Decorah School District's indoor facilities remain closed while outdoor ones open June 1st with guidelines

Posted: Wed, May 27, 2020 7:51 PM

The Decorah school board met Wednesday to discuss the recently released guidelines for use of school facilities.

At this time, all indoor facilities, including the weight room, gyms, auditoriums, etc., will remain closed through June 30th for the entire community.

Athletic Director Adam Riley comments, "This is a fluid situation as we move forward. We're getting a little bit better handle on the indoor environment and being patient is the best approach."

Many of the questions about facility use are relevant to athletics. Under normal circumstances, there can be unlimited contact for all coaches and high school student athletes for any season sport starting on June 1st. With the new guidelines, this date has been pushed back until July 1st.

Additionally, all in-person, team organized activities, such as an open gym for basketball players, will not be permitted. Coaches are, however, able to have digital contact with athletes to provide workout suggestions for strength training and conditioning. There can be no direct contact with a coach while a student athlete is training.

For coaches and student athletes, the outdoor facilities will be managed using the Canvas online learning system. On Canvas, student athletes will see video descriptions for different potential workouts. Then, while still following physical distancing guidelines, student athletes may be on school grounds. Coaches, however, cannot be present.

Because the restrictions for baseball and softball were recently lifted, the expectations listed in this article do not apply. See updated information about these two sports here.

Setting expectations for the community, Decorah Superintendent Mark Lane says, "To be a safe environment, anyone from the community using the outdoor facilities must follow the guidelines set by Iowa Public Health, including physical distancing."