As opening day for some Section I fall sports draws near, a handful of schools recently announced that they will not be participating in the athletics restart. On Sept. 18, the Yonkers public school district released a statement declaring that it would be postponing all fall sports until March.
In August, the NYSPHSAA announced that although lower-risk fall sports—including field hockey, soccer, swimming and cross country—could begin on Sept. 21, high-risk sports including football would be postponed until March 1 and participate in an abbreviated Fall II season.
As there are no schools in Yonkers that support field hockey, swimming, tennis or cross-country teams, the decision by the Yonkers district will only affect boys and girls soccer programs from Yonkers Montessori, Gorton, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Riverside, Saunders and Yonkers High.
In a statement, Yonkers Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada cited safety concerns—as well as Yonkers’ remote-only learning model to start the school year—as reasons for the decision.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Yonkers has determined that to protect the health and safety of our students and staff to the best of our ability, it is prudent to postpone our fall season,” Quezada said. “Another factor is the uncertainty schools face this fall related to COVID-19 restrictions, potential closures due to positive cases and parental concerns.”
The NYSPHSAA, in its August announcement, set forth return-to-play guidelines but also gave freedom to individual sections and school districts to enact further policy regarding interscholastic athletics. Yonkers schools became the first school district in Section I to impose further delays on a sports restart.
However, other districts in the state have also made their own decisions.
On Sept. 16, the Rochester City School District postponed all fall sports until March 1, citing a fully remote start to the school year and uncertainty regarding the pandemic as reasoning for the delay.
“We understand that this is disappointing news for our student athletes, their families, and coaches,” said RCSD Superintendent Dr. Lesli Myers-Small in a statement. “While it was a difficult decision to make, just like our decision to begin the school year under the remote learning model, we are certain this is the right course of action at this time.”
With the Sept. 29 fall sports start date looming, no other Section I school districts have yet announced similar postponements. An initial version of the upcoming fall schedule was released on Sept. 18 and if no other school districts opt out of the Fall I season, it is likely that Yonkers’ soccer programs will play in a seven-team league in March.
