Gulfport athletes won’t play games against Jackson Co. because of COVID-19 concerns
Gulfport School District will forfeit all its games this fall with Jackson County Schools for health and safety reasons, Gulfport Superintendent Glen East said this week.
On Friday JCSD Superintendent John Strycker said he received an email from East Tuesday and on Thursday Gulfport forfeited a volleyball game with East Central, one of three schools in Jackson County District along with Vancleave and St. Martin.
Both Gulfport and Vancleave are scheduled to compete in a volleyball tournament this weekend, Strycker said, and a Gulfport-St. Martin football game is on the schedule for Sept. 25.
“It is our understanding that the Gulfport School District leaders do not feel that our COVID-19 protocol is consistent with their school district, and therefore, do not want their athletes to compete against ours,” Strycker said Friday.
East told the Sun Herald Friday that his district is only doing what it thinks is best to protect its students and families.
“We don’t feel comfortable playing school districts that have more of a minimum standard than the standard set in our classrooms and in the athletic field,” East said. “The reason Gulfport has these guidelines is to protect our students and our families. My biggest fear is that they take it home to a grandmother or an aunt.”
Strycker said he also talked with East about the situation.
“I respect Gulfport’s decision as we are all acting in the best interest of our students, staff, athletes, and school communities,” Strycker said.
Jackson County School District Board President Troy Frisbie said the district follows all the local, federal and state mandates.
Each school district has different COVID-19 protocols that were submitted to the state for approval.
Jackson County wouldn’t be allowed to compete if it didn’t meet the state and league requirements, Strycker said
Jackson County School officials have contacted the Mississippi High School Athletic Association for clarification and ask permission to schedule other teams in place of Gulfport so the athletes can compete as much as possible.
“These are unprecedented times with no exact playbook to follow,” Strycker said. “We are all doing our best and care deeply for our students, staff, and communities’ safety. We just want to move forward and let our students compete.”
Sun Herald sports reporter Patrick Magee contributed to this article.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 3:03 PM.
