Still no fall sports for kids in Montgomery County, continuous community virus spread to blame
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A lot of kids have already been able to go back to practicing their school sport in Maryland, but come Wednesday, other counties could be doing the same after Gov. Larry Hogan said it’s okay to do so last month.
Montgomery County, however, is continuing to hold back. The board of education recommended Tuesday that the school system isn’t ready to make that move yet.
READ MORE: Maryland high school sports can return in October, state says
The board also did not make any announcements about a date for when student-athletes can play again.
During the virtual discussion, Dr. Jeffrey K. Sullivan, director of systemwide athletics for Montgomery County Public Schools, said that community spread is still moderate to slightly above moderate, especially with new cases that are continuing to impact younger people.
The board recommends starting small group practices once MCPS has a timeline to return to the hybrid model.
But parents are continuing to take part in the “Let Them Play” rallies taking place across several parts of the DMV, including in Montgomery County.
Right now, there are virtual options, such as families being able to sign up for a winter virtual sport session or for the NCAA eligibility information night, which was scheduled for Tuesday evening.
But some parents and their children told FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan that those options don’t make any sense because there are no sports to play, let alone any to practice.
“I don’t know what that even consists of,” said William White, whose son, a senior at Quince Orchard High School plays football. “The kids are not even out on the field playing, so I don’t know what they will be able to do virtually to get these kids motivated.”
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“The senior season is really important for my son because of college coaches,” said Kendall Jones another parent of a Quince Orchard High School football player. “They needed to see four games, so he can get the scholarships. He can’t go off to school without that, what do we do? We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
Sullivan also said that the school system has been monitoring what other surrounding clubs have been doing. That includes a visit to schools within Frederick County to observe how in person engagement during the school system’s practices and sport conditioning have been going; meaning what is working for them and what isn’t in order to figure out how MCPS can begin conducting its own practices and a return to play format.