Washington Township school board to revisit idea of fall sports
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Washington Township schools are revisiting the idea of having fall sports after the board voted in July to suspend sports indefinitely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Parents of North Central High School students say without sports, their students could miss out on opportunities for college and build up stress. They say that’s not something they want for their kids.
No matter what sport students were involved in at Washington Township schools, they were told they wouldn’t be practicing or competing after the board’s July 13 decision.
“The biggest challenge for Washington Township is that all of the other schools are, at this time, practicing and competing and this is hurting our township to not have sports,” parent Tracy Vatensval said.
That’s when parents and students at North Central began to let Washington Township Schools know that they weren’t happy with the decision.
“Because our kids are passionate about it,” Parent Mary Beth Baker said. “This is what they do.”
“We do not agree with the cancellation of fall sports seasons, musical programs and other programs that begin in the fall,” one student said in a video.
The school board is now set to revisit the discussion of fall sports Monday morning, and parents News 8 spoke with say they hope minds are changed.
“I’d just like them to think very carefully about the decisions to be made,” Vatensval said. “Not just because I want them to say ‘yes’ just because other schools are doing it. But because, I think it can be done safely.”
They say students did a great job staying safe during the first week of practice and they believe they can continue to stay safe.
“The risks, the stress and the mental health risks, are much higher for the athletes in my house than I feel like the risk for COVID at this point,” Baker said.
If the board decides that ultimately sports just aren’t worth it, parents say there could be even more disappointment than before after getting their hopes up.
“It’s going to be really tough,” Vatensval said. “It’s going to be tough for the children. It’s going to be tough for the families. Again, all of this is uncharted territory. I just don’t know exactly what to say to my student or some of the other students as I’ve heard some of the stories. Some of these kids it’s really impacting them mentally and that’s the part that’s really hard to hear.”
The board meeting is going to be held virtually at 8 a.m. Monday and comes as two school districts in central Indiana have reported football players who tested positive for coronavirus.
- Warren Central HS football player tests positive for COVID-19
- New Palestine HS football player tests positive for COVID-19; school to begin Monday
- Greenfield-Central student tests positive for COVID-19 on 1st day of school
- Elwood school will use e-learning after staff members test positive for COVID-19