San Mateo County, CA — The San Mateo County Office of Education released today, Implementation Guidance for the Four Pillars: School-Sponsored Athletic Events, a companion document to the Pandemic Recovery Framework (PRF), which has guided school reopenings in San Mateo County. The new implementation guidance, prepared in consultation with San Mateo County Health, seeks to align recent State guidance addressing athletics with the key safety provisions, or the Four Pillars, of the PRF. These include health and hygiene, face coverings, physical distancing, and limiting gatherings.
While all schools organizing athletic training, practices, and competitions need to be familiar with and implement the California Department of Public Health’s guidance, Outdoor and Indoor Youth and Recreational Adult Sports, the document released today pulls out the key provisions related to the Four Pillars for easy sharing with students, parents, and community members.
The implementation guidance released today also includes guidance regarding observers, which addresses who may observe athletic events, the number of observers allowed per athlete, and how to maintain the Four Pillars while allowing observers.
“While families of athletes are excited to see their students get back to competitive action, they also asked for clearer guidance regarding sports observers than provided by the state,” explained San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools Nancy Magee. “The San Mateo County implementation guidance provides a quick summary that clearly guides families and school leaders in how to safely include family members in these events.”
The San Mateo County Office of Education’s Better Together webinar on Tuesday, March 16th, at 6:30 p.m., will address safety measures on school campuses, including extracurricular activities and sports. Register here.
Information on the status of school reopenings can be found on the San Mateo County Office of Education website.