Return to Play DII/III Southern Cluster Policies/Schedules

Introduction

Athletics and Activities support both the academic mission and the social emotional needs of schools. They are an extension of a good educational program. Activity programs provide valuable lessons and skills for practical situations – like teamwork, fair play, and hard work. By participating in athletic and activity programs, students learn self-discipline, build self-confidence and develop skills to handle competitive situations. These are qualities students need if they are to become responsible adults, productive citizens and skilled professionals. (NFHS. “The Case for High School Activities.” NFHS, 2020, www.nfhs.org/articles/the-case-for-high-school-activities/. This season, in response to the pandemic, the NHIAA has moved back the start of interscholastic athletics three weeks to allow schools to establish and implement return to school guidelines prior to the start date of school based athletics.

Key Strategies

The DII/DIII Southern Cluster return to play plan outlines several key strategies that will allow us to meet our objective of students safely being able to participate in athletics and activities. These strategies and guidelines have been established to reduce potential risk to participants and community. What follows are detailed descriptions of how the DII/DIII Southern Cluster will apply these strategies.

Participation in athletics and activities is not a requirement. Families have the option to allow their students to participate in those activities based on their personal comfort level. Additional strategies may be added, or current ones updated, throughout the season.

Pre-Participation Screening

All coaches, directors and students must be screened for signs/symptoms of COVID-19 prior to a practice, rehearsal or contest. Screening includes a temperature check.
Responses to screening questions for each person should be recorded and stored. (Appendix B)
Any person with positive symptoms reported should not be allowed to take part in workouts and should contact his or her primary care provider or other appropriate health-care professional.
A record shall be kept of all individuals present in case a student develops COVID-19.
If an individual member of a team or group begins to develop symptoms of COVID-19, the whole team or group along with coaches and directors shall quarantine for 14 days.

Contact Tracing and Reporting

Each school in the cluster will be responsible for notifying the other schools should an athlete develop symptoms up to 14 days after an interscholastic contest.
The notified school shall then be responsible for using the documentation (Appendix B) from the contest date to notify players who came into contact with the students from the other schools.
Each school will follow the guidance from their local health officials on how to proceed regarding team activities and further interscholastic competition while following the specific school reopening plan.

Limitations on Gatherings

Common areas are closed, and no congregating allowed.
When not directly participating in practices or contests, teams shall maintain a minimum distance of 3 to 6 feet between athletes and coaches.
Equipment bags and backpacks of participants shall be placed 6-feet apart. Participants should not touch other participants’ bags, equipment or water bottles. Benches and/or dugout areas must not be used for storage of personal equipment or group equipment.

Facilities and Equipment Cleaning

Cleaning schedules will be implemented by facilities staff for all athletic facilities to mitigate any communicable diseases. Athletes, volunteers, and staff (including administrators, coaches, athletic trainers, and officials) will be provided education and training around safe practices as it relates to hygiene, sanitation (cleaning and disinfection policies), and illness policies.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol must be readily made available to staff and athletes and kept with staff and equipment at all times.
Appropriate clothing/shoes should be worn at all times in the weight room to minimize sweat from transmitting onto equipment/surfaces. There should be no shared athletic towels, clothing or shoes between students. Towels and clothing should be washed and cleaned after every workout.
Students must be encouraged to shower and wash their uniforms and workout clothing immediately upon returning to home.
Shared athletic equipment such as balls, bats, batting helmets and catchers gear should be cleaned between each quarter/half/inning.
Click here to view the ball cleaning recommendations from Wilson Sporting goods.
Other equipment, such as hockey helmets/pads, wrestling ear guards, football helmets/other pads, lacrosse helmets/pads/gloves/eyewear should be worn by only one individual and not shared.

