By Brad McElhiny, WV MetroNews
September 1, 2020
Gov. Jim Justice offered teams with games canceled because of coronavirus spread a chance to play if everyone got a negative test. But three counties said thanks but no thanks almost immediately.
Kanawha County Schools decided not to participate in testing student athletes, band members or dance team members this week for the one-time option to play or perform, according to a news release.
Kanawha schools plan to continue with practices in hopes that the overall COVID-19 numbers go down so student athletes and others have a better chance of participating for an entire season. The hope is to reschedule games from week one later in the season.
“We thank state officials for this option for our students, but we’ve collectively decided that our focus should be on making sure that we do everything in our power to get our students back to school,” stated Kanawha County schools Superintendent Tom Williams.
Earlier this afternoon, Justice said high school teams that faced cancellation of games may still play this week if everyone on the team is cleared via coronavirus testing.
Others were making similar decisions.