close

Peters Township School Board updates Extracurricular Health and Safety Plan

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read
article image -

Peters Township School Board voted unanimously Monday to approve revisions to the district’s Extracurricular Health and Safety Plan.

The updated version removes a prohibition against spectators attending sporting events and calls for district staff members to set limits on how many people can gather.

Requirements for spectators to maintain appropriate social distancing and “wear masks at all times” continue to be part of the plan, which is intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The board’s action followed the high school varsity football team hosting a Sept. 18 game, in which Peters Township defeated Penn-Trafford, 24-21. Among those in attendance was the Rev. Jamison Hardy, a school board member.

“The absolute vast majority of the people at that football game on Friday night did a phenomenal job of respecting the fact that we ask them to wear masks. They should be commended and thanked,” he said Monday.

“To those who didn’t please understand: You are absolutely putting in jeopardy everybody else being able to watch their children play the sport, cheerleading, playing in the band.”

Board member Lisa Anderson noted professional and college football teams are playing without fans in the stands.

“And yet the district administration takes on more responsibility to handle all of this, to be able to do it in a safe manner,” she said about the decision to permit spectators. “And then you have a small handful who are disrespectful about that.”

On Monday, Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed legislation “that would have allowed school districts to set their own congregate gathering limitations,” board solicitor Jocelyn Kramer said. Wolf also has appealed a court decision that finds the congregate gathering limitations he has imposed to be unconstitutional.

“While we await that decision, we want to make sure that the school district has the flexibility to impose any health and safety protocols that it deems necessary,” Kramer told the board.

She said decisions with regard to events will be “very individualized, based on your own facilities.”

“The superintendent will be making those recommendations from event to event, working with the pandemic safety team, health services team and the athletic director,” she said.

That policy would change the district eventually be required to follow limitations imposed at the state level.

“In the event we do not have to follow a mandate from the governor’s office or the Department of Education, the superintendent will be able to continue to recommend any limitations that are relevant and necessary for each individual event, based on the space available and the actual event participants,” Kramer said.

“What we want to make sure is that whenever we are setting our own limits, we are taking each individual event into consideration, the specifics of that day or that week,” she continued. “We could have had positive cases.”

The intent of the Extracurricular Health and Safety Plan is to cover “activities that occur in the fall season. Future school board action will be necessary to authorize extracurricular activities that occur in the winter and spring.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $/week.

Subscribe Today