Norristown School District Suspends Fall Sports

NORRISTOWN, PA — Norristown Area School District became one of the first and only schools in the region to make a specific announcement on its fall sports plan Thursday, saying that all sports for the upcoming season are canceled.

The news comes days after the district said they will have no in-person schooling through Jan. 2021 due to the coronavirus risks to both students and staff. Norristown and Upper Dublin are the only school districts in Montgomery County to make such an announcement.

>>Norristown Schools Will Not Hold In-Person Instruction In 2020

"We recognize that the angst this will bring for our student-athletes, coaches, and gameday staff, but it is the health and safety of those groups and their families that are paramount to the district," Norristown said in a statement. "If we cannot guarantee a safe return to the classroom, we cannot guarantee a safe return to the playing field, course, sidelines, courts, or locker room."

>>Coronavirus Spreading Amongst Youth Sports Teams In Montco

Youth sports leagues are a major spreader of coronavirus in Montgomery County, according to officials, along with social gatherings like graduation parties. Some players who were positive but not immediately showing symptoms continue to play for days, exposing large groups, officials said.

As a result of the spread of the virus, and because it's not clear how long positive individuals interacted with members of various teams, the entire roster of many youth sports teams is now in a two-week quarantine.

Norristown Area School District added that if the PIAA or the state made a change to the scheduled season, presumably to delay it in some way, then they "reserve the right to revisit this decision."

Students will follow a regular five-day per week schedule online. All students will receive a Chromebook, and the district will continue its food service to children. For more details on the school's virtual reopening plan, see here.