BEAUMONT, Texas — Port Arthur ISD has halted their girls summer workouts due to possible exposure to COVID-19.
Athletic Director Brian Morgan announced volleyball, girls basketball and girls soccer workouts will be suspended pending test results.
The stoppage comes a day after Hamshire-Fannett stopped all of their summer workouts.
Hamshire-Fannett ISD says a student athlete tested positive for COVID-19, leading the district to suspend all summer workouts until July 9.
"If anyone has had a child participating in summer workouts, that student may have been exposed to COVID-19," the district said in a Facebook post Wednesday. "We would encourage all participants to get tested."
Earlier this month, a high school football player at West Orange-Stark also tested positive for the virus, leading to the district to cancel summer workouts indefinitely.
As high school teams around Southeast Texas began hitting the turf for summer workouts, coaches have found themselves in an interested predicament — how to keep athletes safe while also getting ready for the looming season.
Orangefield and Legacy Christian Academy have also suspended summer workouts temporarily because of coronavirus concerns.
LCA said told parents on Monday that "summer athletic workouts have been canceled until further notice." The school said they have received word that COVID-19 has been reported at three area schools, though they did not name the schools in the message to parents.
Orangefield High School took similar precautions after a student athlete reported a "possible exposure" to the virus.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we took immediate action and canceled our UIL summer workouts until further notice," Superintendent Shaun McAlpin said in a statement Monday.
Orangefield athletic director Josh Smalley confirmed that no student has tested positive for COVID-19.
"We're just being cautious to limit our time around each other until we get those test results back," Smalley told 409Sports.
At West Orange-Stark, a football player tested positive for the virus last Wednesday, three days after the University Interscholastic League told schools they could begin workouts. It's the first known athlete to test positive for the virus since those workouts got underway.
According to a statement released by WOCCISD, the student told coach Cornel Thompson he had possible exposure through contact with a family member who tested positive for COVID-19. Coach Thompson notified the student's workout partner and advised him to stay home and get tested. Once the player tested positive for the virus, Thompson suspended workouts for at least 14 days as a precaution.
"The decision to shut down the summer workout program ensures that we are making every effort to keep our students and staff safe," WOCCISD Superintendent Dr. Rickie Harris said in a statement.
The UIL has provided requirements for all workouts, including not making attendance mandatory, providing hand sanitizer or hand-washing stations, no shared food or water and no locker room access.
The UIL also recommends teams take temperatures before workouts: Before the start of summer workouts, and at the start of every week of summer workouts, schools should consider prescreening all students for COVID symptoms that they or others living in their house may experience. This can be completed by phone prior to the first day of workouts, in person or in writing. Students and staff must self-screen every day for COVID-19 symptoms for themselves and family members. Schools should consider taking the temperature of each student each day at the start of the conditioning sessions, if possible.
UIL recommends students not working out or spotting to wear a cloth face mask. They also provide schools sanitation guidelines for equipment used during workouts.
Currently, indoor workouts are limited to 25% capacity, but the UIL allows schools to increase capacity to 50% on June 22.
However, UIL has not provide guidance to schools on protocols they should be following if a player tests positive for the virus.
It's unclear how an increase in positive cases in Southeast Texas as well as statewide could impact the upcoming football season.
