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Meridian Athletics

 

Missed the Athletics Town Hall on September 10th?
Watch the video recording of the Zoom webinar here.

 

20-21 Athletics Plan 

September 28, 2020

Plans are subject to change.

 

This year’s athletic opportunities must be different than they have been in the past. We have given much thought to our goal of balancing the requirement for safety for all our students and staff with the physical and mental health of our student athletes. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides very little guidance for non-UIL activities; Meridian is a non-UIL school. The Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) is developing guidance, and we intend to follow it to the extent allowed by the TEA for school re-opening, athletics, and extracurriculars.

 

The WCCHD has developed a DRAFT chart using “Gating Criteria” as a guide to indicate what kinds of school, athletics, and extracurricular activities can take place safely under the changing levels of virus activity. These criteria can be viewed on the DRAFT chart at the end of the document. We understand that the WCCHD is refining this such that they will regularly report the Transmission Level rather than individual entities, i.e. schools, analyzing the data for themselves. 

 

There are four phases in the criteria - Uncontrolled characterized by very high community transmission, Phase I / Red with high/substantial community transmission, Phase II / Yellow with moderate community transmission, and Phase III / Green with minimal community transmission. We will use the information provided by the WCCHD to guide our decisions for athletics and extracurricular activities and to the extent allowed by the State of Texas, re-opening our campus to students. 

Transmission Levels

  • Uncontrolled: Very High Community Transmission
    • Meridian will offer only virtual extracurriculars. 
  • Red (Phase I): High/Substantial Community Transmission
    • Meridian will offer only virtual extracurriculars.
  • Yellow (Phase II): Moderate Community Transmission
    • Meridian will offer both virtual extracurriculars, indoor practice/conditioning, and outdoor competitions - either on or off campus as described below.
  • Green (Phase III): Minimal Community Transmission
    • Meridian will offer both virtual extracurriculars and all athletic activities as described below. Indoor spectators will be limited.

 

We would like to provide some degree of certainty, not only for our families, but for the coaches and staff we must hire to carry out these activities. This requires commitment on the part of our parents for fees, our coaches for time, and our staff for availability.

 

In order to maximize health, fun, and the potential for success, we have examined each activity separately and evaluated these aspects:

  • Can physical distancing be maintained at the level recommended for the phase of transmission?
  • Can we find coaches who are able to maintain flexibility for potential changes?
  • Can student athletes still experience skill building, team comradery, the thrill of competition, and fun? 
  • Is there an adequate balance of value to our students with the fees charged to cover expenses?

All guidance and decisions are subject to change as local and regional health situations evolve over the course of the year.  

 

Start dates will be determined by the Transmission Levels described above. The start date could affect whether or not the sport will have intramural or interscholastic competitions. Once a sport starts, which is designated by the first practice, it will continue even upon re-entering Phase I/Red or the Uncontrolled/Black Phase, unless the State mandates otherwise.

  • To best plan around COVID-19, the following sports might have two seasons this year - Fall and Spring:
    • Cross Country
    • Dance
    • Tennis
  • These sports will have intramural competitions only:
    • Fall Dance
    • Fall Swimming
    • Fall Tennis
    • Volleyball
  • Fall Cross Country could have two interscholastic competitions.
  • Due to lack of interest in Spring Swimming, only Fall Swimming will be offered this year. Fall Swimming will have intramural competitions only.  
  • These sports may continue to be competitive within TCSAAL (Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League). Participation and start dates will be determined by the Transmission Levels described above as these defined seasons approach.
    • Basketball
    • Soccer
    • Spring Tennis
    • Baseball

 

The following applies to all Meridian Athletics offerings:

  • On-Campus vs. Distance Learning: Students do not have to be on-campus learners to participate in Meridian Athletics. Students can change from on-campus to distance learning and vice versa during their sport's seasons without affecting their eligibility.
  • Physical Eligibility: In order to participate in Meridian athletics or programs that include Meridian coaches and/or Meridian facilities, student athletes must have a valid physical form cleared by a physician on file with the Athletics Department before participating.
    • Physical Forms
      • Students must have a valid physical form on file with the Athletics Department prior to participating. Check the expiration date of your physical form here. If your name is not listed, it is because we do not have a physical form on file for you.
      • Download a blank physical form here.
      • Learn more about physical eligibility and physical forms here.
  • Academic Eligibility: Students must be academically eligible to participate in interscholastic or intramural competitions.
  • Lettering: Lettering is possible for students who participate in sports that are competing in interscholastic competitions at the Varsity level. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions:
Q:  Because locker rooms are closed, is the expectation that players change/shower at home? Or would players be allowed to change in the school restrooms?
A:  The school's showers are unavailable as the locker rooms are closed. Therefore, showering at school is not possible. We are not going to stop students from using the restrooms to change, but ideally students change at home. If we find there are issues with students gathering in the restrooms, we will have to change our processes and limit the use of the restrooms before and after practices. For now, students are free to use the restroom stalls to change. If all stalls are in use, students must wait in the hallway, properly physically distanced, until a stall becomes available.
 

Please select a sport below to see the 2020-2021 Athletics Plan as it pertains to that sport: