LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Jefferson County School Board has voted in favor of a plan that will get winter sports going for the district.
The 5-2 vote will allow practices to begin on Wednesday.
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association had approved their plan in mid-December but JCPS opted out of that plan because the county continued to see a high number of COVID-19 cases, and it was also placed in a red zone.
This decision impacts basketball, swimming, wrestling and competitive cheer and dance.
With the vote, competition starts on February 1.
"I know it's a very difficult and challenging decision," JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said. "I don't want JCPS student-athletes being the only athletes in the state of Kentucky not able to participate. We want to give them the opportunity just like we did in the fall."
The board members who voted yes include James Craig, Linda Duncan, Joe Marshall, Sarah McIntosh and Diane Porter. Chris Kolb and Corrie Shull voted no.
Duncan and Porter had previously voted to not adopt an option that included starting competition on Feb. 1. Porter's reasoning to flip cited an email to the board from University of Louisville Executive Director of Diversity and Equity Marian Vasser expressing her concern for the mental health of student-athletes.
"I am seriously concerned about the mental health of our children, particularly the students who experience sports as a lifeline," Porter read from Vasser's message. "I worry as they are losing hope and motivation daily, and will eventually start gathering on their own, putting themselves at a greater risk."
"Honestly, if anything is going to help our students' mental health and help them with their coping through this entire situation, it's going to be their teammates, their coach and engaging in something they feel passionate about," McIntosh said.
Duncan was reluctant to vote yes. But she said she has been listening to the pleas of coaches, athletics directors, parents and others to change her mind.
"It's very difficult to tune out those voices," Duncan said. "It's very difficult to stand there and say, 'No, I know better.' I'm not the medical doctor. I think the medical community should be the one telling us what we should be doing and shouldn't be doing in terms of this."
Kolb and Shull's opposition focused on the current red COVID-19 status of Jefferson County. During the discussion, Kolb presented various pieces of data to cite the health risks while also comparing the thought of following what everyone else is doing to a common phrase his mother asked him: "If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you jump off it too?"
"I honestly don't even understand why we're considering going forward with sports," Kolb said. "You are voting to go forward with more suffering, more death in our community, more sickness and a longer term outbreak in the community before we can get this thing under control."
"I'm deeply troubled by the reticence and push to do athletics in this moment when the pandemic is raging," Shull said.
"Frankly, I just think that people who are voting for this are just caving to community pressure," Kolb said. "Because everybody else is doing it, we feel like we have to do it. And I just think that's a terrible example to set."
Craig stood behind his decision to still vote yes. He said it's unfair for "these poor students, our most disenfranchised students" to have to sacrifice sports while everyone else around the state plays.
"It's not going to eliminate that risk," Craig said. "They're still going to be out in the community. They're still going to be mingling with each other. The JCPS Board, standing alone, has not been able to curb the spread of COVID-19 in our community. And it's clear to me that this vote will do nothing to curb the spread amongst our students."
That's how Male boys basketball head coach Tim Haworth feels.
"Playing games, if you do the right protocols, it's as safe as anything that you'll do," Haworth said. "It would be us assuming that every kid that isn't playing in the gym is going straight home and staying in their house. That's not the case."
Haworth, along with Fern Creek boys hoops head coach James Schooler, are excited to get to work.
"I sent out a team text," Schooler said. "Everybody was elated and just ready to go."
"I'm not going to try to pretend to know more than somebody else," Haworth said. "But at the same time, I want to see our kids have the opportunity. So I'm just thankful we're getting that."
WHAS11 will have more on this story tonight on the NightTeam.
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