May 5 Update: Continued Closure Impact

Matt Haskamp

Dear Braves,

The Indian Hill School District continues to plan for alternative campus operations due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Recent guidelines issued from the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Health, and OHSAA have provided more guidance regarding the length of our campus shutdown, and its impact on athletics and activities.

There will be no organized athletic gatherings, or extracurricular activity gatherings, on or off campus at Indian Hill until the restrictions are lifted. Our campus, including all athletic fields, courts, trails, grounds, and buildings, remain closed to the public and our teams through June 30.

The updated guidelines have an immediate impact on events scheduled until the end of June, most notably our summer camps.  At this time, all summer youth camps offered by Indian Hill High School are suspended.  Once restrictions are lifted, camps may resume if we have the ability to reschedule.  For those who have registered and paid for a camp, there are two options available to you:  

1. Apply your paid camp fee to a rescheduled camp for later this summer or for next year. (No action required at this point.)
2. Request a refund of your fee through the athletic department. Please email [email protected] if you would like to proceed with a refund and guidance will be provided to you.

At this time there is no urgency to ask for a refund unless you definitely know you will not partake in an Indian Hill Camp in the future. Our hope is to offer an outlet to our young Braves this summer, in the event that State Orders are eased and we can ensure safety measures are in place. The information below was provided from the OHSAA.  

Ohio Department of Health Order Closing School Facilities

The Director of the Ohio Department of Health has ordered that all school buildings will be closed through June 30, 2020. Through a call to the ODH, it was clearly stated that this extends to all school facilities as well and includes stadiums, baseball/softball diamonds, and tracks. This clearly prohibits all schools from making their facilities available to club/travel/non-interscholastic sports during this mandatory shut-down.  While we have no authority over each school’s facilities, our oversight to complying with this is the mandatory no-contact rule that has been in place.   
 
The OHSAA’s No Contact Period Extended through May 31, 2020
 
The OHSAA’s “No-Contact Regulation” is now extended through May 31, 2020. While this limits the ability for school coaches to directly coach their student-athletes and will also handcuff them from coaching them in non-school programs, it is a result of current restrictions and orders and puts all programs on the same level playing field.  This regulation was implemented long before modern methods of communication and, while we have received many questions on what coaches can or cannot do as a result of “Zoom” meetings, text messaging, etc., we have provided guidance that we would ask you to distribute to ALL your coaches. The intent of this regulation was to prohibit direct contact with students, not electronic methods. However, many have taken that to a new level to develop various interpretations of their own. This guidance, which also includes some updates to our General Sports Regulations, is posted here.
 
Sincerely,
Matt Haskamp
Director of Athletics
Posted May 5, 2020