In early November, the MIAA Board of Directors, in consultation with health officials and school administrators, will decide if MIAA winter sports seasons will be played in 2020.

When making this decision, the MIAA Board and school administrators will consider the health and safety of athletes, coaches and fans and consider the potential impact that winter sports events may have on the spread of COVID-19.

When the winter sports season decision is made, if the best available information suggests that it is best to cancel, or significantly shorten, winter sports competition, the signers of this petition strongly advocate that the MIAA Board of Directors and school administrators instead decide to reschedule any MIAA winter sport that can be delayed (basketball, wrestling, swim & dive, hockey, indoor track, volleyball), until the Spring 2021.

A decision to delay winter sports seasons until Spring 2021 would be in the best interests of students.  A recent study (COVID-19 Mental Health) by the JED Foundation & the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a significant increase in social isolation, loss of connections and feelings of loneliness that have created an alarming decline in mental health and even increased suicidal thoughts among high school and college age students. To help reverse this trend, it is important to pursue all creative solutions to safely preserve as much of the high school student experience as possible.

Signers of this petition are not advocating for any decision that would put the health and safety of high school sports participants at risk or that would contradict the guidance intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.  If some winter sports are rescheduled until Spring 2021, and it is determined that they cannot be played safely, the signers of this petition understand and agree that cancellation of the sports seasons should occur at that time.

A delay (versus cancellation) of some winter sports will not only preserve the option for these sports to be played in the ‘20/’21 high school academic year, but the delay may also offer scheduling flexibility as some sports played indoors during a typical winter season (e.g., basketball) may be safely scheduled outdoors in the spring, for at least a portion of the season.

Finally, signers of this petition acknowledge that rescheduling winter sports until Spring 2021 will create a conflict for a subset of student athletes that compete in both a winter and spring sport.  However, deciding to reschedule some winter sports in the Spring 2021 timeframe would correctly prioritize the interests of one-sport (winter) athletes to have the opportunity to compete at all in this academic school year, ahead of the interests two sport athletes that may be forced to choose between participation in a winter or spring sport scheduled in the same timeframe.