With the fall high school athletic season set to begin in 11 days, the Minnesota State High School League held their first official meeting of the 2021-22 school year on Tuesday. In the meeting, it discussed several topics, including masks, transfer rules, and membership costs to schools.
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While there has yet to be a decision made, the MSHSL has been researching what should be done with mask mandates. Masks were required for the fall and winter seasons, both during practice and games. However, they were only required at the beginning of the spring season, with requirements easing when the CDC updated its guidance in May.
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The MSHSL is working with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Education and taking into account new mask mandates to decide what is best for the school year.
"We'd also love input from our Sports Medicine Committee," board vice president Troy Stein said, the Star Tribune reported. "If we do receive guidance, we're prepared to move quickly."
The MSHSL is also looking at the Olympics to see the impact that masks have on athletes.
"We look at the benefits and challenges and how do masks work within different activities," Martens said. "The Olympics are one place for that. You see a lot of masks, but not many of them during competition. We're looking for mitigation strategies beyond masks."
At the moment, the MSHSL is in a wait-and-see mode on what they should do with masks, according to Stein. They will continue to monitor situations and make their decision on whether to mask or not soon.
When it comes to transfers, the situation is a bit murkier. The MSHSL allows for one free transfer with any subsequent transfers requiring students to sit out for an entire varsity season. During the pandemic, several students transferred schools and now have transferred back to their original schools with the pandemic waning.
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Many families have complained about the possibility of being forced to sit out for a varsity season, citing uncommon circumstances. Now, the board of directors is asking the eligibility committee to study the situation and make a recommendation soon, the Tribune reported.
"There are a lot of complexities to this issue," Stein, who is also the Edina activities director, said. "Should the board consider some sort of pandemic transfer waiver, or should we stay the course?"
With the fall season starting soon, Stein knows that a decision will need to be made soon.
"Some of these situations are potentially related to fall sports, so it's best to address this sooner than later," he said.
When it came to financial discussion, the MSHSL announced it would be lowering the overall amount it charges member schools. The board approved a motion to reduce projected membership dues by $1.063 million.
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