The Morongo Unified School District Board of Trustees held a special meeting last night (March 1) to discuss possibly allowing the return of student athletic conditioning and special education cohorts. Reporter Andrew Dieleman has the results…
District Director of Secondary Curriculum Dustin Howard presented a detailed three-phase athletic plan to the board—athletic conditioning in phase 1, non-contact practice in phase 2, and full-contact practice and competitions in phase 3—all while maintaining COVID-19 protocols in accordance with the state health department. After nearly an hour of in-depth discussion on procedure details and student safety, the board voted unanimously to approve phases 1 and 2 of the plan for all sports offered by MUSD. The board is expected to collect additional information to discuss and possibly approve phase 3 of the plan at its regular meeting on March 9. The board will also require updates during each regular meeting on student participation in the program and COVID-19 compliance practices. Howard emphasized that the district will strictly enforce COVID-19 compliance for student athletes and coaches alike, and that failure to comply will be met swiftly with program closures or forfeiture of seasons.
The board also voted unanimously to approve the return of special education cohorts. The cohorts will resume March 22, which will allow the district time to prepare classrooms and organize student transportation.
