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WATCH: Columbus City Schools Temporarily Suspends In-Person Extracurricular Activities and Sports
August 19, 2020 -- With an effort to keep students safe during the coronavirus pandemic Columbus City Schools have decided to temporarily suspend in-person extracurricular activities and sports.
“We have not canceled fall sports,” said Vincent Clarno, Director of Student Activities. “We have suspended fall sports with the pure thought and energy that as things do improve we will begin to reflect on our plan that we used for July.”
This decision made by the district comes after Columbus Public Health continues to see a rise in positive COVID-19 cases within the city.
“We are looking to hopefully one day be able to say the virus and the number of cases are decreasing, the number of positive cases are decreasing and it is safe for our students to have this experience, but right now it is not,” said Superintendent, Dr. Talisa Dixon.
Following the guidance and advice of health officials, Columbus Public Health says they would like to see a consecutive four-week decline in positive COVID-19 cases until in-person extracurricular activities can resume.
“As things improve and we get to a point where we believe we can safely bring the athletes back into the fold, we will follow all of the recommendations to get students back and prepared to participate,” Clarno said.
On Tuesday, August 18, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced an order, which takes effect Friday, that provides guidance on organized sports.
According to the Governor’s order, high school sports can resume this fall, with the option to delay some sports until the spring if schools wish.
In response to the Governor’s announcement Columbus City Schools has released a statement.
“Our priority is the health and safety of our students, their families, our staff, and the Columbus community. The District will review the Governor’s new guidance as it relates to interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities. Columbus City Schools has suspended all in-person sports and extracurricular activities based on local guidance from Columbus Public Health officials and the Ohio Public Health Advisory Alert System which shows Franklin County at the 'red' level. We will continue to evaluate and monitor our decisions on how best to serve students as we begin the school year in a completely virtual environment.”
To stay up to date on any reopening decisions related to the district visit our Reopening hub.