Practice will go on after Jackson Co. athletes test positive for COVID-19 at 2 schools
Two athletes in the Jackson County School District have tested positive for COVID-19 this summer, but that hasn’t slowed down preparations for competition during the 2020-21 school year.
Superintendent John Strycker told the Sun Herald on Thursday that athletes at St. Martin and East Central have tested positive for coronavirus this summer.
“There’s a procedure we have for that and it’s taken seriously,” Strycker said. “We make sure everyone is informed of the situation, but we do not discontinue practice.”
The school district follows the same policy for an athlete that it does for a band member when they begin to show coronavirus symptoms.
▪ The student will be sent home for 72 hours with the expectation that he/she will be tested for COVID-19.
▪ Practice will continue for other students.
▪ The student may return to practices with a negative COVID-19 test result.
▪ If the test is positive, the student will follow directives given by his/her medical care provider, to include quarantining for 2 weeks.
▪ School officials will notify all parents of students who were in close contact for more than 15 minutes with a student or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19.
In June, Pass Christian High School paused its football practices after a coach tested positive for coronavirus.
On the college level, programs like Kansas, Maryland, Miami and Houston have suspended voluntary workouts after having anywhere from three to 12 athletes test positive for COVID-19.
The Jackson County School District hasn’t yet dealt with COVID-19 numbers to that level among its athletes, Strycker said.
As for what it would take to shut down practice and workouts in the Jackson County School District, Strycker said that would be determined when all information is taken into account.
“It would be handled case by case,” he said. “Is it a contact sport? In cross country, they’re spread out. It would be subjective and case by case.
“It’s real. We care about these kids and we’re not going to do anything to put them in jeopardy. We wouldn’t hesitate to shut down practice if we thought that was the case.”
Strycker, who is a former basketball coach, said masks are not required for coaches or athletes, but the teams do their best to practice social distancing.
“Yes, we’ll practice social distancing when practical,” he said. “I want to be authentic with people. We’re not doing social distancing for perception reasons. Football, it’s a contact sport once the ball is kicked in the air. We’re not going to have players 6 feet apart on the sideline. When it’s practical, you bet we’ll be socially distanced.”
The Mississippi High School Activities Association announced this week that it was delaying the start of the football season two weeks until Sept. 4.
