The Northeastern Conference’s decision this week to postpone all fall sports until the newly established “Fall II” season in February was not expected to come without backlash, and now several communities are taking to the streets to voice their opinions.
Students and parents in the communities of Swampscott and Danvers are planning rallies for Friday to protest the decision by the NEC to delay all fall sports, saying that they were not given an opportunity to make their opinions heard and that the decisions made by the various administrations were made too hastily.
The rally in Swampscott is planned for 8:30 a.m. at Swampscott High School, while the Danvers rally will take place in downtown Danvers at the intersection of Maple St. and High St. at noon.
“We need a voice,” said Barry Greenfield, a parent of two Swampscott student-athletes. “The MIAA and the NEC didn’t take any opinions from players or parents and that’s just wrong. They need to let the parents decide if they feel safe enough to allow their kids to participate in sports, which they’ve already been doing all summer with minimal risk.”
The decision by the NEC to postpone fall sports was based on several factors, including:
– Five NEC school communities are in the “red” category and will not be able to participate in sports during the fall season. This is considerable in terms of non participation for the fall season, as the NEC is composed of 12 schools.
– Many of the NEC schools are starting the school year in Remote Learning. Several schools are starting with a phased in hybrid approach which will begin in Remote Learning. MIAA and DESE guidelines indicate that school committee approval is required for schools starting the year in Remote Learning for athletic participation.
– The focus at this time is opening schools as safely as possible. There will be time needed to ensure proper safeguards are in place as well as working through procedures for a safe return just for school. Time is needed to work out safety protocols for extracurricular activities.
– Connections for all students are critical, especially with the start of the school year during the most challenging of times and the loss of a spring sports season for many student-athletes.
– There will be opportunities for connections in the fall that are sport specific. These opportunities would need to follow EEA guidelines and it is the individual school’s responsibility to comply with this guidance.
School districts designated as ‘red’ based on the Department of Public Health‘s (DPH) metric of average daily cases per 100,000 residents — which at the time of the NEC’s decision included Lynn, Saugus, Salem and Revere — and which therefore have their high school students learning remotely at the start of the season, must postpone their entire season, including practices, until the floating season later in the year.
If a non-red district begins with remote learning, the district’s school committee will vote to determine when the school will play. Districts designated as yellow, green, or unshaded based on the DPH metric that nonetheless have their high school students learning remotely at the start of the season may similarly delay their season to the floating season if they vote to do so.
“The metrics that the MIAA and the DESE and the EEA are using to make their rulings are just miniscule and it’s crazy,” said Greenfield. “To be a “red” district, you have to have 8 (COVID-19) cases per 100,000 people, and to be a “yellow” district you have to have between 4-8 cases per 100,000 people. Those margins are so thin that the distinction is minimal.
“Kids have been playing sports all summer and they’re not in the at-risk group,” Greenfield said. “The parents are comfortable sending their kids back to school and sports, otherwise we wouldn’t be supporting this. The kids already missed their seasons in the spring, and we don’t want them to miss out on anything else.”
The rally in Danvers is expected to have student-athletes and parents from other NEC schools — including Danvers, Beverly and Masconomet — show up in support of the protest.
“We’ve been playing all summer and we’ve been following all of the guidelines with no issues,” said Grace Brinkley, a Danvers field hockey player and a key organizer of the rally. “It’s just frustrating because the kids haven’t been included in the decision-making process.
“I don’t feel the principals and school committees are doing what’s in the best interest of the student-athletes,” added Brinkley, who also missed her lacrosse season in the spring. “The kids all want to play, and we should have a voice in the matter.”