School sports facilities locked during closure
By Donnie A. Lucas
Albany school officials have announced that all school facilities, including the weight room, gyms and the “green room” have been closed to both students and the public through March 31.
Working off of recommendations from the Texas Education Agency, UIL, and CDC guidelines, the closure is part of the attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus.
“UIL suspended all UIL sanctioned events through March 29 late last week, then added the suspension of all UIL extra-curricular practices and rehearsals on Monday,” superintendent Jonathan Scott said in a letter to staff members. “Therefore, there will be no scheduled practices, and students nor the public will be allowed to use the facilities on their own.”
The Albany school board voted Monday night to cancel classes through March 31, two days longer than the UIL restriction.
Originally, the one exception was public use of the track for walking or jogging, but the decision was made earlier this week to also lock the track gates. Students cannot use the track to practice for any specific sports.
Other city-owned facilities like the softball field at the Webb City Park, as well as the Little League and Intermediate ball fields, are also off limits for team practices, according to Albany mayor pro tem Susan Montgomery.
“We’re not closing the parks at this time, and we’re not going to police activity if someone wants to go hit balls or practice pitching with a friend,” said Montgomery. “At the same time, we absolutely do not want team practices or games of any kind. That defeats the purpose of the restrictions that have been handed down by the UIL.”
Montgomery went on to specify that team practices on city property include both youth leagues and high school ages.
“We know that local coaches are abiding by the UIL orders, but we want that compliance to also spread to parents and players,” she said. “This is inconvenient and frustrating for all of us, but our first and main concern is the well-being and the health of each and every citizen of this community, and in the overall picture, two or even eight weeks is not all that long.”
She added that if team practices appear to be taking place on city fields, there could be other measures taken.
“This is going to take enormous effort and obedience by everyone during this time,” said the mayor. “Any inconvenience that might be caused by this disruption is worth it if it can save one life.”
All residents are encouraged to continue regular outdoor exercise but should observe CDC recommendations that include social distancing of six feet or more and not congregating in groups of more than 10 people.
Ryder Peacock, who serves as athletic director and maintenance supervisor for Albany ISD, stated that the gyms, weight room, and green room will be locked. Students and community members should not request keys from members of the coaching staff for the gym or any facility during the closure.
