ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Friday night lights are coming back this spring.
Orange County Pubilc Schools said junior varsity and freshman football is on this year. For now, the district said those players will not face the same restrictions as the varsity players, so there’s no bi-weekly testing and no “cohorting” of players.
To take the field this fall, varsity football players had to agree to testing and forfeit face-to-face learning for distance learning, and only cohort with their teammates.
Dr. Akinyemi Ajayi, a member of the school board’s medical advisory committee, supported restrictions and thinks they should continue for spring football.
But the district told Channel 9 via email that those rules won’t apply in the spring.
Wendy Doromal of the teacher’s union said the teachers are already scared, and this doesn’t help.
A district spokesman said OCPS “will be looking into what federal funding is available to continue testing our student athletes.”
OCPS set aside about $2 million to test high-contact sports including football.
The district conducted more than 10,000 tests on varsity players. Less than 1% came back positive, but it lead to six game cancellations.
Orlando Health says 90% of its doctors have received COVID-19 vaccine
Cox Media Group
