Baldwin-Whitehall School District's COVID-19 Health And Safety Plan For Athletics

Press release from the Baldwin-Whitehall School District:

June 26, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented athletics and extra-curriculars, such as marching band, with a myriad of challenges. We are excited to welcome back our students, student-athletes, sponsors, coaches, and professional staff as we begin our on-site summer recreation and conditioning programs. Our athletic training and professional office staff have been working diligently to prepare for the reopening of our facilities and programs. Our main focus is on the safety of our students, student-athletes, sponsors, coaches, athletic trainers and professional staff. The Baldwin-Whitehall School District has coordinated a cleaning and disinfecting program throughout the Baldwin-Whitehall School District. We feel that the given safety program, along with the personal hygiene recommendations that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has established since March, offers the best opportunity for a successful summer athletic/activities program.

There have been a number of national organizations that have put together safety protocols for "returning to play". Baldwin-Whitehall has looked at all of the plans in depth and adopted a hybrid safety plan that incorporates a number of important components from each plan on the best way to "return to play" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We have adopted important safety plans from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Federation of High School Association (NFHS), and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).

The Baldwin-Whitehall School District believes it is essential to the physical, mental and emotional well-being of high school students to return to physical activity and athletic competition. As you know, the COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus and is impossible to eliminate all risks, but the Baldwin-Whitehall School District has taken numerous steps to minimize those risks.

All summer conditioning/practices are voluntary. We realize that you and your child might not be quite ready to "return to play" at this time. We understand and respect that decision. Any student and/or student-athlete that decides to opt out of summer conditioning/practice will not be penalized for that decision. In fact, our sponsors and/or coaching staff are hard at work putting together their summer workouts online and/or in written form so your student and/or student-athlete will be able to simulate the same workouts at home until the first official practice date.

This pandemic has taken all of us out of our comfort zone and normal routine. We are thrilled to be able to offer summer conditioning/practices for your student and/or student-athlete. We hope he/she is just as excited to see our sponsors, coaching staff, professional staff, and most important, their classmates. If you have any questions, please contact me anytime. You can reach me at jsaras@bwschools.net, or call the Baldwin High School Athletic Office at 412-885-7515. We look forward to working with your child this summer.

Sincerely,

John M. Saras

Access our full plan below.

COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan for Athletics/Activities

This press release was produced by the Baldwin-Whitehall School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.