The Mississippi High School Activities Association has ruled summer workouts and practices for athletic teams and other MHSAA affiliated organizations may resume June 1 under strict guidelines. The Starkville Oktibbeha School District has decided to allow our athletic teams and organizations to begin on June 15.
Yellow Jacket football and baseball are hosting parent meetings on Thursday, June 11, to review the established guidleliness for return to practice and/or workouts.
The guidelines are also listed below:
Staying Safe Together Guidelines for Athletics
- Do NOT enter an athletic facility or work out space, indoors or outdoors, if you have a symptom of Covid-19 or if you have a potential exposure to Covid-19. This includes fever greater than 100.4, congestion, dry cough breathing difficulties, sore throat and/or chills. Please do NOT place your coaches and your teammates at risk.
- All student athletes will have their temperature checked and complete a screening questionnaire on a daily basis when they arrive for a practice and/or workout.
- All students must have a completed risk and waiver of liability relating to Coronavirus/Covid-19 developed by the Mississippi High School Activities Association to participate in any athletic practice or workout.
- Please maintain 6’ of social distance at all times during indoor and outdoor activities.
- Masks must be worn appropriately for group gatherings and discussions, regardless of distancing. Masks should NOT be worn while exercising, during workouts, or during drills due to concerns with airway restriction.
- Wash your hands frequently. Use hand sanitizer if soap/water is not immediately available.
- Cover your mouth if you sneeze or cough.
- Equipment, including balls, may NOT be shared without cleaning between each use.
- Sharing of water bottles, clothing and towels is prohibited. Students should bring their own water bottle clearly labeled with their name for practices. Students should arrive dressed and ready for practice sessions. There will be no access to dressing rooms.
- All athletes must complete a mandatory 14-day acclimatization period as required by MHSAA. All sports and activities must adhere to the number of practices and hours per practice allowed by MHSAA. See www.misshsaa.com for complete guidelines as mandated by MHSAA.
- Competition in athletics and activities between or among MHSAA member or non-member schools and/or teams is cancelled until school resumes in the fall.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for Athletic Practices and Workouts
- Students should arrive on time for practice and leave on time when practice concludes. Students who arrive after their scheduled time will not be allowed to participate. Students who arrive early should wait in their car until their designated time. Parents will not be allowed to exit the vehicle when they drop off their child.
- Students will join the socially distanced check in line assigned to their team upon arrival.
- Since our dressing rooms will be closed, students will not have access to their lockers to store any personal property, such as a cell phone. Students should leave any valuables locked in their vehicle or at home. The District cannot be held responsible for lost or stolen items.
- There will be no lingering in groups allowed after practices are completed.
Standard Quarantine Periods
- Yellow Jacket Athletics will follow recommended quarantine periods as defined and determined by the Centers for Disease Control and the Mississippi State Department of Health in the event of a symptomatic patient (with or without a positive test) or an asymptomatic patient with a positive test.
- These CDC and MSDH guidelines dictate a 14-day quarantine with at least 72 hours symptom-free before returning to activity in the case of a patient with a positive test.
- In the case of a person with a fever, a minimum of 72 hours restriction from activity with at least 24 hours of absence of fever is recommended before return to activity. If the athlete, coach or administrator has symptoms after 72 hours they should be retested for COVID-19.
Cleaning, Disinfecting and Sanitizing
- Yellow Jacket Athletics will provide and ensure an adequate supply of appropriate disinfectants are available. Disinfectants will be accessible in all shared athletic and activity spaces.
- Hand sanitizing stations will be provided in all shared athletic and activity spaces.
- All exercise equipment, musical instruments and other gear will be cleaned with appropriate disinfectant between each individual use. Equipment must be spaced 6 feet apart to accommodate distancing guidelines.
- All shared spaces and surfaces, including enclosed workout spaces, bathrooms, medical rooms and locker rooms will be fully cleaned with appropriate disinfectant prior to a new workout session.
- All athletics coaches, activities directors and participants must thoroughly wash hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer prior to and after all training sessions. Frequent hand sanitization is encouraged during activity.
For more information on the MHSAA decision and guidelines, go to https://www.misshsaa.com/2020/05/21/covid-19-return-to-activity-guidelines-5-21-2020/.
