Wake parents fight COVID-19 ban against spectators at school sports and arts events
Some Wake County parents are angry that the school system is, for now, barring spectators from attending athletics and performing arts events.
Citing COVID-19 concerns, the Wake County school system has told families it won’t allow spectators to attend athletic events. Families were also told that arts groups can only do virtual performances with no in-person performances allowed.
The decision has caused parents to bombard school leaders with letters, emails and phone calls demanding that the spectator ban be immediately dropped. More than 1,000 people have signed an online petition, and more than 1,000 have joined a Facebook group: WCPSS Parents Advocating to Be Event Spectators: Athletics/Performing Arts.
“Listen, our kids — they need an audience,” Kris Lee, an Apex parent, said at this week’s school board meeting. “They need cheering. They need the social-emotional support, and parents have every right to be present and watch their kiddos live, especially senior parents.”
In response, Superintendent Cathy Moore said district administrators could recommend Tuesday a plan to begin allowing spectators at events.
“We know that it’s important for families to be able to attend their student-athletes’ events,” Moore said at this week’s board meeting. “We also know that we’re going to have some limitations. “
Sports, arts resume after COVID shutdown
High school sports and performing arts were put on hold when schools were closed for in-person instruction in March.
Wake high school students are still attending classes virtually this semester, but athletics are resuming and arts groups are beginning to practice.
The N.C. High School Athletics Association is allowing up to 25 people to attend indoor sporting events and up to 100 people at outdoor events, the Charlotte Observer reported. The NCHSAA says their events are not impacted by Gov. Roy Cooper’s new executive order lowering the indoor gathering limit to 10 people. Cooper left the outdoor limit at 50 people.
But Wake County, which is North Carolina’s largest school district, opted to take a more restrictive position on spectators. On Nov. 5, Wake told families that spectators would not be permitted “for an indefinite period of time.” Parents were told that school officials would stream the events instead to watch online.
“We understand that parents want to see their student-athletes compete,” the district said in its announcement. “However, our top priority will always be the health and safety of our community.
“Reducing the potential for COVID-19 cases related to athletics increases the chances that we will be able to continue athletic activities this school year so that our students can participate.”
Parents question spectator ban
The negative outcry from parents was immediate, with several voicing their displeasure during public comments at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
“My main goal tonight is to express the thoughts and hopes that all Wake County public school parents are feeling to allow us the opportunity to watch our children in person,” Daniel Hupp, a parent at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, told the board.
“I realize that 2020 has been a difficult year, and I realize we have a lot of topics to consider, but by not allowing spectators to go, it’s potentially going to impact athletic departments and also mostly impact parents and most importantly the students.”
Katie Blalock, an administrator of the new parents Facebook group, said the spectator ban makes no sense because parents are shopping at places that have more people inside than would be at at a school football game or school play.
“These are also the same adults that waited in line for hours to vote recently, yet are not allowed to sit and watch their child in an outdoor arena,” Blalock said.
Speakers said not allowing spectators will hurt the ability of athletics and arts departments to raise money from ticket sales to cover their costs. Moore said that the school district will pick up the costs this school year of paying for referees and officials that would normally be paid for by individual schools.
Blalock also said it’s a safety issue, citing how attending a football game allowed her to take her son out of the game after seeing him take a hard hit. She said her son was later diagnosed with two broken vertebrae.
Lee, the Apex parent, said Wake shouldn’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. She said Wake can allow spectators under rules that include requiring wearing a face mask, maintaining social distancing and washing their hands upon entering.
Wake says ban not permanent
So many complaints have come in that school board member Chris Heagarty said he wanted parents to know that the decision was made by administrators and not the board.
“I hope that as board members we will be able to offer feedback and look and see is there a way that we can still meet the goal of public health but find some acceptable compromise looking at what other schools have done,” Heagarty said.
Moore said Tuesday that the spectator ban “was not meant to be a line in the sand with a period at the end that doesn’t change.” She said the ban was meant to help phase in the return of spectators like how the district has been phasing in the return of students for in-person instruction.
She said an update on athletics and arts programs will be made at Tuesday’s board meeting.
“We fully expect and want to open up our athletic events, to the extent that the governor will allow, to spectators when we are ready to do so, and I don’t see that as being far in the future,” Moore said.
