February 19, 2021 Update:
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
We hope this message finds you safe, warm, and well. We are writing today with an important update regarding cheerleading at outdoor fall sports.
The recently amended version of
the Governor's executive order on COVID-19 restrictions that goes into effect on Monday, February 22, caps the number of spectators at 250 for outdoor sports (see “Recreational Sports” on page 11). It also requires spectators to wear a face covering all times and that 10 feet of physical distance must be maintained between spectators who are not family members.
With this modification,
we are pleased to share that Hanover County Public Schools has worked diligently to find a creative solution to accommodate full cheerleading squads in most circumstances, while still also allowing two guests per player. Below are the highlights:
- Full cheerleading squads will be permitted in most circumstances.
- In the limited instances where the total number of spectators will exceed 250 with full cheerleading squads in attendance, the home team’s full squad will be allowed to attend, and principals and directors of student activities will work collaboratively to determine how many visiting cheerleaders may attend.
-Spectator attendance at
varsity games will be limited to
two guests per varsity player.
- Parents of junior varsity players will still be able to attend Thursday games, as will junior varsity cheerleaders.
- To accommodate as many cheerleaders as possible, we are unable to offer passes to parents/guardians of cheerleaders as this will count towards our spectator totals.
- Spectators will be required to maintain at least 10 feet of physical distancing from other non-family/household groups and wear face coverings at all times while on school property. Failure to do so will result in being asked to abide by these requirements, followed by ejection, if necessary.
In addition, please note that no community passes, senior passes, nor faculty badges will be honored this season. Only those with specifically issued passes will be permitted to enter games. Gates for all games will open no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the start of competition. More information about obtaining these passes is forthcoming.
We hope this underscores our belief that cheerleaders are an integral part of our athletics offerings. While the state guidance still does not recognize cheerleaders as participants, we will continue to lobby the state to change its directive in this regard. If the state guidance changes and rightfully classifies cheerleaders as participants, we will make the necessary adjustments to our own guidelines to allow for more cheerleaders and spectators.
Thank you for your patience as we worked to identify a viable solution and for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Gill, Superintendent of Schools
Jennifer Greif, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Leadership
Dr. Robert Staley, Director of Secondary Education
February 12, 2021 Update:
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
We hope this email finds you and your loved ones safe, warm, and well. We are writing with an important update regarding spectators’ attendance at fall sports competitions.
After careful consideration and in consultation with our School Board, principals, and athletic directors,
we have decided that two guests per athlete will be permitted to attend outdoor competitions only for fall sports. This is in line with
the Governor’s executive order on COVID-19 restrictions, which says that for outdoor sports, “spectators are limited to two guests per player. The total number of spectators cannot exceed 30 percent of the occupancy load of the certificate of occupancy for the venue.”
Spectators will be required to maintain physical distancing of greater than 6 feet from other household/spectator groups and wear face coverings at all times while on school property. Failure to do so will result in being asked to abide by these requirements, followed by ejection, if necessary. Each athlete will receive two season passes free-of-charge, compliments of HCPS. The passes will be accepted at both home and away games thanks to our previous decision to limit games this year to only Hanover County schools for regular season play.
Again, please note that spectators’ attendance is only permitted for outdoor sports at this time. The prohibition on spectators for indoor sports remains in effect.
Additionally, we are unable to allow spectator passes for
cheerleading at this time. Currently, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and Virginia High School League (VHSL) guidance does not recognize cheerleaders as participants. However, we are permitting 10 cheerleaders per game. If this guidance changes, we will make the necessary adjustments.
Similarly, the VDOE and VHSL do not currently allow for
pep bands and marching bands to be considered as participants for football games. Nevertheless, we will continue to support our band directors in engaging students in other activities, either virtually or in-person with appropriate mitigation strategies.
Athletic directors and coaches at each school will share more specific information soon on obtaining the free spectator passes.
It is a privilege to not only have sports this school year, but for spectators to be in attendance.
We trust and expect all spectators to recognize this opportunity and abide by the following COVID-19 mitigation measures:
- Household groups of two must maintain greater than 6 feet of physical distance between themselves and other family/spectator groups on school property.
- Masks must be worn at all times on school property.
- Physical distancing will also be required at all times on school property, including restrooms and in lines at the entrance gate.
- Failure to follow the above requirements will result in being asked to abide by these expectations, followed by ejection, if necessary.
In order to ensure a successful completion of the fall sports season, we must all stay vigilant in stopping the spread of COVID-19. This is a true team effort, and we thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Gill, Superintendent of Schools
Jennifer Greif, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Leadership
Dr. Robert Staley, Director of Secondary Education
Original January 28, 2021 Message:
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
We hope this email finds you safe and well. We are writing today to share an important update with you regarding the fall sports season.
After careful consideration and with the support of our School Board, we have decided the following:
- The high school fall sports season may begin on Thursday, February 4. This applies to all fall sports.
- Middle school fall sports will
not be permitted.
- Eighth grade students will be allowed to try out for high school teams.
- Fall sports competitions will be limited to
only Hanover schools.
- Teams that qualify for postseason play will be allowed to compete.
- Spectators’ attendance at extracurricular school-related events remains suspended.
We understand the importance of sports and other extracurricular activities to our students’ well-being beyond the playing field and believe this decision to offer a limited season allows us to continue offering a holistic education in these uncertain times.
We will continue to monitor all COVID-19 cases and related guidance closely and make any decisions regarding sports or our daily operations that may be necessary. Athletics are a privilege and in order to ensure a successful sports season, we need every person in our community to stay vigilant in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. This collective effort will allow us to continue offering a face-to-face learning option and limited athletics.
Athletic directors and coaches at each school will share more specific information soon.
As a reminder, the Virginia High School League
condensed the sports schedule for this year to have winter sports start first in the sports calendar, followed by fall sports, with spring sports to complete the year.
Thank you for your continued patience, support, and vigilance.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael Gill, Superintendent of Schools
Jennifer Greif,Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Leadership
Dr. Robert Staley, Director of Secondary Education