Will Covington Independent Schools opt out of Fall Sports?

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I'm not positive of when the comments were made, but I've been getting texts from multiple individuals today telling me that Alvin Garrison, superintendent of Covington Independent Schools, apparently stated in a fairly official context that his intent is to have Covington Schools decline to participate in Fall Sports this year.

That means no football, soccer, volleyball, or cross country at Holmes High School.

Can anyone confirm or deny?

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Covington Independent School District includes:

Holmes High School
Holmes Middle School
Glenn O. Swing Elementary School
James E. Biggs Early Childhood Education Center
John G. Carlisle Elementary School
Latonia Elementary School
Ninth District Elementary School
Sixth District Elementary School

[theguru]

How horrible.

I don't know if legal action can help any but I think the parents, coaches, teachers, students, and athletes that want to participate should hire an attorney. 

[barrel]

Areas in other states have taken legal action in similar circumstances. The players/parents won out. During one portion of today’s meeting a northern Kentucky representative made a statement that they would opt out of option one was taken. That isn’t word for word but that was the general idea. 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

8 minutes ago, barrel said:

Areas in other states have taken legal action in similar circumstances. The players/parents won out. During one portion of today’s meeting a northern Kentucky representative made a statement that they would opt out of option one was taken. That isn’t word for word but that was the general idea. 

Was that during the portion that the KHSAA broadcast on YouTube? I must have missed that if it was...

[barrel]

Yes because it really stood out to me. It was right after the guy that represents the 8th region spoke saying everyone he represents wanted option 1. Maybe I completely misheard the person. 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

59 minutes ago, barrel said:

Yes because it really stood out to me. It was right after the guy that represents the 8th region spoke saying everyone he represents wanted option 1. Maybe I completely misheard the person. 

There may be some crossed wires here then. I was told the statement I am referring to came from the superintendent of Covington Independent Schools, who was not actively included in the KHSAA meeting this morning, as he is not a member of the Board Of Control.

Superintendent

Alvin Garrison
Superintendent
25 East Seventh Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-392-1000
alvin.garrison@covington.kyschools.us

I believe the guy you're referring to is Matt Wilhoite, who is a member of the BOC as a representative from the Northern Kentucky region. Immediately following a statement from the Campbellsville region's Kirby Smith speaking in favor of going with Option 1, Matt Wilhoite spoke up during this morning's BOC meeting stating that the superintendents in Northern Kentucky "are at a consensus" that waiting to begin "competition until school is in session" is the preferred option. I didn't hear anything from him about schools opting out of fall sports, otherwise.

Matt Wilhoite is an employee of the Kenton County School District, which is separate from Covington Independent Schools.

STAFF PROFILE
Name: Matt Wilhoite
Title: Student Engagement Coordinator
Email: matt.wilhoite@kenton.kyschools.us
Buildings: Behavior Support and Student Engagement - District

[theguru]

The Student Engagement Coordinator Title makes me chuckle... 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

23 minutes ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

I believe the guy you're referring to is Matt Wilhoite, who is a member of the BOC as a representative from the Northern Kentucky region. Immediately following a statement from the Campbellsville region's Kirby Smith speaking in favor of going with Option 1, Matt Wilhoite spoke up during this morning's BOC meeting stating that the superintendents in Northern Kentucky "are at a consensus" that waiting to begin "competition until school is in session" is the preferred option. I didn't hear anything from him about schools opting out of fall sports, otherwise.

Matt Wilhoite is an employee of the Kenton County School District, which is separate from Covington Independent Schools.

STAFF PROFILE
Name: Matt Wilhoite
Title: Student Engagement Coordinator
Email: matt.wilhoite@kenton.kyschools.us
Buildings: Behavior Support and Student Engagement - District

I have to admit that I'm not completely familiar with the way the BOC members are selected and whom exactly they represent individually, but I know that both Matt Wilhoite and Mike Clines are BOC members representing the vicinity of Northern Kentucky - including Kenton County.

Clines spoke immediately following Matt Wilhoite stating that he represents 22 high schools (as the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Covington, Clines directly oversees the 9 diocesan Catholic high schools himself). I found it very interesting that Wilhoite said the superintendents in the schools he represents are "at a consensus" about holding off on fall sports until school is in session, while Clines, who represents schools in the same general vicinity, stated immediately after Wilhoite that of the 22 schools he represents, he has spoken personally with administrators from 20 of those schools and that those administrators were all in favor of moving forward with the current plan to resume competition on September 11th.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Matt Wilhoite begins speaking at the 30:58 mark of the video, and Mike Clines follows after beginning at the 32:39 mark of the video.

To the best of my knowledge (I haven't gone back and re-watched the entire 2 hours of the video), Covington Independent Schools superintendent Alvin Garrison does not make any appearances in the tele-meeting.

[barrel]

You are correct about who I was talking about. I may have read too much into his statement because of the similarities between it and the JCPS statements. Either way I found his statement interesting and surprising. 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

3 minutes ago, barrel said:

You are correct about who I was talking about. I may have read too much into his statement because of the similarities between it and the JCPS statements. Either way I found his statement interesting and surprising. 

Same here - especially when he was basically contradicted, to an extent, by Mike Clines who represents the same geographical area.

[barrel]

The contradiction was definitely interesting. I liked Cline and the schools he represents have I believe a quality representative. 

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

I stand corrected. Covington Independent School superintendent Alvin Garrison was in on this morning's Board Of Control meeting and did speak. He begins speaking at the 47:50 mark of the YouTube video embedded above.

From Superintendent Garrison:

I’m saying this for, first, my constituents up this way - Northern Kentucky. And I found out I’m not officially a Board Member until September 1, so I will not get a vote, but I do want  to speak for the superintendents in the Northern Kentucky Area. I think quite a few superintendents, if Option 1 goes forward, quite a few superintendents will probably go to their board and talk to their boards about not participating in athletics until we’ve resumed school. So I just wanted to go and say that. So I guess different areas of the state will have to - I know, are already confined to a certain radius of how far we can travel to play. But I just wanted to put that on the record that several of us up here have decided that if Option 2 – if we decide to start [fall sports] back before school starts, several superintendents up this way will probably meet with their boards about not participating. So I just wanted to say that. Thank you.

[barrel]

It’s strange that different people from the same part of the state are giving conflicting reports stating they’ve talked to a number of people. If a school is going to chose not to play when are they going to meet with the school board? Everyone is supposed to be full go Monday so either it needs to happen now or they are going to let these teams start and shut them down.