MEMO TO: Superintendents, Principals, Athletic Directors, and Coaches FROM: Steve Savarese, Executive Director AHSAA DATE: May 14, 2020 REF: Update based on current data As always, I hope this weekly update finds you all safe and well, and please know we greatly appreciate all you do for our student-athletes and member schools. Your influential leadership and support during these challenging times are extremely appreciated. The entire AHSAA staff is working normal hours and is here to serve you at any time. As we await final directives from the ALSDE and ADPH regarding when schools can return to campuses, the AHSAA continues to meet with contingency planning committees for summer activities, fall sports, and football to evaluate schools’ needs and to seek input from our coaches and administrators on best practices for when students return. Each committee met via teleconference on Tues/Wed to receive updates from the AHSAA Medical Advisory Board members Dr. James Robinson and Dr. Jeff Dugas, along with ALSDE State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey, and Assistant State Superintendent Mr. Terry Roller. We truly appreciate the AHSAA Medical Advisory Board and ALSDE for their guidance during this ever-changing unprecedent health crisis. Dr. Mackey announced exciting news. The ALSDE is hopeful schools will reopen campuses on June 8 and start the 2020-21 school year as planned. With input from the committees, the ALSDE is creating broad-based health guidelines in relation to summer activities for when schools reopen. Each school’s number of groups, individual group size limitations (currently set for 10 per group) as well as health and safety guidelines for when schools reopen will be released from the ALSDE on or before May 22, 2020. Also, the ALSDE is working with five other states to create a “road map” for best practices to start the school year in August. These “best-practices” should be released on or around June 19th. We are very appreciative that the ALSDE is including members of the AHSAA staff for input regarding athletics. After receiving suggestions and questions from the committees regarding summer workouts, practices, skill development and evaluations, along with discussions with the AHSAA Central Board of Control, the following guidelines were recommended: • In accordance with AHSAA bylaws, mandatory summer practices are prohibited, but weightlifting, conditioning, individual skill development, and workouts are under the jurisdiction of local schools. However, schools must comply with all ALSDE and ADPH guidelines including, but not limited to, the number of students within non-interchangeable groups and the overall number of groups. Nonetheless, local schools may use a process to determine the student-athletes who make up the individual groups. • Modified evaluations for fall, winter, and spring sports were presented. (See attached Addendum). Other topics of discussions: • The AHSAA Medical Advisory Board, along with the ALSDE, is creating basic health guidelines for the schools to follow once campuses reopen. The minimum guidelines will focus on physical distancing, group activities based on square footage, respiratory coverings (face coverings), sanitizing equipment, hand washing, etc. The guidelines will be recommendations and left up to local schools to implement and regulate. Expected release date is after May 22. • Schools should prepare alternatives for conducting physicals for the upcoming school year. Mass physicals on same day at one location appear very unlikely. The Medical Advisory Board recommends students get a physical from their primary care provider prior to the first practice date. • The Central Board has cancelled all summer competition. As always, schools may hold camps with their students and feeder school students. • Schools should prepare to provide accommodations for those students who are at risk or whose parents feel it is not yet safe to return to school. • The AHSAA will reconvene with all contingency planning committees and provide an update after the latest guidelines are released by the Governor and the ADPH on May 22, 2020. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any AHSAA staff member. We pray you all remain safe and well and are hopeful you are also practicing the safety guidelines of the ADPH. As we return to our schools, we are counting on each of you to be a role model for our student-athletes regarding ADPH guidelines. ADDENDUM • • • Modified Evaluation Guidelines Based on the new bylaw passed by the membership, fall sports can start practice one week earlier if they did not conduct a spring evaluation and may use this week as a tryout period. For this year only, winter sports may hold an evaluation period during the first two weeks of school (five days within a five-day consecutive period) or start practice one week earlier, but not both. o In addition, under AHSAA bylaws, winter sports are allowed to hold a regular evaluation period (five days out of a ten-day consecutive period) during the second semester. For this year only, spring sports may hold a regular evaluation period (five days out of a tenday consecutive period) any time after the first two weeks of school during the first semester or begin practice one week earlier in January, but not both. o In addition, for this year only, if spring sports chose to conduct a regular evaluation period in the fall (5 out of 10 days) or start practice one week earlier, they may hold an additional 5 day evaluation period within 5 consecutive days in the spring after the completion of their season.