Should students play sports this fall? It’s a difficult call.

On the college level, the Big Ten, the PAC-12, and the Mid-American conferences have all canceled their Fall sports seasons. The St. Louis Cardinals have been sidelined for over two weeks due to a COVID-19 outbreak among players and staff, and it’s unknown when they can return to the field. With these impacts on a national level, are school districts across the state taking too much of a risk by having students participate in Fall extra-curricular activities such as football, volleyball, softball, and more? Laclede County Health Department Administrator, Charla Baker, says it’s a difficult call……….

Many of those Fall extra-curricular activities are scheduled to get underway during the last week of August. Some school districts are making parents sign a waiver for their student that would hold the district harmless if a student becomes ill, or dies, after contracting COVID-19 during an extra-curricular event.