Return to Scholastic Sport / Questions & Considerations

Return to Scholastic Sport

QUESTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS

Athletic Directors

Is the infection rate low enough in your community for you to begin a safe return to scholastic sport?

Do you have the necessary resources, personnel and support you need to create and maintain a safe environment for the return to scholastic sport?

Do you have an athletic trainer at your school?  If not, it is more important than ever to hire one for your school.

If no AT is present, who is making critical medical decisions for your athletes on a daily basis?  

Who has medical training and background to be able to adequately and safely make return to sport decisions?

Are you supporting your athletic trainer with the necessary PPE, materials and personnel needed to be successful during the pandemic?

Are you providing extra per diem athletic trainers to help screen students, enforce your return to sport plan, and manage student athlete healthcare?

Do your student athletes have an outlet to voice concerns anonymously?

Do your coaches have an outlet to voice concerns anonymously?

Do your parents have an outlet to voice concerns anonymously?

What happens when your athletic trainer gets sick?  

Are you prepared to hire a per diem athletic trainer to step in temporarily in their place?

Do you have all of your policies in writing and accessible in case you need to hire additional per diem athletic trainers so they are knowledgeable before they start?

Have your coaches been properly trained on how to protect themselves and their team?

Are they reporting symptoms to the athletic trainer or health care providers?

Masks?

Hygiene?

Social Distancing?

Altering Drills to keep athletes safe?

Extra security?

Have your coaches, students, parents, players and everyone else in the community “bought-in” to your plan?

Does everyone understand that “a healthy team is a championship team”?  They may only get one chance to play sports this year and if everyone stays healthy, they will be less likely to have to forfeit or cancel games due to mandatory quarantines.

Are you requiring a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning to coach?

Are you requiring a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning to sport?

Are you allowing spectators at events?

Do you have policies for social distancing and mask usage in place?

Do you have extra staff to enforce social distancing and masks?

Do you have markings for what 6 feet of distancing looks like?

Do you have physical barriers to aid in crowd control when entering and exiting venues?

Do you have additional staff or security to help enforcing rules and deescalating situations?

Are you allowing media at the event?

Is there clear rules and signage for the media and where they are allowed to stand?

What is your school’s plan for handling questions from the media?  Do you have a PR person handling all COVID related questions?

As the science surrounding COVID-19 advances, are you able to adapt your policies and return to scholastic sport plan to ensure that you are following the most up-to-date information?

Have you included a thorough review of your COVID-19 policies and procedures in your onboarding process for all employees?

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Parents

Are you requiring pre-participation physical exams for the 20-21 school year?

Have you circulated your return to sport plan to your parents?

Did you discuss the importance of pre-participation physical exams with your parents even if your state is suspending the requirement?

Are parents aware of the potential cardiac conditions associated with asymptomatic COVID-19 patients?

Have you asked your parents if their pediatrician is offering pre-participation physical exams?

What is the procedure for pick-up and drop-off?

Are you running mass physical exams for students this year?  If not, are the parents aware of this change early enough that they are able to get an appointment with their primary care physician?

Do their primary care physicians understand the rigors of the sport?

What other information are you sending out to the players and the parents?

Are there specific instructions and directives being provided and is there an outlet for these groups to voice concerns?

Do you have evidence-based information to send to parents and students who are inundated with various messages coming from popular media outlets daily?

Does your messaging clearly speak to the value of prevention and the consequences of inaction?

FYI: Just because restrictions are in place does not mean that people have not been exposed and/or asymptomatic.

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Athletic Trainers

Are you comfortable with your school’s return to sport plan?

Is the plan evidence based?  Is it following all best practices?

Has your overseeing physician reviewed the plan?

Do you have an outlet to voice your concerns anonymously?

Will you need help executing the established plan? Per diem ATs? 

Where is your athletic training room going to be located?

Is there proper ventilation in your athletic training room?

Does your athletic training room allow for proper social distancing?

Does your AT room have a handwashing station?

Do you have signage regarding masks and social distancing in your athletic training room?

Who is cleaning the “high touch” surfaces in the AT room?

Are the cleaning supplies you are using effective against the COVID-19 virus? Check List-N to make sure that you are using the proper disinfectants and cleaners at your school.

Have you reviewed mental health policies and procedures in regards to return to school and sport after COVID-19?

How will students/athletes/patients be able to book a time to see the AT?

Have you re-read all of your previous policies to ensure that they are still relevant in the age of COVID-19? (Ex: Lightning policy – Where do we take cover when there is a storm?)

Will your AT be helping or managing daily screening?

Are you supporting your athletic trainer?

Are you hiring per diem athletic trainers to help them screen everyone?

Are you hiring per diem athletic trainers to help them with pre-event treatments?

Have you discussed the full health and safety return to play plan with the Team Physician or your AT’s overseeing physician?

Do you have enough PPE for your role as an athletic trainer?

What is the plan if you or a fellow athletic trainer gets sick?

Do you have your entire COVID “Playbook” ready to share with a per diem athletic trainer in the event that you become sick or need to be quarantined?

Have you reviewed the NATA’s Secondary School Return from COVID suggestions?

Have you consulted the other athletic trainers in your community or league to see how they are addressing the same issues you are facing?

