AKRON, Ohio — The Akron Public Schools board voted Monday to reverse their decision to delay athletics and extra curricular activities and allow fall contact and non-contact sports to resume.
Earlier this month, in a 5-2 vote the board passed a resolution delaying the start of athletics for nine weeks in addition to delaying the district remote learning start date amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The decision was met with resistance from both athletes and parents. A petition on Change.org against the board’s decision was started by Steven Marshall and garnered more than 2,000 signatures. The community also led a protest in an effort to sway the board.
The push-back from the Akron community lead to members of the board reconsidering their decision. On Monday, the board meet in special session and voted on three new resolutions, passing all of them 4-3.
The decision impacts football, marching band, cross country, volleyball, golf, swimming and tennis, and goes into effect immediately. Practices and competition will be required to adhere to the guidelines put forth by the Summit County Department of Health.
For more information, click here.