Alabama State Superintendent: School athletics could return in July
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WBMA) — As some schools continue to plan their modified graduations due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Eric Mackey says the focus now is what the fall will look like in Alabama schools. He says leaders are working on a plan and hope to be as close to a normal situation as possible, but there is a very good chance that normal will look different this year, and more guidance on the upcoming school year should be coming towards the end of June.
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As we approach the summer, this is the time for many schools to have practices and workouts for the upcoming fall season. Mackey says they intend to have athletic events, extra and co-curricular activities this fall and going forward. He has been meeting with coaches and will continue to do so to make workouts and practices as safe as possible.
Mackey says probably around June 8, some form of summer workouts could begin with measures like a cap on the number of athletes, social distancing and even masks. In July, if numbers continue to improve and public health officials feel well about the situation, they could allow more students to participate and even allow younger children on campus.
"All that is kind of a wait and see," Dr. Mackey says. "We are making plans moving forward, but we certainly can't finalize those plans, and that is one of the frustrations I know everyone has is that you can make plans, but then those plans might be quickly disrupted because we are still learning a lot about COVID-19 and how it interacts with people in the community. People have been very patient and working together with us, and we feel good about moving forward."
For Pleasant Grove Head Football Coach, Darrell LeBeaux, he says they are excited for the possibility of getting back to work soon. He says a few weeks ago, they didn't know if they would even have a season this year, but now, the days are much brighter. He and his staff are getting a gameplan together to ensure the safety of the players.
"It is just like that first game of the year," LeBeaux said. "You wake up that morning, and you smell that wet grass and know that football is in the air. It gives you that feeling-that excitement like you haven't been out there doing anything in months and months, in which you haven't. It is exciting being back around kids and being able to do what we love, coach them up and teach them about life through the game of football."
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Parents like Judith Ross, whose son plays multiple sports, is excited to see things coming back, but for her, she is glad to see safety measures at the forefront.
"My concern for his safety would be the same if it wasn't for COVID-19," Ross said. "Football can be a very violent sport, and so you always want to ensure that your student athlete is safe. My safety for him has only heightened since the pandemic, but it did not deter from what was most important, and that is keeping all of our student athletes safe."
Mackey says more information in regards to sports should be coming down around Memorial Day, but they are glad to be in a position where they are planning to reopen as opposed to closing.
"Now that we are planning on the other end for reopening, there is a lot of work going, but I think there is a skip in peoples step if you will that they feel good about a chance of getting back to something more normal," Dr. Mackey said. "Teachers wanting students back in their classrooms, students wanting to get back in the classroom, so going forward, I think that is what we are going to see: cautious, but very positive movement towards normal."
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