Sports are back in the West Ada School District. But don’t count on watching them yet.
It’s time to play ball again in the West Ada School District.
The West Ada school board unanimously cleared its high school sports programs to start playing games immediately Tuesday night. But it comes with one large catch — no fans, for now.
“We’re just trying to get this started,” West Ada District Athletic Director Jason Warr said during Tuesday’s board meeting. “Our goal is to get our kids out playing. We feel that this is like everything else we’ve dealt with in the last six months. We make a plan and then we have to adjust.”
West Ada believes it can safely play without fans in the stands and will move ahead with its scheduled contests.
The state’s largest school district still remains in the red category of community spread of the coronavirus, the highest in Idaho’s back-to-school guidelines. Central District Health does not recommend any games between schools while in the red category, and a health district spokesperson reiterated that stance to the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday.
“Our guidance is that this type of activity is strongly discouraged and is not something that CDH would give a blessing to while in the red category,” Brandon Atkins said.
FALL SPORTS CAN START GAMES
The unanimous approval allows football, soccer, volleyball and cross country teams to suit up for competition at West Ada’s five high schools (Centennial, Eagle, Meridian, Mountain View and Rocky Mountain).
Several varsity soccer and volleyball teams have games scheduled Wednesday and Thursday. And Friday night will see the return of varsity football as Centennial hosts Meridian, Eagle hosts Kuna and Mountain View hosts Rocky Mountain, one of the largest rivalries in the Treasure Valley.
They will be the first athletic contests in the West Ada School District since the coronavirus shut down all sports and schools in March.
“I’m elated,” Mountain View football coach Judd Benedick said. “A lot of work has gone into this, and there have been a lot of letdowns and disappointments.
“It’s hard to share that kind of news with kids week after week. It’s hard to tell them each time, ‘Keep working and be ready.’ All that said, I’m ecstatic and excited for the boys to get a chance to play and put all that hard work into practice.”
NO FANS IN RED, LIMITED IN GREEN AND YELLOW
Games will have a decidedly different feel with empty stands. West Ada will follow in the footsteps of Kuna in barring fans from attending games until Central District Health drops it into the yellow category of community spread.
The local health district hinted several times last week that could be coming soon as Ada County’s daily case numbers decline. Ada County averaged 60.4 confirmed cases per day in the past week as of Tuesday, down from 84 a week ago and 106.1 two weeks ago.
But Central District Health wasn’t ready to downgrade West Ada or any public schools Monday, citing outbreaks that have become indistinguishable from one another and multiple cases in communal settings.
West Ada will continue to limit fans even as it progresses down the three-colored scale. Warr told the Idaho Statesman schools would only allow parents into the stands once West Ada reaches the yellow category. Even in green, schools will limit stadiums and gyms to 28% capacity to allow for social distancing.
Warr sympathized with parents who want to see their children play. He told the school board he has a senior and freshman playing sports in the district this fall. But if staying home is the sacrifice it takes to let them play, he said he’s willing to make it.
“We feel that parents, players and people that are part of the program will do what’s necessary,” Warr told the school board. “The end result is the emotional, mental and social well-being of these kids is strengthened by being in extracurricular activities.”
Fans can watch games for a fee online through NFHSNetwork.com. West Ada installed robotic cameras in all of its football/soccer stadiums and gyms last summer, awarding the NFHS Network the exclusive rights to broadcast its games online. Plans range from $10.99 per month to $69.99 per year.
Once fans are allowed, West Ada will ask all of its parents to sign a pledge to maintain their distance from others and to wear masks from the moment they enter to the second they leave a stadium or gym. The district notes attending games is a privilege.
Barring fans also allows West Ada to temporarily avoid the headaches other Idaho high schools have experienced early this fall. Photos on social media show packed student sections ignoring social distancing guidelines and adults flouting mask requirements.
UNEVEN RESPONSE IN THE 5A SIC
The Southern Idaho Conference has served as a prime example of Idaho’s wide-ranging responses to the coronavirus.
West Ada’s five high schools and Kuna are now the only members of the 5A SIC cleared to play games. Boise’s four high schools and Nampa’s lone 5A member (Skyview) remain sidelined as their districts take a more cautious approach.
Tuesday’s decision also leaves West Ada in the position of playing games when its district won’t let students return to classrooms. West Ada will follow Central District Health’s recommendations and move its first week of classes online starting Sept. 8. It has not committed to any plans past Sept. 11.
Some board members expressed concerns at last week’s meeting about resuming sports before in-person classes. But none spoke up with similar worries Tuesday as the board unanimously gave sports the green light to play games.
Kuna’s football team played last Friday, but it also resumed in-person classes Monday with an alternating schedule.
Warr acknowledged playing games would put West Ada out of line with Central District Health’s guidance. But he said the district has used a host of strategies all summer to keep its players safe — strategies it will continue to use.
“We can minimize (the risk),” Warr said. “That’s our goal. Right now, we have to figure out a way to coexist with what we have, and this is our option.”
WEST ADA ADJUSTS PLANS FOR PRESCHOOL, KINDERGARTEN
The school board also amended its back-to-school plan for its youngest students Tuesday. It will now allow preschoolers and kindergarteners to return to the classroom everyday once it returns to the yellow category of community spread.
West Ada’s current plan is to use an alternating schedule in the yellow category for the rest of its grades. Students would go to campus twice a week and learn online three times a week.
The board also gave Superintendent Mary Ann Rannels the power to add more grades to an everyday schedule as she sees fit.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 7:32 PM.
