Fall KSD Activities Will Proceed as Scheduled

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Parents, students and fans alike filled the lawn outside the Kearney School District main offices on August 19 to rally for fall activities and athletics. Similar rallies occurred in the past week and are still being planned at other locations in Clay County and throughout the state.

After the rally, school board members announced they plan to move forward with activities and athletics as scheduled

After the rally, school board members announced they plan to move forward with activities and athletics as scheduled

Tiffany Kirkland is one of three #LetThemPlay organizers in Kearney, and she says it’s important to let the students participate in extra-curricular activities because it gives them important skills like teamwork, perseverance, and determination.

“I saw my kids’ mental health decline when we were stuck at home from March through May,” said Kirkland. “When my girls played competitive softball all summer, I saw them come back.”

Co-organizer, and former health department administrator, Vanessa Lincoln also believes that the time is right for students to be able to participate in school activities. When the CCPHC suggested Clay County school districts choose the new MSHSAA spring season option for fall contact sports, she became inspired to rally for the students.

“The risks are low right now and I didn’t understand why we weren’t going to move forward,” said Lincoln. “I have a sophomore and it’s very personal to me. They only get to step on the field as a sophomore one time and they can never get that back.”

Like several parents who have spoken up for students to be back in classes and participating in extra- curricular activities, Chrystan Ferrell feels it is a mental health issue as well as a physical health issue.

“What we’re seeing is an extreme rise in teenage depression and suicide,” Ferrell stated. “The CDC just reported that our suicide rates have skyrocketed for teenagers as well as drug overdoses. It is important to combat that with activity and connection.”

It felt like having two victories today for Kirkland and her co-organizers because the Clay County Public Health Center released new options for fall activities in schools, and the Kearney School District made a positive announcement during the rally.

Earlier this afternoon, the CCPHC released a statement that offered three fall sports options for districts to consider:

  • MSHSAA spring season options for fall sports.

  • All student athletes participating in contact sports learn remotely/virtually during the sports season. They may practice and play games following the school district safety protocols. This would allow for fall 2020 contact sports seasons to continue as currently planned. All other fall sports could proceed as normally scheduled.

  • Proceed with the fall sports as scheduled with COVID-19 precautions in place as determined by the local school district.

After the rally ended, members of the school board stepped out of the building to address the crowd. Board President Mark Kelly informed the rally-goers that the school district plans to move forward with all activities and athletics as they are currently scheduled.

As stated in previous announcements, KSD will likely need to modify the schedule of our fall activities if there is a significant rise is COVID-19 cases. KSD will send a communication to district families and share details with the community as well.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story