September 25, 2020 Good Afternoon High School Students and Families, CIAC fall sports competition will open this week. Throughout the summer and into the fall, administrators from the region have collaborated to share best practices and ideas to continue to offer outstanding high school programming. Administrators from Avon, Farmington, Simsbury and West Hartford continue to meet regularly to promote high level academic and extracurricular programming. Considerable time was spent vetting safe and adaptive solutions that would allow our students to engage in interscholastic activities with spectators while also adhering to public health guidelines and complying with Governor Lamont’s Executive Orders. The remainder of this letter will outline our approach to having spectators attend athletic events within the region this fall. Our collective approach to interscholastic athletics competitions this fall has been reviewed by members of Central Connecticut Conference, local health districts, and officials at the CIAC. With that in mind the linked document (each school has provided its own in their letter) outlines our approach to events ​ with spectators this fall. Please note that, overall, our plans are consistent, however each school has ​ determined its own guidelines based upon unique factors including the facilities and numbers of athletes participating. It is important to understand that limitations to fans in attendance have been made to ​ ensure the health and safety of our students and community members. Inability to follow the above referenced guidelines could result in potential cancellations or forfeits from competitions. Additionally, athletic directors have informed us that groups of referees/officials may be unwilling to participate in the scheduled competitions if specific spectator guidelines are not followed. We appreciate the collective partnerships built across our communities to ensure we minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. We will continue to make every effort to keep our athletics programs and schools safe as we progress into the fall. We look forward to supporting our students and coaches as they embark on their respective competitive seasons this fall. While our schools are rivals on the field, we are truly all in this together and place the health, safety and well-being of our students and community members at the forefront of our decision making. Thank you in advance for supporting these guidelines. Please see the Spectator Guidelines for AHS Athletics - Fall 2020 on the following page. Sincerely, Michael Renkawitz Julio Duarte Scott Hurwitz Principal Principal Principal Avon High School Conard High School Farmington High School Dan Zittoun Stephen Patrina Principal Principal Hall High School Simsbury High School Spectator Guidelines for AHS Athletics Fall 2020 In an effort to maintain proper social distancing for spectators during athletic events, the athletic department has set forth the following guidelines for the fall 2020 athletic season: Media: ​ Members of the media are welcome to varsity athletic contests for all Avon High School Fall sporting events. A member of the media is defined as an employee of a digital or print media company, who is assigned to cover local high school athletics, or an approved member of the Avon Booster Club who serves as the team photographer. Members of the media must adhere to the following guidelines: 1. All members of the media should submit a request to cover an AHS athletic contest, by emailing Tim Filon, Director of Athletics at [email protected], at least twelve hours prior to the start of the athletic ​ ​ contest. A credential will be issued, in the form of an approval email from Tim Filon. 2. All members of the media must wear a company issued Identification badge, and should check in with game staff upon arrival. Members of the media should be prepared to show the credential email from Tim Filon upon request. 3. All members of the media are required to wear a face mask or face covering, and will be required to stay in the designated media area, as determined by the Director of Athletics. 4. All members of the media, who are using photo or video equipment to capture images or video, must remain on the opposite sideline from team benches, and remain at least 12 feet from the field/court boundary line in the AHS gym or AHS Field Hockey field, or at Fisher Meadows. Media members should use lane 4 of the AHS track for all games on the turf. 5. Members of the media may conduct post game interviews with coaches and players in accordance with established procedures, a mask must be worn by the member of the media as well as the coach/student-athlete, and at least 6 feet of social distancing should be in place between interviewer and interviewee. 6. Any member of the media who fails to follow these procedures, as well as other published procedures of Avon Public Schools shall have their credentials revoked, and a supervisor will be notified. Opposing School Fans No fans from opposing schools will be permitted to attend athletic contests at any Avon HS Athletic Facility. Only team members and coaching staff will be permitted. This information will be shared with all opposing school athletic department staff for dissemination. Game staff will not permit entry to opposing school fans, and fans will be directed to leave the facility, grounds, and/or campus. Avon High School Fans (Parents/Guardians, Siblings, Students, and Staff) 1. Only the following individuals will be permitted to attend AHS Home Outdoor Athletic contests for the sport that their child(ren) participate in: a. Listed parents/guardians as indicated in PowerSchool b. Listed siblings as indicated in PowerSchool c. Siblings who are not APS students and can confirm residing in the same household 2. Check-in with game staff will be required upon arrival. (AHS campus events only) 3. Families shall sit together in designated and marked spaces on bleachers and along fence lines. 4. At Fisher Meadows, families should sit together, ensuring at least 6 feet of social distance between other families. 5. Siblings and younger children are not permitted to wander, play off to the side, they must be supervised by their parent/guardian at all times. 6. There will be no student section at home athletic contests. AHS students will not be permitted to attend home athletic contests at this time. An AHS student may attend a home outdoor athletic contest as a sibling of a participating student-athlete, but must attend and sit with their family. 7. AHS parents/guardians, siblings, and fans are expected to wear a mask for all indoor athletic contests, and outdoors, when within 6 feet of distance to other families/fans. 8. AHS parents/guardians, siblings, and fans are expected to follow the regulations for fans at all away athletic contests if permitted to attend by the host school. 9. APS staff who wish to attend an athletic contest may do so by contacting Tim Filon, Director of Athletics. 10. Anyone who does not adhere to the procedures, along with the procedures of Avon Public Schools, shall be directed to leave the athletic event. AHS Outdoor Fields: (Soccer and Field Hockey) ​ ● Please adhere to the white tape markings on the bleachers and along the fence lines for appropriate seating/standing areas. ● Athletic event staff will be monitoring spectators to ensure guidelines are being met. ● All families must enter the stadium from the gate closest to West Avon Road and check in with event staff. At this time the AHS Athletic Department will be giving a family pass to each student athlete by 9/29, which will assist with the check in procedure on game days. ● The staircase side of the stadium is off limits to spectators this fall. This area will be for players, coaches, officials, event staff and AHS staff. AHS Gymnasium: (Volleyball Only) ​ ● One family member per athlete can attend matches per state guidelines for indoor sporting events. Masks are required at all times indoors. ● Parents will check in at the entrance to the new gym and show their family pass. ● JV families and players are required to leave the gym right after the conclusion of their match. ● Varsity families are asked not to show up until 5 minutes before their child’s match is to start. ● Please sit in the marked bleacher areas only. *At this time the AHS Athletic Department will distribute a family pass to each student athlete by 9/29, which will assist with the check in procedure on game days. Fisher Meadows: (Boys and Girls JV/DV Soccer and Cross Country) ​ ● Areas for families may be marked 12 feet from the sideline and 6 feet apart across the length of the parking lot sideline. ● Bleacher seating is not available. ● We strongly encourage families to maintain social distance to the greatest extent possible. ● As a reminder, Fisher Meadows is a town facility, therefore Avon Public Schools, Avon High School, and AHS Athletic is not responsible for any missing field markings. Please follow all posted signs in accordance with town regulations. .