Fayette County puts high school athletics on hold one day after KHSAA gave go-ahead
While the Kentucky High School Athletic Association might have signed off on the start of full practices next week and games next month, Fayette County’s public schools on Friday joined Jefferson County in putting a hold on athletics.
The Fayette County Board of Education will discuss the resumption of fall sports during its regular scheduled meeting on Monday, Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk announced Friday.
In light of Thursday’s decision by the KHSAA to move forward with practice and game schedules, Caulk said he wants to give school board members the opportunity to review existing safety plans and discuss the resumption of athletics further, a statement from the district said. “In the interim, there will be no athletic practices Monday in Fayette County. The safety of our students, staff and families will continue to be the primary consideration in everything we do,” Caulk said.
Jefferson County Public Schools made a similar announcement Friday.
A number of Fayette County athletic teams had already announced plans to hold tryouts or full practices next week, beginning as early as 7 a.m. Monday, after the KHSAA voted to move forward with an abbreviated fall season for sports including football, soccer, volleyball, cross country and field hockey.
“I don’t know what action the board will take on Monday because we haven’t had any discussion on sports,” said Fayette school board chair Stephanie Spires. “I honestly don’t know what everyone is thinking or hearing from their families.”
In another development Friday, Henry Clay told its Sept. 11 opening night football opponent, Pulaski County, that it would be canceling its first two games of the season, citing “safety concerns to our student athletes.” Later Friday, North Hardin Coach Brent Thompson confirmed that Tates Creek had also backed out of its Sept. 11 game with the Trojans.
Pulaski County received the notification via email from Henry Clay Athletic Director Kristian Junker on Friday morning.
“Because of safety concerns to our student athletes in preparation for opening the football season, we are going to cancel our first 2 weeks of games,” the email from Junker to Pulaski County A.D. Brian Miller read. The email said Henry Clay plans to move the start of its season to Sept. 25.
The other game on Henry Clay’s schedule was set to be city rival Frederick Douglass on Sept. 18. The games have been removed from the KHSAA schedule website. Other Fayette County games remains scheduled, according to the KHSAA website. Paul Laurence Dunbar is scheduled to play Douglass on Sept. 11, for instance.
Fayette County coaches and administrators have deferred all comments to Fayette County district athletic director Robbie Sayre, who has reserved comment until after Monday’s school board meeting.
Pulaski County Coach John Hines said he was disappointed and confused by Henry Clay’s decision. Hines had already modified their agreement to play the Blue Devils in Lexington for a second year in a row.
“We need that game. That was supposed to be a home game for us,” Hines said. “They contacted us some time back when everything was up in the air and said they wouldn’t be able to travel. And so I didn’t want to cancel the game. So we’ve agreed to come there.”
The KHSAA has set no minimum number of games this season and suspended potential penalties for canceling games due to the coronavirus pandemic. Neither the Pulaski nor Douglass games affect Henry Clay’s 8th District or Class 6A standing as both opponents are in Class 5A. Tates Creek and North Hardin are both Class 6A teams but are not in the same district.
In its decision Thursday, the KHSAA is allowing all fall sports teams to begin full practices, a step beyond the conditioning and individual skills work players have been doing since June 15. Such practices and tryouts are a month overdue because of the pandemic. And every fall sports season has been abbreviated because of the later start.
Games for soccer, volleyball and field hockey can begin Sept. 7 and football can kick off on Sept. 11, but none of these plans has explicit approval from Gov. Andy Beshear, who ultimately has the final say. Golf has been operating on a normal schedule and cross country could, theoretically, as a low-contact sport, move forward as well.
But increased contact, even in practices, for football, soccer and volleyball is currently prohibited under the governor’s existing orders for “youth” sports. The KHSAA has told its members that it is not aware of a “prevailing order governing practice” for high school sports and many are moving forward on that basis.
It is unclear when Beshear might weigh in on the KHSAA’s official proposal, which it is due to submit no later than Wednesday. Beshear is not scheduled for another in-person daily briefing until Monday.
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 4:38 PM.
