Only participating athletes, including cheerleaders, from their respective sport may travel out of town for games or meet after action taken by the Falls School Board on Monday. In a 4-1 vote, the board agreed to provide a bus and van to out of town competitions with participating athletes allowed a seat that adheres to social distancing guidelines. Council member Toni Korpi voted against the motion. Board members Terry Murray and Roxanne Skogstad-Ditsch were not present. The motion included: if there is no room for participating players, they can be carried by a parent or guardian. Inactive players will not participate in out of town contests. Athletic Director Bill Mason will work with coaches on the number of active participants. Only 31 people can be transported in a combined bus and van to adhere to social distancing guidelines in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The motion was passed after a similar motion failed. The failed motion called for anyone to participate in games or out-of-town gatherings, however, if the number of participants exceeded the number of seats in the city. transportation provided by the school, the athlete would need “This was an interview,” Superintendent Kevin Grover told the Journal after the meeting. “The first motion included a ‘whatever it takes to get everyone there’ approach. The second limited it to only active participants. The problem came to the board after soccer cheerleaders earlier this month were not allowed to attend the Oct. 9 soccer game in Moose Lake. make it clear why the cheeleaders were not allowed to come to the game after the football club offered to cover the cost of an additional bus to transport them. “If there were no fees for school, why would (the administration) disagree with the girls? go to the game in Moose Lake? Crosby asked the board. “Why are the boys leaving and not the girls? What is the rationale for this decision? Crosby said cheerleaders pay athletic fees, which she says covers the costs associated with trips out of town. She argued that not allowing cheerleaders to travel takes them another right away during the pandemic, and called the decision discriminatory. “I’m not here to cause trouble… I’m here to fight for these kids and be theirs,” she said. Football coach Seth Ettestad said the football team is family, and that includes the cheerleaders. He said a fundamental flaw in society indicates that women are not worth the time. “It’s amazing how quickly we turn our backs on girls,” he said. “This family doesn’t stop with boys… we can’t do this without (the cheerleaders),” Koenig said. Korpi said his reservations boiled down to exposure. “The problem I have right now … most of the games we play are in St. Louis County,” she said, noting that there had been almost 2,600 cumulative cases of COVID 19 reported by the Minnesota Department of Health. “We’re going to send over 50 people on a bus to a different community with a very high number?” At the same time, am I looking at things like I want a lot of people to come to our community? little suspicion … bringing (the football team) into a community where the numbers are so high … would love to see them all go now, but the numbers are not sure. Board member Mike Holden said he wanted to see the cheerleaders travel out of town more than the players who can’t see the weather on the pitch. “You earn the right to travel on this bus,” he said. “In the old days you weren’t taking all the kids just because they were gone for sport. You deserved that right to go … I would like to see some adjustments to be made so that the pom- cheerleaders can go. ”Superintendent Kevin Grover said the council had the right to set limits on athletics, but warned members that whatever decision they made would set a precedent: this they do for a sport, the need to do it for everyone. uh athletics, “he said.” We don’t have enough buses to send two for each event … we have to be consistent at all levels. ” Michelle Hebner, board member, agreed, “I have no idea if this is a gender issue at all. … it is about being fair and safe,” said “We need to constrain the amount of transportation we provide as a district.” Hebner said she supports all sports, but financially providing more than one bus and one van seems unreasonable. “We just can’t do it,” The board went back and forth in an attempt to clarify what they were voting on, several members often asking for more information. With the similarity in the two motions presented, different members council often asked for clarification on who could travel, with whom to travel, who is considered an active participant and whether the intention was to limit exposure to COVID-19 to save money on transportation. we have to set a limit, ”Jen said n Windels, board member, adding that some sports have a higher number of participants. “It can get really complicated if a team has a booster (club) that can send everyone out, then we have 50 people leaving. I think we need to set a limit, but that has to at least include the basics.” Korpi said the reduction for now is crucial and suggested the board reassess when the COVID-19 numbers aren’t that high. keeping our schools open and staying on the same page, ”Korpi said, adding that it was difficult to cap it without real numbers. According to Windels, if sending more than one bus and one van is a tax decision, it makes sense. However, if the board allows someone else to get there on their own, there will likely be everyone. “Participation probably has its own interpretation,” she said. “That’s why we put our trust in Mr. Mason and Mr. Grover to make these decisions … I feel like it’s hard to set a limit and now we have 15 baby carriages accompanying their children. parents … I have a feeling we could create a bigger mess for Mr. Mason and legal problems for Mr. Grover. “Grover said that whatever the board’s decision has to be clear.” It has to be clear, so to speak, about what we’re going to do. allow, otherwise we’ll run into a problem, ”he said. we do an exact number and we stick with it, or we trust our administration a little bit, ”he said. “(Mason) can check the list with the coaches and the coaches can make these tough decisions based on that… I think cheerleaders are participating players too… We pay someone a lot of money. ‘one to make those tough decisions. , that’s my opinion … I would trust Bill to make his best judgment and limit our exposure based on the players needed. “.



image source