread," the agency said on its website. "Therefore, risk of COVID-19 spread can be different, depending on the type of activity."

• Lowest risk: Performing skill-building drills or conditioning at home, alone or with family members.
• Increasing risk: Team-based practice.
• More risk: Within-team competition.
• Even more risk: Full competition between teams from the same local geographic area.
• Highest risk: Full competition between teams from different geographic areas.

The CDC said sharing of sports equipment — such as balls, bats, gloves, mats and protective gear — and physical closeness can can affect the rate of spread, since the virus is transmissible by air and touch.

"Sports that require frequent closeness between players may make it more difficult to maintain social distancing, compared to sports where players are not close to each other," the CDC said. "For close-contact sports (e.g., wrestling, basketball), play may be modified to safely increase distance between players."