Bristol Township Schools Cancel Fall Sports

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA — The Bristol Township School District will not participate in fall sports due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The district's school board voted Tuesday evening not to approve the Suburban One League fall sports schedule. In a letter to the school community, Superintendent Melanie Gehrens said officials hope an opportunity for fall sports athletes to compete later in the year happens.

"Weighing the importance of the physical and mental well-being of our student athletes against the health and safety of the Bristol Township community at large is a challenging task," Gehrens said. "While BTSD wishes circumstances were different and COVID-19 cases were more stable, they are not."

Until further notice, athletics, band and cheerleading is suspended, Gehrens said. The athletic department will work with coaches and directors on a plan to continue voluntary off-season workouts after the start of the school year.

In the letter, Gehrens said "returning students to a safe, in-person learning environment" is the district's top priority.

"A major part of that responsibility involves mitigating the spread of COVID-19," she wrote. "Congregate settings where people are in close contact with one another, such as in athletic competition, will facilitate the spread of the virus, and could hinder or delay our efforts to open our schools for in-person learning."