BVA raises crowd size for football
By Christine Haines
chaines@yourmvi.com
When the Belle Vernon Area Leopards take the field at James Weir Stadium Friday night, there may be as many as 750 spectators in the stands.
That was the decision Tuesday by the school board, which met in a special session to consider an update to the health and safety plan for the return of sports in the district.
The plan that had been put forth by superintendent Dr. Michele Dowell called for a maximum of 500 spectators with up to 250 players, coaches and staff members on the field, the same divisions used for the district’s in-person graduation ceremony earlier this year.
School Director Dan Kovatch opened the meeting with his own proposal: Ditch the state guidance limiting outdoor gatherings to 250 people per venue and instead look at the capacity of the stadium with appropriate social distancing in place.
Kovatch based his plan on the court ruling this week declaring the governor’s social gathering limitations unconstitutional and the passage in both chambers of the legislature of House Bill 2787, which gives school districts the right to determine how sports activities are conducted in their districts during the pandemic.
The governor has said he will appeal the ruling and has not yet said whether he will sign HB 2787, veto it or allow it to pass after 10 days without his signature.
“We were elected to use the most recent information to make the best decisions for our district, Kovatch said. “I’m not going to wait any longer on policies that are using people, and kids in particular, as pawns for legal maneuvering.”
Kovatch said that by limiting the stadium to 250 people as the governor’s guidelines would require, it would be at 5% capacity. By applying appropriate social distancing guidelines and increasing total capacity to 1,000, including players and staff, Kovatch said the stadium is still being kept at under 20% occupancy capacity.
His proposal calls for everyone entering the stadium to wear masks, socially distance and sign a liability waiver holding the district harmless in the event they develop COVID-19. Kovatch’s plan calls for just under 500 people on the home side of the stadium, 250 on the visitors’ side and 250 on the field.
“We get one shot at this. We only have three varsity home football games this year and … one happens to be this Friday,” Kovatch said. “We are in the best position to understand the health and safety of the Belle Vernon Area School District, not someone in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg.”
Kovatch said his plan is reasonable, responsible and can be carried out in a safe manner. He pointed out that increasing attendance would allow more family members of visiting teams to attend the games.
Director Joel Whiteko said allowing more people to attend the games would be good for the mental health of the community while also allowing the school board to do the job it has been elected to do.
“I feel the executive branch of Pennsylvania government has overstepped its bounds,” Whiteko said. “We have a governor who has made numerous unilateral decisions. We have found an end-around or loophole that lets us make a decision.”
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