SAUGUS — The School Committee’s Policy subcommittee discussed health requirements for students’ participation in winter sports on Tuesday evening, and Athletic Director Terri Pillsbury is seeking some clarification.
Pillsbury discussed at the meeting that she reached out to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for clarification on how to deal with positive COVID-19 cases, and was seeking to learn if clearance notes provided by physicians were still needed, as well as if a gradual return to play was still necessary.
This comes on the heels of an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changing isolation periods for individuals who contract COVID-19. Pillsbury said hospitals are so busy taking care of patients that they are refusing to write clearance notes for athletics.
“The indication that I have heard from talking with my colleagues is that the MIAA is no longer requiring physician’s notes, which is news to me considering I’m on the Sports Medicine Committee,” she said.
Pillsbury said the committee will meet next Monday, but she is seeking clarity because, similar to dealing with COVID-19 outside of athletics, everybody is responding to positive cases and updated guidance differently.
For example, Pillsbury said that Wednesday’s ice-hockey game against Marblehead will be played, but no fans will be allowed to watch the game. This was decided after Salem State University representatives told the Marblehead school district to either reschedule the game or play with no fans.
“Everybody is doing so many different things in so many different ways,” said Pillsbury.
Saugus has had to deal with some COVID-19 issues of its own. Pillsbury cited a large uptick in cases among the winter teams, and shut down boys and girls basketball activities because the district saw an increased number of cases on the two teams. Pillsbury said four out of the five individuals on the boys basketball team who contracted COVID-19 were fully vaccinated.
The subcommittee agreed to continue to follow the MIAA guidelines and require physician’s notes providing clearance for athletes, along with maintaining a gradual return to play. Pillsbury said the possibility of athletes developing Myocarditis, a heart condition caused by a viral infection, played a major role in the decision to keep a gradual return to play as a requirement.
