Student-athletes, coaches and athletic directors who take part in high-risk sports for the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) must receive the COVID-19 vaccination to compete during the 2021-22 sports calendar, according to a statement posted on PSAL.org Friday.
The sports considered high-risk include football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, stunt and rugby. In addition, although bowling is not considered a high-risk sport, student-athletes who bowl will also be required to get the shot because the sport takes place inside venues where the vaccination is required.
The vaccination, of course, wasn’t required when sports resumed after a year in the spring, but the recent rise in infections due to the Delta variant forced the Department of Education to make the controversial decision.
“We owe it to our young people to make it possible for them to safely return to the sports they love,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, via a statement. “Vaccinations are our passport out of this pandemic, and this vaccine mandate will ensure everyone on high-risk teams are protected and able to compete.”
According to Porter’s release, approximately 20,000 students and staffers will participate in high-risk PSAL sports during the 2021-22 season.
Those PSAL student-athletes who compete in high-risk sports will be required to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the first day of competitive play. Since official practices for football commenced on Aug. 15, those required to get vaccinated must do so immediately.
The statement said winter and spring PSAL participants must be fully vaccinated by the beginning of their respective seasons. The PSAL usually kicks off official workouts for basketball by mid-October.
Those who participate can use the Department of Education’s on-line vaccination portal to upload vaccination cards.
The latest mandate doesn’t come as a surprise as the state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently suggested that those who compete in high-risk sports or extracurricular activities should be vaccinated in order to compete. The alternative would be to cancel the season in areas of high infection rates.
An Island source with ties to the PSAL said he expected Friday’s announcement and that it was just a matter of time.
“I’m not surprised — it was inevitable,’' the source told the Advance/SILive.com. “This is the safest way to get back to some normalcy.
“But the issue, as it pertains to PSAL schools, is if (Mayor Bill de Blasio) doesn’t mandate the vaccine for CHSAA and private schools, (PSAL schools are) going to probably lose kids. That’s the part that’s concerning.’'
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