Spring Wrestling, Lacrosse Top Discussion During OCSD BOE Meeting

OSWEGO – Athletics was a main topic of discussion during the OCSD Board of Education meeting Tuesday, April 6.

Concerns with the addition of wrestling and boy’s lacrosse on the spring athletic roster became an item of heavy deliberation during the meeting.

The main issues stemmed around the proximity of contact each wrestler and lacrosse player would have with one another during a game. Consideration of wrestling quickly became the main focus of discussion during the Superintendent’s report.

Superintendent Dr. Mathis Calvin III spoke of area school districts choosing to add wrestling to their spring semester lineup, while others opted to table the recreation until further notice. Oswego Health Family Medicine Specialist Dr. Robert Morgan shared both medical and personal information from having played the sport himself.

“So, just to give my perspective, not only as a physician – I wrestled for eight years, so I know this sport inside and out. And so, it’s not from not knowing the sport. This was a concern when we first started coming back in, because there is no way to social distance when you’re wrestling. You are right up close and personal,” Morgan said. “And we just had a little concern about the face-off; that’s the beginning 25-seconds of a lacrosse game. But wrestling is in-your-face for the entire 5-minutes or so of the match. And because of that, you have more concerns.”

Morgan discussed the use of masks throughout the match, pointing out the fact that the face coverings would have to be specifically fashioned to stay in place throughout the game. He also pointed out vaccination as a choice for the future startup of the game if the board chose not to opt in; also recommending rapid testing for screening before games.

“There’s no way to social distance in wrestling, there’s just not – and you are up close and personal. You’re sweating, and there’s saliva that gets out sometimes; there’s all kinds of things that can happen while you’re sliding on a mat, or somebody’s right in your face,” Morgan said.

The doctor said several local teams are participating in wrestling this spring, noting that he is not aware of their specific safety plans as of yet; also recommending that parents should sign a waiver accepting the possible risk factors associated with COVID-19 transmission if the school chose to add the sport.

After significant discussion, the recommendation to add wrestling to the spring athletic roster was voted down by a margin of 4/3, with Board Members Kathleen Allen, Heather DelConte and Pamela Dowd voting yes; Tom Chiappa, Lisa Glidden, Jim MacKenzie and and Lynda Sereno voting no.

Spring athletics (JV and Varsity) will begin April 19 and 26, with Modified Sports beginning April 26. All sports will adhere to medical recommendations.

Following is a list of sports that will be played during the spring semester:

• Track and Field (Modified and Varsity)
• Baseball (Modified and Varsity)
• Softball (Modified and Varsity)
• Girls Varsity Golf
• Boys Varsity Tennis
• Boys Lacrosse (Modified, JV and Varsity)

For more information concerning athletics and other options presented by the Board for Varsity and Modified Wrestling, please watch the video included with this article.

Other items discussed during Tuesday evening’s meeting included additional school opening plans, summer school plans, the addition of two new school resource officers (RSO), and the proposed 2021-22 school budget. To view all items discussed during the the live-streamed meeting, please click here.

All elementary schools have now opened to four-day, in-person learning which began on Monday, April 5. Grades 4-12 will open for four-day, in-person instruction beginning April 19.

New busing times are staggered due to CDC recommendations on busing capacity limits. Wednesday half-day, live instruction is now being implemented for all grade levels.

The new busing schedule is as follows:

• 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Secondary
• 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Riley and Leighton
• 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – KPS, FPS and Minetto

The district is also offering summer programs for students on a 30-day basis. The programs are as follows:

• K-8 Academic Intervention Programming
• 9-12 Summer School – Credit Recovery Program
• Extended School Year and English Language Learner Programming

A question and answer page is now available on the school district website, with answers to previous community questions now viewable. For more information, please click here.

All items on the agenda were passed. To view the full board agenda, please click here. All BOE meetings are held the first and third Tuesday’s of every month, the next meeting to be held on Tuesday, April 20 at 5:00 p.m. All meetings are viewable on the districts WBUC YouTube channel.

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