Burgum pulls back on athletics restrictions
BY TYSON SMEDSTAD
It’s back to practice after Thanksgiving weekend.
The late night change happened Nov.18 after North Dakota Govenor Doug Burgum received push back from legislature, parents and others to amended his mandate of school athletics on Nov. 18.
Practices will resume for school athletics Nov. 30 but competition will not still start until Dec. 14.
Burgum met with legislative leaders, and received input from the North Dakota High School Activities Association and feedback from numerous legislators, parents, school administrators, students, coaches, mental health professionals and others concerned about the impacts of suspended activities.
“Our goals remain unchanged: to protect the most vulnerable, provide relief to our stressed hospitals and health care workers, keep students in school and businesses open, and preserve the winter sports season,” Burgum said in a Nov. 18 statement.
Additional precautions will be enacted with the start of practice. This will mean no travel for activites outside a teams home territory, no locker room use and there will be no spectators at games. Additionally, coaches will be masked at all times and the facilities restricted to players, coaches and staff only.
