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Cornelius News

CMS releases plan for phased return to athletic workouts

Aug. 20. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will begin a phased return to athletic workouts for student-athletes at CMS high school facilities beginning as early as Sept. 14, when cross-country and volleyball teams can begin workouts.

CMS Director of Athletics Sue Doran said she understands the importance and impact of athletic participation. CMS believes “our phased approach will enable us to safeguard the health of everyone involved,” she said.

Swimming and diving are expected to begin Nov. 23, while basketball begins Dec. 7. High school football is expected to start in early February.

The decision to adopt a phased process included input from athletic directors and principals. The input came both before and after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s (NCHSAA) recent sports calendar changes.

After cross country and volleyball workout resume, CMS will re-evaluate readiness to bring back student-athletes from other sports. This will include more input from athletic directors and principals and will guide how CMS moves forward with additional teams/sports resuming on-campus workouts.

CMS officials said they will continue to monitor information from both the NC Dept. of Health & Human Services and the Mecklenburg County Health Dept. “as the district considers expanding the sports allowed to participate in on-campus skills development.”

Workouts will include such NCHSAA-mandated elements as limited numbers of student-athletes and staff allowed to gather at one time on athletic fields and inside facilities and restrictions on use of certain training and athletic equipment.

Additional measures include mandatory social distancing procedures, wearing of protective face coverings, implementation of temperature checks and other health screenings, and more. NCHSAA guidance allows school districts to establish more restrictive procedures than those provided by NCHSAA but not less.