Game on: Sports to return at Windsor-Essex schools
Board says practice can resume as soon as students' vaccination status is verified
Sports activities will be starting up at schools in Windsor-Essex.
A spokesperson for the Greater Essex County District School Board said practice will begin as soon as participants have verified they are fully vaccinated, and games will begin the week of Nov. 22.
It's the same for the schools within the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.
Sports and other extracurricular activities have been on pause, based on guidance from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
Earlier this month, however, WECHU recommended that school boards set a policy, allowing fully vaccinated students to participate in activities.
The move to delay school sports has been controversial, prompting protests from students, despite many schools experiencing COVID-19 cases and outbreaks this year. The acting medical officer of health has said that more than 300 school cohorts have been dismissed because of exposures.
Riley Hulse-Smith, a Grade 12 student at Honourable W.C. Kennedy Collegiate, said many of her peers really want to get back into sports, but she has reservations, saying that she doesn't want to see school get shut down.
"I feel like we need to be very, very careful when we do open things up, and if they do, because again, we do not want COVID cases to rise," she said.
Jayden Capton also said a lot of people are excited and happy about the return to sports.
"It's really good for kids to be able to play sports and practice with the sports they love, and I know a lot of people use sports as a way to get away from at-home activities and stuff like that," he said.
With files from Darrin Di Carlo