Have you reviewed the most current CPR/AED recommendations for the professional rescuer?

Have you or your athletic trainers been working on policies concerning return to play for the school AND are they a part of the conversation for return to school practices? 

Is there an open communication pathway between the school nurse and the athletic trainer and other COVID Care team members?

As the science surrounding COVID-19 advances, are you able to adapt your policies and return to scholastic sport plan to ensure that you are following the most up-to-date information?

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Coaches/Staff Training

Have your coaches been properly trained on how to protect themselves and their team?

Are they reporting symptoms to the athletic trainer or health care providers?

Are they setting a good example for the student athletes?

Masks?

Hygiene?

Social Distancing?

Altering Drills to keep athletes safe?

Extra security?

Emergency Cardiac Care - CPR/AED Certification?

Hands only CPR or Bag Valve Mask?

Have your coaches communicated the policies and procedures to their staff?

Have your coaches examined their practice plans and opted for drills that are non-contact? 

Allow for small groups? Drills focusing on skill development?

Are coaches expected to help screen their teams?  Is this a conflict of interest?

Are the athletic trainers and coaches working together to discuss how to safely conduct drills and reduce risk? 

Are the coaches adequately informed about the role of the athletic trainer in your school and do they actively encourage their athletes to seek care from the AT when they are sick or hurt?

Do your coaches understand the importance of reporting anyone with COVID-19 symptoms?

Have you included a thorough review of your COVID-19 policies and procedures in your onboarding process for all employees?

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Team Physician

Are they comfortable with your return to scholastic sport?

Have you engaged your team physician in the return to scholastic sport plan?

Are they comfortable with your decision about pre-participation physical exams?

Have you discussed a return to play plan if someone is diagnosed with COVID?

What specific screenings and/or questionnaires will be implemented?

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Referees

Have you circulated your return to sport plan to your officials and referee assignors?

Have you explored alternate options for your officials?

Hand-whistles?

Field positioning that takes into account social distancing?

Ex: Calling balls/strikes from behind the pitcher

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Facilities Personnel

Are your facilities teams equipped with the knowledge and support to determine “COVID capacity” in different areas/gymnasiums/fitness centers?  

Do they have access to appropriate cleaning supplies?

Are the cleaning supplies you’re using effective against the COVID virus?  Be sure to check List-N to make sure that you are using the proper disinfectants and cleaners at your school. 

Do they have the time or schedule allowances to properly disinfect at regular intervals?  

Are the medical facilities at your school properly disinfected?

Do they have appropriate ventilation or room for social distancing or hand washing stations?  

Where is the closest handwashing station to all of the different facilities that your athletes may be located?

Is there appropriate signage to lead the athletes there?  Are there markers for physical distancing?

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School Nurse

Are you supporting your school nurse with the necessary PPE, materials and personnel needed to be successful during the pandemic?

Are you providing extra help to screen students?

Does your school nurse have access to organizational guidelines? 

Is there an open communication pathway between the school nurse and the athletic trainer and other COVID Care team members?

What is the plan if your school nurse gets sick?

While school nurses likely have a wealth of information regarding infectious disease, and COVID, do they have education on return to sport if they are the only medical provider currently at your school?

If your school has both a school nurse and an athletic trainer, do they have support in place to engage in meaningful conversation and exchange medical information in an efficient manner?

Does the school nurse have access to the pre participation physical and is there a line of communication in place if someone is suspected of infection during the school day or after school? As members of the medical team, both groups need appropriate and timely access.

If you have part-time nurses or ATs, are you bringing them back early to help create policies and bring forward any concerns from a medical perspective? 

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Teachers/Faculty

Is there a line of communication or protocol in place for teachers to ask questions or alert admins to students who are absent or identify students who appear sick in class?  

How are the physical education teachers tied-in with your athletic trainer and/or school nurse?  

How do you adapt a return to play/sport policy to physical education?  

Even if your school decides not to return to sport this fall, if physical education classes are held, these policies will still need to be in place and the health care providers at the school, who may not normally work in this area, need to be consulted.

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OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Locker Rooms

Are you allowing the use of locker rooms?

How are you going to enforce social distancing practices in the locker room?

Are visiting teams allowed to use locker rooms?

Who will be cleaning the locker rooms?

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Athletic Training Room

Where is this being located?

Are you slotting appointments to see the athletic trainer?

Are students allowed to come receive treatment during the day to minimize an overload of patients in the afternoon?

Does the athletic training room have enough room for social distancing?

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Compliance/Waivers/Agreements

Did all of your stakeholders review your return to sport policies and procedures?

Did all stakeholders sign a COVID waiver?

Did your coaches take the NFHS COVID course?

Did all of your student athletes submit their Pre-Participation Physical Exam for this coming school year?

Do you have a contact tracing plan in place?

Is the plan sufficiently maintaining confidentiality of patients and their medical information?

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Pre-Participation Physical Exams

Are these mandatory?

Are your students able to access them?

Are there COVID specific screening attached to the PPE this year?

Have you asked your parents to reach out to their pediatricians now to see when they can schedule their child’s physical exams?

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What are you going to do when someone gets sick? 

Quarantine?

Shutdown?

What is the local plan for contact tracing?

Are you communicating COVID positive cases in a manner that is HIPAA/FERPA compliant?

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