Update on Athletics January 31, 2021

Dear Families:

Our Board of Education will hold a special meeting tomorrow afternoon, Monday February 1, 2021 at 1:30 PM to consider a resolution authorizing participation in athletics including high risk sports of basketball, wrestling, ice hockey, volleyball, football and lacrosse. NYS has previously authorized softball and baseball to be played in accordance with safety regulations. The school board meeting will take place via Google Meets (https://meet.google.com/uby-ptkd-nrk) and the link for the meeting will be made available on the Board Agenda webpage tomorrow.

Mr. Kelly was kind enough to put together this video overview for parents and student athletes - click here. Here is a link to the Google Slides presentation - click here. 

Parents and student athletes can review our safety plan - click here.

Parents and student athletes be sure to return the parent permission slip to your coach - click here

Additional information for our student athletes and parents is included below:

Dear Student Athletes and Parents:

We are excited to announce that New York State has authorized local health departments to allow a safe return to athletics including high risk sports such as basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and lacrosse. The district has worked with Onondaga County Health Department, our school physician, Section III, and our league to make sure that there are additional precautions in place to keep student athletes, coaches, officials, and other game participants safe.

Parents will need to review the enclosed guidelines and return the enclosed sign off form in order for student athletes to participate - click here.

Our school physician has authorized the school to move forward with high risk sports so long as student athletes follow the safety precautions outlined and participate in the COVID testing protocols recommended by the Onondaga County Health Department. Testing will take place using a nasal pharagenyl swab. Additional information will be forthcoming regarding COVID testing. In the event of a positive case on one of our athletic teams, all athletes and coaches will be subject to a mandatory quarantine and all team activities will be paused.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate spectators for any indoor athletic events due to required spacing for bench players, scorekeepers, and clock operators. NYS guidelines require six feet of space between individuals who are not on the court/field, which is why we are not able to accommodate fans for indoor events. We hope to provide a live video feed on our district Facebook page for Varsity competitions. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either Mr. Kelly or the Superintendent. 

Key Contacts:

Plan Administrator: Mr. Jeremiah Kelly, Athletic Coordinator - jkelly@lafayetteschools.org or 315-677-3131. Mr. Kelly is responsible for communicating the plan to stakeholders.

Plan Coordinator: Mr. Jeremy Belfield, Superintendent of Schools - jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org or 315-677-9728 (office) or 315-529-9550 (cell). Mr. Belfield will be responsible for facilitating contact tracing with the county and any close contacts. 

We are excited to have our student athletes return to competition!

Sincerely,

Jeremy Belfield

Superintendent of Schools