Facilities Use

Use of facilities are limited to, at most, 50% of the maximum licensed capacity, or the
number where people can consistently maintain at least 6 feet of separation from others while in specific areas/rooms, whichever number is lower.
There must be a minimum distance of 6 feet, while indoors, between each individual not engaging in activities at all times. If this is not possible, then the maximum number of individuals in the room must be decreased until proper social distancing can occur. Proper social distancing will need to be maintained on sidelines and benches.
Hygiene Stations shall be set up at each field and gym. These stations will include hand sanitizer, wipes or spray with paper towels, and a waste basket.
Players and coaches must wash or sanitize hands when entering and exiting any playing area.
All equipment shall be cleaned and sanitized by coaches and athletes following use, including, but not limited to: balls, pads, sticks, training aids, etc.
Appropriate clothing/shoes should be worn at all times in the weight room to minimize sweat from transmitting onto equipment/surfaces.

Bathroom and Locker Room Use

Public restrooms will be available should a bathroom be needed.
Individuals should wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds with warm water and soap before touching any surfaces or returning to workouts.
Port-O-Potties, located around campus, will be regularly sanitized by facilities staff and stocked with alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Locker Rooms can be utilized during the season, by home teams only, as outlined in the Governor’s Reopening Task Force Guidance. Athletes will change as quickly as possible and exit the locker room quickly.
Athletes and coaches will be required to wear masks or face coverings while in the locker room.
Locker Room facilities can be used for changing clothes, showering and toileting. Athletes and staff should practice wear in/wear out clothes when possible.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol shall be available at entrances to locker rooms.

Hydration

All students shall bring their own water bottle.
No sharing or common use water bottles or drinking stations are allowed.

Scheduling

NHIAA first date to play is September 8, 2020.
One competition will be allowed at each school at a time.
There will be a minimum of 30 minutes between sequential competitions to allow adequate time for cleaning of facilities/equipment and to allow for staff, volunteers, and athletes to exit the area and avoid interaction with other incoming or exiting groups.
Teams and groups should be provided a designated area for warm-ups that provides for the necessary social distancing.
Sport Specific considerations (Appendix A) adopted by the NHIAA and NFHS will be utilized for each sport.
Sport specific schedules found in Appendix D

Participating Teams

Only Varsity level teams will begin competitions in September.
Sub-Varsity levels will be allowed to practice, train and compete intrasquad until October 1st at the earliest. At that time, the Southern Cluster of schools will meet to discuss adding sub-varsity inter-scholastic competitions into the plan.
At the conclusion of the regular season, a JV jamboree may be held at Souhegan High School for the cluster teams to participate in.

Roster Size

Due to restrictions on transportation as well as the need to ensure athletes and coaches can remain appropriately physically distanced during practices and contests, the following roster sizes will be enforced by the cluster schools for the Fall 2020 regular season:

- Cross Country: 10 male runners and 10 female runners
- Field Hockey: 20 players
- Football: 40 players
- Girls’ and Boys’ Soccer: 20 players
- Spirit: 20 cheerleaders, sideline only no stunting, home games only
- Volleyball: 15 players

Travel

Students will be screened prior to getting on the bus by coaching staff. Responses to screening questions for each person will be recorded and stored.(Appendix B )
The buses will be cleaned after use.
Sanitizer will be available on the bus. Students will use it before taking a seat.
Masks are required while on the bus for coaches and athletes.
For students being transported to and/or from athletic contests by parents, the transportation release form must be on file with the athletic department a minimum of 24 hours prior to the contest.
Students being transported by family will be screened prior to warm ups by coaching staff. Responses to screening questions for each person will be recorded and stored. (Appendix B)

Visiting Teams

Visiting teams will be allowed to arrive for contests no more than 60 minutes ahead of start time to allow for adequate warm-up.
Each school will conduct screenings including temperature checks prior to leaving their facility. Anyone arriving at an away event has been cleared by their home school.
Visiting busses will be directed to a designated parking area for their pre-screening information to be gathered. If they arrive ahead of schedule, they must remain on the bus or in their cars, to allow for the facilities to be adequately prepared and for any previous groups to leave the area.
Locker rooms will not be available to visiting teams. They should plan to arrive fully dressed and ready to go.
Visiting teams must bring their own equipment and balls.
Visiting spectators will need to abide by the guidelines in place at the hosting school. These guidelines will be posted around the field and communicated to visiting schools ahead of time. Failure to do so will result in removal from the facility.

