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A Lancaster County school board approves safety plan to resume fall sports on June 29

Fall sports will return to the Elizabethtown Area School District with added safety precautions and limited attendance at events.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Fall sports at Elizabethtown Area School District (EASD) are putting points on the board. The school board approved the district’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan to resume athletics on June 29, when Lancaster County is expected to enter the green phase of reopening.

“I’m very happy that we’ve reached out to other school districts, the PIAA, PA Department of Education (PDE) and places like that to get guidance on this,” said Board President Terry Seiders.

The plan only applies to fall sports. Decisions have not been made regarding winter sports.

Athletes, coaches and staff must undergo COVID-19 health screenings—such as temperature checks and questionnaires—before every event, practice and team meeting. Athletes and parents will also be required to complete a pre-workout screening before every team activity.

No sports except volleyball will be permitted to use any indoor facility. All coaches must wear face coverings during team activities and coaching staff will be responsible for additional cleaning of equipment. Tryouts will have the same restrictions as practices.

EASD’s Althletic Health and Safety Plan also mandates intensified disinfecting and ventilation of all facilities. If someone gets sick while participating in athletics, immediate steps must be taken to isolate that person and make arrangements for medical evaluation or care.

RELATED: Guidelines are a foundation for PIAA moving forward

The stands will remain fairly empty—at least, for now. Even though Governor Tom Wolf’s reopening plan allows gatherings of up to 250 people in green counties, no spectators are allowed at games until the state lifts restrictions on mass gatherings, according to the safety plan.

At this point EASD does not have any fall sporting events scheduled with spectators until mid-August. If the PIAA, the Governor's Office and PDE permit spectators at those events, EASD will work within those guidelines to maintain the safety of students while allowing spectators, athletic director William Templin said. 

School board members are hoping to implement a plan that would give parents priority seating at popular sporting events.

“Those are some of the things we’re not sure about,” added Seiders. “I don’t know that the PIAA or the state has any guidance on that. I would expect that we would see some around July 28 as we get a little closer to where scrimmages and things like that would take place. I would like to give preference to parents to be able to see their children play.”

RELATED: PIAA reacts to reopening guidelines for high school sports

The return of fall sports is a symbol of endurance. For many families, it may be the inspiration they need to persevere through this time of uncertainty.

“It just gives us that hope that we all need that we’re going to get back to some sort of normalcy,” Seiders said. “And how we’re going to be in the fall when we open up and bring our students back in school.”

Here is a link to read EASD’s Athletic Health and Safety Plan for fall sports.

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