Dundee looks at upcoming sports

DUNDEE--Members of the Dundee Central School District Board of Education took time out of the Thursday, Aug. 12 meeting to thank outgoing Superintendent Kelly Houck for her eight years of service to the district. Houck, who announced her resignation in July to take up the duties of district superintendent for the Greater Southern Tier BOCES, also thanked the board for its hard work during incredibly trying circumstances.
Athletic Director Scott Shepardson gave an update on upcoming fall athletics to the board, but guidelines released by the state on the same day as the meeting may alter some initial planning.
"We are merging with Penn Yan for football and cheerleading and Bradford for volleyball, cross country and soccer," said Shepardson. "But with the new guidelines we are a little uncertain as to what is coming, but decisions will be made in the next week because we are starting on the 23rd."
The new guidelines, which state in part that sports and extracurricular activities designated as high risk should go virtual or be canceled if the county transmission rate of COVID is deemed to be high, are being criticized statewide for being hard to interpret.
"We are not entirely sure, we thought the guidance was a bit vague so it will be a collaborative effort with our school leaders and health directors," Shepardson said.
Part of what puts Dundee in a unique situation is that it has athletic partnerships that involve both Yates and Schuyler County and Bradford has traditionally participated in Steuben County athletic divisions. For example, last year Schuyler County schools Watkins Glen and Odessa-Montour did not begin sports because of COVID-19 until the winter sports season and most Steuben County schools relaxed outdoor mask requirements last spring before other areas.
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Yates County as an area of "substantial" community virus transmission, Schuyler as "moderate" and Steuben as "substantial." The four levels are low, moderate, substantial and high.
The fall sports that were previously deemed to be high risk are football, volleyball and cheerleading.
To help understand the new guidelines, as well as any potential updates to those guidelines being planned by incoming Gov. Kathy Hochul, Shepardson said he will be attending a virtual state athletic director's meeting this week.