School board debates reinstating sports practice: COVID-19 case cluster suspends in-person classes, activities

There are 30 positive COVID-19 cases in the Brainerd School District, and 21 are related to a cluster first reported last week among high school students.

Assistant Superintendent Heidi Hahn reported the numbers during the school board meeting Monday, Sept. 28, when staff and board members discussed the two-week suspension of high school sports and activities. With no board action taken Monday, that suspension still stands.

As the cluster continues to grow, students in grades 9-12 at Brainerd High School, Lincoln Education Center and the Brainerd Learning Center moved from a hybrid learning model into distance learning for two weeks beginning Thursday, Sept. 24, following guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health. It was announced in-person sports and activities would be suspended for that timeframe as well. Students are expected to return to their hybrid classes and their activities Oct. 8.

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District officials announced the cluster Tuesday afternoon Sept. 22, after having learned about it themselves late Monday night, Superintendent Laine Larson told the Dispatch. School and extracurricular activities continued as normal Tuesday. Activities began their two-week hiatus Wednesday, and high school classes were canceled that day to prepare for distance learning.

Activities Director Charlie Campbell advocated for a happy medium Wednesday, perhaps allowing kids to continue with sports practices during this time, provided players had not tested positive for COVID-19 nor had close contact with students who did.

“That swing of emotion last week was really intense and really challenging because that’s not news you want to hear,” Campbell said of going from creating a football schedule to learning sports were suspended in less than 24 hours.

RELATED: COVID-19 outbreak drives BHS into distance learning High school students are expected to return to their hybrid schedule Oct. 8.
Campbell said he didn’t feel good about asking the board to go against the state health department’s recommendations, but felt it did not have to be “all or nothing.”

Board members Tom Haglin and Sue Kern expressed support for continuing on with sports during the two-week “reset” period, as district officials called it. The rest of the board — Charles Black Lance, Bob Nystrom, Ruth Nelson and Reed Campbell — did not.

While Larson said staff would abide by any decision the board made, she stressed health and safety of students and staff is the district’s No. 1 priority.

Larson also said she received angry calls from other school districts last week after Brainerd allowed its athletes to compete against other teams Tuesday night instead of canceling activities.

Crow Wing County Public Health officials do not recommend bringing sports back before the two-week reset period is over if the district is not 100% certain about athletes not being in contact with infected students, Hahn said.

Larson reminded the board of the state’s Safe Learning Plan, a collaboration between the state health department and the Minnesota Department of Education laying out guidelines for school districts to follow this year. The plan states if a school moves into distance learning because of COVID-19 case numbers, all sports and extracurricular activities are to be halted as well.

After more than an hour of discussion, the board took no action Monday, meaning in-person sports and activities remain suspended until Oct. 8.

Check the Wednesday, Sept. 30, edition of the Brainerd Dispatch for more on the board’s discussion.

THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa.