Allow sideline cheer at games in Riverside County

Allow sideline cheer at games in Riverside County

The Issue

Most sports have been able to resume in Riverside County but sideline cheer has been refused this opportunity. This sport is easily done with masks and is an outside activity for football games. Why are cheerleaders being left out? This will help promote mental health and resumption of normal activity for cheerleaders across Riverside County not to mention a boost in morale for all athletes involved. A sense of connection, pride in one’s school, and normalcy can be gained through allowing these athletes to cheer. 

This is a sport that they have been practicing for and many have already spent funds on uniforms and gear in anticipation of their season. Many of these athletes were promised a season with the rest of the school sports and now that isn’t happening for this select group. Orange County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County are all allowing these athletes to get back on the sidelines. There is no reason that cheerleaders should be excluded from this activity! 

avatar of the starter
Jaimie WoodwardPetition Starter
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This petition had 3,088 supporters

The Issue

Most sports have been able to resume in Riverside County but sideline cheer has been refused this opportunity. This sport is easily done with masks and is an outside activity for football games. Why are cheerleaders being left out? This will help promote mental health and resumption of normal activity for cheerleaders across Riverside County not to mention a boost in morale for all athletes involved. A sense of connection, pride in one’s school, and normalcy can be gained through allowing these athletes to cheer. 

This is a sport that they have been practicing for and many have already spent funds on uniforms and gear in anticipation of their season. Many of these athletes were promised a season with the rest of the school sports and now that isn’t happening for this select group. Orange County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County are all allowing these athletes to get back on the sidelines. There is no reason that cheerleaders should be excluded from this activity! 

avatar of the starter
Jaimie WoodwardPetition Starter
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Kevin Jeffries
Kevin Jeffries
First District: Supervisor
Responded
“I wanted to update our initial response, which was incorrect, and misunderstood exactly what was being asked. In a year of ever changing rules and restrictions and inconsistent definitions and arbitrary decisions, this distinction between competitive cheerleading and sideline cheerleading is one of the dumbest, but I assure you it is not the County’s rule, but the State’s. Our County has no rules or restrictions that exceed those of the State, and all the County has done since we repealed our initial local orders in May is pass on information and interpretations of the State’s murky orders, generally only on request. When a business or agency or school or a school district, in this case, asks for the opinion of our County Health Officer, he provides it, based on what he has been told by the State Department of Public Health. In this case, while cheerleading now appears on the acceptable youth sports list in the Red Tier, which we entered today (though sports qualified under red tier earlier this month under another odd loophole), for reasons known only to Governor Newsom and Dr. Ghaly, they have decided to distinguish between sideline cheer and competitive cheer and cheer practice, and treat them as spectators, which are currently prohibited from youth sports events (other than parents). This is the exact email reply we received from CDPH when we asked for clarification: ">Date: Fri, Feb 26, 2021 at 9:07 AM >Subject: Technical Assistance Request Q: Will sideline cheer, band, drumline or other supporting groups be allowed to attend sporting events? A: Sideline cheer, band, drumline or other supporting groups are not allowed at this time and are not covered by the Youth Sports guidance. Thank you, Safe Schools for All Team" Dr. Kaiser then went on in his own clarification to the School District that initially asked the question: “CDPH distinguishes between sideline cheer, where they are out at the same time with other school teams, and competitive cheer, where a cheer competition is the main or sole event. This is what is permitted in the red tier, not sideline. In other correspondence CDPH did indicate that halftime cheer was acceptable in the red tier, if it was in competition with the other team squad, and with the main players off the field; they would consider that a competition. Some schools are coordinating that for their games.” If you want to know why School Districts in other areas are allowing it, my guess is that they very reasonably assumed that cheerleading meant cheerleading, and didn’t bother to ask their counties or the State for further clarification or distinctions. Like the old saying goes, “sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.” As far as we are concerned, if your school district is comfortable violating the state rules, it is not an enforcement priority of the 1st District, and I can virtually guarantee the Sheriff will not be enforcing those rules, either. But School Boards do have their own important reasons and incentives to follow state laws and orders, and this is indeed the current state of the State’s guidance—at least until the Governor surprises us again with the next set of rule changes. The whole thing is stupid, but I hope this clarifies the County’s role in this. Sympathetically, Jeff Jeff Greene Chief of Staff Supervisor Kevin Jeffries 951-955-1010”
Riverside County Department of Public Health
Riverside County Department of Public Health
Cameron Kaiser
Cameron Kaiser
County Health Officer
Karen Spiegel
Karen Spiegel
Second District Supervisor

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Petition created on March 13, 2021