Amid rising numbers of COVID-19 cases across the state, the Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors on Monday night rejected a plan to push back the start date for fall sports.
At the end of a nearly five-hour meeting, the board voted to maintain the current calendar for fall sports but offer flexibility to allow the local school districts or schools to start when they see fit.
That decision came after a task force produced a plan that would have pushed back the start date for fall sports, and the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee recommended changes to the fall calendar.
The board meeting Monday was viewed by nearly 4,000 people on YouTube or Zoom.
The decision flies in the face of states like California, which on Monday voted to move fall sports to at least December.
After voting down several proposals that could have changed the start date, the board approved by a 10-5 vote a proposal by Wewahitchka athletic director Bobby Johns, which had three parts:
• The current calendar will be maintained, which means the earliest start date is July 27. Each school or school district, however, can decide when it wants to start fall sports.
• Schools will have until a date to be determined to declare for the postseason.
• Schools that start late can opt out of the postseason and play regular-season games through the state series.
Johns, a former head football coach at Lake Region and a former board president, was the most vocal board member arguing that the FHSAA shouldn’t stop schools from playing fall sports in areas where officials felt it was safe.
FHSAA executive director George Tomyn kept reiterated several times that the current calendar allows the flexibility for each school or school district to do what's best for its area. There was a strong desire not to push fall sports into another sports season.
The move, however, goes against recommendations by the FHSAA's Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, which met last week and produced a report that had three recommendations.
The first recommendation was to postpone the start of volleyball and football, although cross country, golf, swimming and bowling could start on time with proper procedures in place.
The other two recommendations were to have the FHSAA produce a screening process for athletes and to have protocols in place should an athlete or coach test positive for COVID-19.
The board meeting began with SMAC chairwoman Dr. Jennifer Maynard of the Mayo Clinic reading the report to board members.
The recommendations were unanimously rejected as policy but approved for informational purposes.
The board then voted down the task force committee's recommendation to allow schools to choose staggered start dates. The FHSAA would then move schools into divisions based on when they started.
Board member Mark Schusterman was the most vocal in wanting to delay the start of fall sports.
"We ask kids to social distance in school but then put them out on a field and say, ’Go ahead and tackle each other,’" Schusterman said.
Schusterman then made a proposal to push back the start to Aug. 10 to give board members the chance to review the SMAC report. The board would the meet again and make a final decisionl. He eventually withdrew the motion.
Johns again was one of the vocal critics against the motion.
"We're putting that off for two more weeks," he said. "Then let's say we're on another three-hour board meeting. My concern is we're not moving things forward."
Hialeah Gardens athletic director Carlos Ochoa said his area might not be able to start football until November. He said that right now, schools in that area are unable to participate in any fall sports because bowling alleys are closed, they're not able to get into gyms or even condition. Yet Ochoa wasn't advocating for pushing back the start date statewide as much as he was seeking flexibility for his area to play when it’s able to play.
The discussion got pointed at times.
Newly elected board President Lauren Otero said that school superintendents were looking to the FHSAA for leadership.
"There has been a lack of leadership in terms of decision making from the FHSAA in what I have heard from individuals," she said. "I am asking for leadership from you and your staff. It has not been displayed. We serve on this board and have full-time jobs doing something else. Not to make the day-to-day operations of the FHSAA."
Tomyn said there’s a difference between leadership and decision-making and that just because people didn't like the decision, it didn't mean there hasn't been leadership.
Later in the meeting, Otero proposed adopting the second recommendation of the SMAC's report for a uniform COVID-19 questionnaire. Although FHSAA lawyer Leonard Ireland brought up liability issues if the FHSAA adopted the recommendation, Otero disagreed.
"This is the obligation of this organization to protect those that participate," she said. "There are state statutes that require physicals. It is the schools’ responsibility to maintain and collect that information."
Her motion was defeated 12-4.
The FHSAA board will meet either later this week or July 27 to review the SMAC report more in depth.
Roy Fuoco can be reached at roy.fuoco@theledger.com or at 863-802-7526. Follow him on Twitter: @Roy Fuoco.
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