This petition is to ask all schools to LET THE KIDS PLAY on June 1, 2020.

Starting June 1, 2020 surroundings schools in Colorado will begin summer practices but not all school districts will begin on the same date; some have chosen to begin in July. In El Paso County COVID numbers are low, restrictions are being lifted and kids are wanting to play. Sports are vital for our children’s mental, emotional and physical well-being; not to mention keeps them out of trouble.

However, the recent decisions to participate in a 7 on 7 tournament at a local park almost got about 100 kids in trouble. A few kids put together a 7 on 7 tournament at a local park which included 10 surrounding high school teams. On May 22, 2020 the tournament began at 3:00 p.m. with at least 250 people in attendance. There were no referees, no coaches, no parental guidance, no rules, no regulations and no social distancing. In the student’s eyes it was a success because they were able to exercise, socialize and compete in a sport they love.

From a parent’s prospective I was concerned on the number of kids who showed up with no adult or parental supervision and no one trained to provide first aid was available. Two altercations did break out but the kids were able to prevent it from escalating. At 5:45 p.m. the Colorado Springs Police Department was contacted due to people not social distancing. When the officers arrived at 6:30 p.m. they threatened to give out tickets and they recorded everyone at the park. Since many surrounding schools will not have practice the whole month of June the kids have decided to continue to plan 7 on 7 tournaments the rest of the summer; the next tournament is in a week.

There is a solution to this! School districts we are asking you to trust your coaches and school staff to make the best social distancing plan possible and allow the kids to start practicing on June 1, 2020. For the safety of our kids, it is in their best interest to be in a controlled, safe environment with social distancing guidelines under trained coaching staff rather than allow kids to create events on their own. This will allow parents the right to make the best decisions whether or not to allow their kids to participate. With your help, you can reduce the amount of COVID cases in our community by having kids attend practice at school in a safe environment.

Your community, your parents, & your students believe what can happen in July can happen in June. We are willing to sign waivers to LET THE KIDS PLAY.