TSSAA Board of Control & Legislative Council to meet.
Association leadership will meet via conference call over the next two days.
UPDATED: March 16, 2020
The TSSAA Board of Control and Legislative Council will meet via conference call on Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18, respectively. The Board of Control meeting will begin at 2:00 p.m. (CDT) on Tuesday, while the Legislative Council meeting will start at 9:00 a.m. (CDT) on Wednesday. Both meetings were originally scheduled to take place at the DoubleTree Hotel in Murfreesboro, but due to the postponement of the state basketball tournament and other provisions being made statewide in regards to COVID-19, the decision was made to conduct the meetings via conference call.
A live audio stream will be made available for anyone interested in listening to either meetings by clicking here.
BOARD OF CONTROL
The Board will discuss the status of the currently suspended state basketball tournaments, a spring sports discussion, and the effects of the COVID-19 virus.
Financial reports of the State Bowling Tournament and Hall of Champions Games will be presented to the Board.
Two junior high schools, Gatlinburg-Pittman and Pigeon Forge, are requesting membership in the association. The Sevier County Board of Education has decided to change the grade configuration of Gatlinburg-Pittman Middle School and Pigeon Forge Middle School from 6-8 grade schools to 7-9 grade schools next year. Their request is to join TSSAA in order for the 9th grade students to be able to co-op with the high schools.
A timeline for Classification will be discussed by the Board, detailing important dates including collection of enrollment figures, deadlines for schools, and when the Board will decide on the number of classes for each sport.
The staff will discuss 8 Man Football with the Board, a minimum number of players required to play 11 Man Football, and the longstanding Board policy eliminating schools from basketball post-season if they drop football.
Gallatin High School has submitted a proposal to allow golf coaches to coach their student-athletes during regular and postseason competition.
One hardship appeal is scheduled for the meeting.
Policies and concerns addressed.
March 13, 2020
As the situation continues to evolve daily with COVID-19, we have received a number of inquiries from schools/school systems who are considering suspending classes and/or extracurricular activities for an extended period of time. We are also aware that conversations are taking place at the state and federal level which may impact travel, extracurricular activities and the educational system as a whole.
We would like to remind you that there is no TSSAA requirement for schools to play regular season games in spring sports. We realize that a number of districts and regions use regular season results for seeding purposes at postseason tournaments. We encourage administrators to begin conversations with other schools in your district/region to discuss how these cancellations will be treated for the purposes of postseason seeding. Should your district/region choose to play a postseason tournament, all schools in your district/region that wish to participate in the tournament must be included in the bracket regardless of how many games each school has played during the regular season.
Scheduling and participating in regular season contests during the spring is totally left up to the discretion of the administration and/or LEA of the schools involved. We realize that the situation is changing rapidly and events around the country are influencing what discretion can or cannot be given to administrators or LEA. We will continue to monitor the situation and we encourage each member school to consult with their local health department and medical professionals to help with these decisions. Please continue to review the key planning considerations for event planning should you decide to allow regular season play.
Key Planning Considerations for Athletic/Activity Events
These are best practices schools should consider when preparing to host an athletic/activity event:
- Emphasize that participants, staff and spectators should stay away from the event if they feel unwell (have fever and cough).
- Prioritize that all frequently touched surfaces throughout the venue are properly cleaned prior to the event with approved disinfectants and that adequate cleaning supplies are available for use during the event.
- Provide easily accessible soap and water or alcohol hand‐sanitizers and tissues in all venue common areas and consider having additional hand‐sanitizer stations available to promote proper hand hygiene.
- Promote appropriate respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene practices prior to and during the event through signage and announcements. Visit the CDC’s Coughing and Sneezing Etiquette and Clean Hands Webpage for more information.
Tennessee Department of Health Everyday Precautions
Tennessee Department of Health officials recommend people in Tennessee help themselves by taking everyday preventive precautions to reduce the risk of getting and spreading viral respiratory infections, including the flu, the common cold and COVID‐19:
- Cover your mouth with a tissue, sleeve, or elbow (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze, and then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol‐based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. It is especially important to clean hands after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched (cell phones, door handles, etc.).
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- If you are sick, stay home and seek medical care immediately if symptoms, such as high fever or difficulty breathing, become more severe. This will help to keep from spreading respiratory illness to others.
- Parents are advised to keep students home if they display any signs of illness.
- Build your body’s overall health resilience by eating well, exercising, getting plenty of rest, and staying up to date on vaccines. It is recommended to get a flu vaccine each year and it is not too late to be vaccinated.
Additional Resources
For more information about Coronavirus (COVID‐19), please refer to these resources:
- Tennessee Department of Health Coronavirus Updates CDC Coronavirus Information
- CDC Community Mitigation Guidance for COVID‐19 Response
- CDC Interim Guidance for Schools to Plan, Prepare, and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19)
The TSSAA will continue to monitor the situation and provide updated information as it becomes available.