Spectators **These limits are subject to change at any time.**

Admissions to our facilities will only be allowed to spectators who are in possession of a sport specific ticket. 2 tickets for the season will be distributed to each player. Only those in possession of the tickets will be allowed to enter the facility. An example is provided in Appendix C.
Fans and spectators will be required to wear masks the entire time they are in attendance at events.
Spectators must be screened for signs/symptoms of COVID-19 prior to a contest. Screening includes a temperature check. Spectators will need to sign in before entering the facility. Sign-in sheet will be created from the responses to the screening questions.

Officials

Officials will have assigned parking upon arrival and will be screened prior to accessing facilities.
Officials will be required to wear masks during transitional movements around campus.

Resources:

NHIAA Return to Sports Guidelines

NFHS GUIDANCE FOR OPENING UP HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES SAFER AT HOME

COVID-19 Guidelines and Supporting Documentation Version 2.2

STAY AT HOME 2.0

Appendix A: Sport Specific Considerations

Cross Country:

COVID Cross Country (Part Three): 3 Easy Steps to Have Safe XC Meets

2020-21 Cross Country Considerations NHIAA Cross Country Committee Adopted for 2020-21 Season

Bass Fishing:

2020-21 Bass Fishing Rules Considerations NHIAA Bass Fishing Committee Adopted for 2020-21 Season

Field Hockey:

2020-21 Field Hockey Considerations NHIAA Field Hockey Committee Adopted for 2020-21 Season

Football:

2020 Football Rules Considerations NHIAA Football Committee Adopted for 2020 Season

Soccer:

2020-21 Soccer Rules Considerations NHIAA Soccer Committee Adopted for 2020-21 Season

Spirit:

2020-21 NFHS Spirit Rules Considerations NHIAA Spirit Committee Adopted for 2020-21 Season

Volleyball:

http://www.nhiaa.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/NHIAA%20Modified%202020-21%20Volleyball%20Rules%20Considerations.pdf

Appendix B: Screening tracking sheet

COVID-19 Athlete/Coach Monitoring Form Date:

Name

Temp

Below 100.3?

Fever

Cough

Sore Throat

Shortness of Breath

Close contact, or cared for someone with COVID-19

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Appendix C:

Appendix D: Schedules

Field Hockey	Boys and Girls Soccer	Girls Volleyball
Week of 9/14	Week of 9/14	Week of 9/14
Hollis Brookline @ Milford	Hollis Brookline @ Souhegan	Campbell @ Milford
Pelham @ Souhegan	Pelham @ Milford	Pelham @ Souhegan
Sanborn	Campbell @ Sanborn
Week of 9/21	Week of 9/21	Week of 9/21
Sanborn @ Pelham	Souhegan @ Milford	Souhegan @ Campbell
Souhegan @ Hollis Brookline	Hollis Brookline @ Campbell	Milford @ Pelham
Milford	Sanborn @ Pelham
Week of 9/28	Week of 9/28	Week of 9/28
Hollis Brookline @ Pelham	Milford @ Hollis Brookline	Pelham @ Campbell
Milford @ Sanborn	Souhegan @ Sanborn	Milford @ Souhegan
Souhegan	Pelham @ Campbell
Week of 10/5	Week of 10/5	Week of 10/5
Pelham @ Milford	Souhegan @ Hollis Brookline	Milford @ Campbell
Souhegan @ Sanborn	Milford @ Pelham	Souhegan @ Pelham
Hollis Brookline	Sanborn @ Campbell
Week of 10/12	Week of 10/12	Week of 10/12
Milford @ Souhegan	Milford @ Souhegan	Campbell @ Souhegan
Pelham @ Hollis Brookline	Campbell @ Hollis Brookline	Pelham @ Milford
Sanborn	Pelham @ Sanborn
	Week of 10/19	Week of 10/19
	HollisBrookline @ Milford	Campbell @ Pelham
	Sanborn @ Souhegan	Souhegan @ Milford
	Campbell @ Pelham

* Cross Country schedules to be formed separately by pod

- Hollis Brookline/Milford/Souhegan and Campbell/Pelham/Sanborn