1
Lots to unpack from tonight’s Portsmouth School Board meeting, but here’s the most interesting takeaways (a thread):

First off, over 2 hours, including the public comment section, was almost entirely on topic of fall sports and what the district is planning @Seacoastonline
2
The school board does not vote on fall sports. For Portsmouth schools, any conclusion will come from Superintendent Steve Zadravec, AD Rus Wilson, and the city Health Office. Nothing official should be coming for next 7-10 days @Seacoastonline
3
However, the plan laid out by Zadravec and Wilson involves finding other ways to keep students engaged in their fall sports, like utilizing skills camps/Rec leagues. That would indeed mean opting out of fall NHIAA sports in the traditional sense @Seacoastonline
4
From superintendent Zadravec:
“Our intent would be to still find outlets for kids — we know (athletics are) critical — but to do those in a way that certainly maximizes our ability to contain any virus.” @Seacoastonline
5
The issue IMO is that if you’re offering the equivalent of intramurals at school, while private leagues and clubs offer real leagues, just about every athlete who’s able is going to flee to those leagues. There’s no stopping exposure to other districts. @Seacoastonline
6
During public comment section, I counted 20 people, mostly all parents. One current student-athlete. One board member. Almost all of them advocated for fall sports, citing statistics, successful summer leagues, benefits to mental health and sense of normalcy. @seacoastonline
7
But for Portsmouth to change course and compete within the NHIAA this fall, however that looks, it appears the city health officer and her team will have to sign off on it. It appears the consensus right now is the risk of transmission outweighs the reward. @seacoastonline
8
From AD Rus Wilson:
“I’m not a professional in the health services. … We have our own opinions about what we should do and what we can do. But if the health professional said I’m nervous about this, or I’m nervous about that — we take that to heart and we use that.”
9
Bottom line is this: Portsmouth is leaning heavily toward creating its own version of fall athletics that will be open to any student who wishes to participate. Playing traditional seasons within the NHIAA platform looks unlikely, though nothing’s set in stone. @Seacoastonline
You can follow @RyanOLearySMG.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:

By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.