AHSTW Softball & Baseball Guidelines for COVID-19 Preventions
Hello everyone,
We are excited to announce that both baseball and softball activities have been approved to begin on June 1, 2020. Since the announcement last week we have been working with the Department of Education, Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union to develop guidelines and best practice to allow us to provide these opportunities in a safe setting for all participants and spectators.
At this time we are prepared to share those practices. We ask that you review the following information prior to attending our summer activities.
General Health Information:
● Signage will be posted at all entrances indicating no one should attend or participate if they currently have symptoms or have been in contact with anyone with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the last 14 days.
● Student-athletes and coaches will be required to take their temperature at home before coming to practice or games. If a student-athlete’s temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher the
student-athlete or coach will be required to stay home. This needs to be done at home before attending practice or game and is the responsibility of the athlete.
● Anyone exhibiting symptoms should not attend practice or game; must remain fever free without medication for 72 hours and symptom free.
● Any athlete showing symptoms of illness will not be allowed to practice or play. Please consider consulting a physician with any of the following symptoms:
○ Fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
○ Shortness of breath
○ Sore Throat
○ Loss of taste or smell
○ Headaches
○ Body aches
○ Nasal congestion
○ Nausea
○ Vomiting
○ Diarrhea
○ Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
○ Positive COVID-Test
*** Parents or players please contact your coach if you have symptoms of illness and need to miss practice or a game. Coaches are required to have players showing symptoms of illness to not participate or attend practices or games.
● Participants may be asked to report their temperature or subject to temperature checks by district personnel.
● Pre-existing health conditions must be reported to our coaches and athletic department immediately.
● Return to Participate:
○ Student-athletes must be fever free without the use of medication for 72 hours before returning and symptom free. [Per Recommendations from the CDC, Department of Education, IGHSAU, & IHSAA]
● AHSTW Community Schools will follow the guidance and procedures of the Iowa Department of Public Health in the case of a positive COVID-19 test.
● We ask that all athletes for baseball and softball have their own personal hand sanitizer for practices and games. Use of hand sanitizer is encouraged throughout practices and games.
● Coaches are responsible for tracking absences for the purpose of noting potential COVID-19 cases.
Reporting Protocol:
Guidance:
● Coach will take attendance each day
● If player is absent, coach will call player to find out why
● If player is absent due to illness the coach will talk with parent and inform parent the school nurse will be calling to follow up with some health questions
● School nurse will check for COVID-19 symptoms
○ If no symptoms of COVID-19: follow 72 hour rule
○ If symptoms of COVID-19: nurse will recommend consulting a physician
● If COVID-19 positive: the school will follow the guidance from the Pottawattamie County Public Health
● Participants should follow any further guidance or requirements issued by the Governor of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union or other authority governing participation in Iowa public school district extracurricular activities.
Practice Procedures: [Team]
● Student-athletes and coaches will be required to take their temperature at home before coming to practice and may need to report it to the coach. [100.4 degrees] Coaches may also check temperatures prior to practice if necessary.
● Equipment will be sterilized before and after practices
● Players should use their own gloves, bats, and helmets as much as possible.
● Student-athletes are encouraged to NOT share their own equipment with teammates during practice. Personal items must be disinfected before and after each practice.
● No dugout use is allowed during practice; players gear will be spread out 6 feet apart
● Team meetings or huddles must be socially distanced
● Coaches are responsible for ensuring social distancing is maintained between players as much as possible. This means additional spacing between players while playing catch, changing drills so that players remain spaced out, and no congregating of players while waiting to bat.
● No sunflower seeds are allowed.
● Athletes are required to bring their own water bottle or water jug to practice. NO SHARING DRINK OR FOOD ITEMS
● No water fountains or hydrants will be available during practices or games.
● Parents must remain in their cars or drop off and pick up players after practice. Players reporting to and leaving practices are not allowed to congregate in parking lots and must follow social distancing guidelines. Parent contact with coaches should be done through email, phone calls, or other electronic communication if at all possible.
● Masks may be worn in the dugout, during practice, and in the field but not required to do so unless it becomes required by local or state officials.
● Student-athletes and coaches will be required to take their temperature at home before coming to practice and may need to report it to the coach. [100.4 degrees]
● Equipment will be sterilized before and after games.
● Players should use their own gloves, bats, and helmets as much as possible.
● Student-Athletes are encouraged to NOT share their own equipment with teammates during games. Personal items must be disinfected before and after each game.
● Social Distancing is required around batting cages and while in lines for drills.
● Dugout allowed to be used for games. JV Players are expected to be socially distanced in the stands while Varsity is playing. This expectation will also be expected during JV games. Varsity players will be expected to be in the bleachers to provide more room in the dugout.
● No sunflower seeds are allowed.
● Athletes are required to bring their own water bottle or water jug to games. NO SHARING DRINK OR FOOD ITEMS
● No water fountains or hydrants will be available during practices or games.
● At the end of the game, our team will acknowledge the other team from in front of our dugout by a wave or tip of the hat.
● Parents must remain in their cars or drop off and pick up players after games. Players reporting to and leaving games are not allowed to congregate in parking lots and must follow social distancing guidelines. Parent contact with coaches should be done through email, phone calls, or other electronic communication if at all possible.
● Masks may be worn in the dugout, during warm-ups, and in the field during games but not required to do so unless it becomes required by local or state officials.
● No team meals can be provided
Game Procedures: [Fans]
● Spectators SHOULD NOT attend if currently showing symptoms or if they have been in contact with someone confirmed positive of COVID-19 in the last 14 days or if they are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above in the general health information section.
● NO concession stands - coolers are acceptable at home games but must be limited to use by single households and contain no alcohol or tobacco products.
● No sunflower seeds are allowed.
● It will be the responsibility of the fans to practice social distancing during games. Family units are allowed to sit together, but are expected to be 6’ apart from other attendees.
● Spectators will be asked to respect Social Distancing Rules and
○ Areas will be designated down both foul lines and in the outfield for spectator seating. We ask that families sit together in an area with no crossover..
● Bleachers will be closed to attendees during the game. Please bring a lawn chair or stand during the competition.
● Masks may be worn but not required to do so unless it becomes required by local or state officials
● Restrooms will be available. Please be sure to wash hands after using and limit the number of
people in the restroom when possible.
● No team meals can be provided
● Parents must remain in their cars or drop off and pick up players after games. Fans attending games are not allowed to congregate in parking lots and must follow social distancing guidelines. Parent contact with coaches should be done through email, phone calls, or other electronic communication if at all possible.
Game Admission:
● There will be a $5.00 entry fee for all adults. 12th grade and under are FREE. School passes are still honored. Having exact change would be very helpful when paying to limit extra interaction for our ticket taker.
● AHSTW will continue to transport teams to away athletic events.
● Parents do have the option to transport kids to away games after signing the transportation waiver (waiver will be provided with the preseason information)
● We will promote social distancing on the bus and seat students appropriately; masks will be worn per Iowa Department of Education guidelines
● One bus per team may be used. [Baseball / Softball]
