A group of students and parents upset with a decision to halt winter sports competitions rallied Monday before a Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school board meeting.
At a previous meeting, the board moved secondary students to distance learning and discontinued winter sports for the upcoming season because of COVID-19. The state suggests that if a county reaches more than 30 cases per 10,000 people, schools switch to distance learning and stop in-person activities. Dakota County is currently at 33.4 cases per 10,000 people.
According to the district, 126 students and 32 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus since mid-September when classes resumed.
While winter sports competitions were halted, practices could continue.
The rally took place before the 6 p.m. Monday meeting. Parents have started a “Let Them Play” Facebook page in hopes of gathering more people to speak out on the decision.
Some of the winter sports that are affected by the decision include basketball, hockey and wrestling — the sports with the highest participation rates in the district.
The state has left the decision to individual districts on how to proceed during the pandemic, encouraging them to weigh the outbreak in their communities.
“The state is putting districts in a horrible position,” said Tony Taschner, spokesman for the school district. “We are trying to follow the state plan as best we can, but they are not stepping forward to make any decisions.”
The growing number of coronavirus cases across the state suggests many districts face the same choices. The Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan board did allow fall sports to finish out their seasons before the winter limitations are put in place.
“We aren’t trying to limit or take anything away. We are making decisions in the interest of public health,” said Taschner.
The school board did not plan to talk about the decision, according to Monday night’s meeting agenda.
Also on Monday, the Minnesota Department of Health announced 19 more deaths, raising the total related to the coronavirus to 2,675 in the state.