The district remains committed to doing everything possible to provide indoor athletics for our students this Winter, however, we need support from the community if athletics are going to continue. Below are brief updates regarding athletics in FRSD, addressing both EHS (district-funded athletics) as well as youth athletics that use our facilities (TSP)
EHS ATHLETICS: After a 5 day pause, our boys and girls basketball teams are back practicing and competing. Wrestling continues as well. Many districts throughout Oregon have either paused, halted all together, stopped allowing spectators, or limited spectators. At this point, all we are asking in Fern Ridge, is that folks attending our games are 100% compliant with the masking requirement, that we social distance, and do not eat in the stands. If we can continue to do that, we will stay the course. If fans are not in compliance with this we will make announcements at the game. I will not be asking staff that are supervising to go into the stands and confront individuals who are not in compliance. If it is reported that we have fans not wearing masks, we will simply need to move to limiting the number of fans attending, not allow fans in our gyms, or halt athletics altogether.
TSP ATHLETICS: We continue to be committed to allowing TSP to utilize our gyms and provide important opportunities for activity to our students. However, following masking protocols must improve in our gyms on the weekends. In Eugene 4J, Kidsports/YMCA youth athletics are not allowed in any gyms yet this year. In Springfield, spectators are limited. We are doing everything we can to continue to offer this in FRSD, however absent significant improvement in regards to wearing masks in our gyms, we will pause TSP games after this weekend.
Following these protocols helps ensure we can maintain in-person instruction. Each day this week we have had between 10 and 20 staff out who need to be home with their students who have tested positive or were close contacts, were close contacts themselves (and have not been boosted—which is the new requirement), or have tested positive. Having gyms full of our students and parents un-masked, whether at EHS athletic events, or on a Saturday/Sunday with youth sports, impacts our staff greatly, and increases the likelihood we may need to pause in-person instruction, like numerous schools and districts across the state have already done. Please help us keep our schools open.
Finally, a big thank-you to all the parents and community members that ARE following all of our safety protocols each and every time they visit a campus!
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