February 3, 2021
Cobre board meeting gets heated during reopening, athletic discussions Written by Dean Thompson on February 3, 2021
The Cobre Schools Board of Education heard discussion on reopening in a hybrid model and allowing four-students-to-one-coach athletic pods and had a lengthy look at public input during their meeting Tuesday evening, which was held virtually.
Not only was there discussion, but more than one voice was raised during that discussion, to which board member Gabe Holguin toward the end of the meeting said, “I’d like to remind the board we’re all on the same team and we should maintain some professionalism and respect for each other’s opinions when we’re speaking. Body language speaks volumes, and it appears to me we’re not doing that and I’ll leave it at that.”
Since the shutdown of high school sports and performing arts last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each state has been looking for that proverbial light at the end of tunnel as a sign for restarting its programs. In some states, the light appeared quickly last fall; in others, it has taken many more miles to reach that light.Â
In the past couple of weeks, several states that have not been able toÂ
Play.Perform.Compete.Together since last spring, along with a few states that had been on pause due to government mandates, received the green light to proceed. The lights are no longer from an oncoming train in the tunnel; the lights are being turned on in gymnasiums, in auditoriums and on stages.Â
The high school sports calendar for this semester is in place. Now we wait to find out who will join the party. The board of directors of the New Mexico…
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High school athletes across the state this week got an injection of hope that there will indeed be games to play this spring after nearly a year of COVID-19 restrictions.
But while the decision makers made clear that could happen – from the Governor announcing the green light on a return to in-person learning on Feb. 8 to the Public Education Department and the New Mexico Activities Association essentially confirming a tentative start date of Feb. 22 for high school sports – there hadn’t been talk about how that could be so within the parameters of the existing public health order.
After all, a return to in-person learning at high schools only solves half the equation for a return to the fields and courts. A public health order remains in place that prohibits mass gatherings like practices and games.