Dear Germantown School District Families:
The Germantown Central School District is committed to providing a wide range of athletic opportunities to our students in as safe a manner as possible. As stated in the CDC guidelines, when a region is in a High Transmission – Red Zone, as is the current status of Columbia County, districts should cancel or hold high risk sports virtually to protect in-person learning, unless all participants are fully vaccinated. Columbia County Department of Health has strongly recommended that the following public mitigation measures be in place for the start of high-risk winter sports for all schools in Columbia County, due to the increasing prevalence of the Delta variant.
- To participate in indoor high-risk winter sports (basketball, volleyball,), student-athletes who are eligible for the vaccine (12 and older) must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In order to be fully vaccinated by the time the season begins, prospective student-athletes should begin the vaccination process as soon as possible and must receive their second dose no later than November 1, 2021, for varsity/JV or November 8, 2021, for modified sports.
- Families of students interested in high-risk winter sports are required to confirm proof of vaccination with the school nurse.
- Only those who are not eligible for the vaccine (under 12) will be able to participate in interscholastic sports if unvaccinated. Student-athletes under the age of 12 must instead undergo weekly COVID-19 testing in order to participate. Parental consent is required for the testing of student-athletes. Screening testing for approved participants who are unvaccinated will begin the week of November 8.
- All student-athletes must wear face masks during contests and practices indoors.
Germantown is committed to providing the safest learning environment possible for our students and staff during the pandemic. Getting vaccinated is a critical step in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, minimizing any disruption to learning, and keeping our teams in action. While we understand that this is a difficult decision for some families, it is an essential step that we must take in partnership with the County to allow our schools to continue to safely offer high-risk sports in the face of the ongoing pandemic.
Columbia County Vaccination information is available at: https://www.columbiacountynyhealth.com/news/new-covid-19-vaccine-information/
To schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/
Thank you for your continued support and your commitment to working with us to provide a safe environment for in-person learning and sports.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Bragg
Superintendent of Schools
Germantown Central School District
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