NY Council of Superintendents asks Cuomo to reassess his decision to allow high school sports to begin play on Sept. 21
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo gives remarks at the Clinton G. Martin Community Park Center on Monday in New Hyde Park. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Appeal denied.
The New York State Council of Superintendents on Wednesday sent a letter to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo requesting that he reassess this week’s guidance that permits lower-risk fall high school sports – which he named as soccer, tennis, cross country, field hockey and swimming – to begin practice and play on Sept. 21. It asks that he delay school athletics until Jan. 1 and “consolidate all three athletic seasons into the second semester.”
This is precisely what the Superintendents’ Board of Section VIII, which oversees high school athletics in Nassau County, voted unanimously to do Wednesday morning.
Asked about the letter, Cuomo said he had not seen it, but replied “the guidance said, if – if you want to do high school sports – this is how you can do it. If you don’t want to do high school sports don’t do it. If a school superintendent or a school district doesn’t want to do it, don’t do it.”
Section VIII’s decision has been received with scheduled protests and online petitions from Nassau residents.
The New York State Council of School Superintendents – with representatives across the state – sent the letter which read, in part “we know you empathize, as do we, with the students that want to get back on the field and court this fall, yet we have no choice but to urge you to reconsider the decision to allow school athletics to begin September 21” before stating that a safe return to the classroom should be the priority and “school leaders need to be focused on this effort and not have their attention diverted to extracurricular activities as this moment.”
It also pointed out guidance from the Governor that is seemingly contradictory. Physical education classes require students to be 12 feet apart, yet competitive soccer is permitted.
Jonathan Sterne of the Governor’s press office explained the discrepancy.
“There’s a difference in that gym classes are a larger and more expansive group of people,” he said. “With issues like contact tracing, a soccer team – which is together a lot – the tracing is easier. Also, gym classes are not voluntary. Soccer players are knowingly taking on some risk.”
Even before he was asked about the letter, Cuomo appeared to be aware of Section VIII’s decision.
“We made a state determination that would allow certain high school sports to commence and we put out guidance and deadlines on that,” Cuomo said. “That does not mean that high school sports must commence. It means they can commence – can, not must. It's up to the individual school districts to determine if they want to go ahead with a sports program. Different school districts are making different decisions, and that's fine: it's up to them.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
