Not playing sports may be "rough" on kids, but contracting Covid 19 and having to be hospitalized, or giving it to another family member, might be a little tougher to endure...not to mention the risk of putting more stress on our hospital workers. It's foolish and irresponsible to even suggest a resumption of school sports when our Covid numbers are skyrocketing, a newer, more infectious strain of the virus is here, and hospitals are having to resort to "Freezer trucks" as part of their protocol for dealing with the high number of Covid related deaths. I think the kids can wait a few more months with their psyches intact.

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It's a very difficult situation and there could be ways to minimize the risk while allowing athletes to play. We are talking about long term repercussions on athletes ability to play in college, get recruited, and in some cases change the course of their lives by limiting their opportunities.

I am a teacher and a mother of a collegiate athlete and one who hopes to be. Students who have been used to a certain level of activity have been cut off from it with a severe impact on their mental health. Moreover, as a teacher and a mother, I can tell you that depression skyrocketing is devastatingly real. I can count four suicide attempts of young people I know personally; it has been more than "rough." We have learned a lot about what does and does not work during this almost year-long shutdown. This weekend, I hiked the Stanford dish, shopped at Target, Costco, and Safeway. All were teaming with adults exercising and shopping. I'm glad we seem to have found a way to take care of the adults-- we need to do more to bring back normalcy for youth.

Of course I'd like to see kids back playing high school sports (my own included), but I'd really like to see them back in the classroom. I would like the district to prioritize getting kids in-person at least in core academic classes. Right now, kids have nothing in-person and that's the worst of all worlds.

This new variant of COVID 19 is much more contagious than the original, I've read. That means that even exercising outdoors and using social distancing (while not wearing a mask, if running, etc) may not be enough to keep everyone safe. I'd love for things to be all back to normal, but they aren't---and in CA, not even close. There are very few ICU beds available---why take the risk? Kids can still get together outside masked, and socially distanced, but still be able to see each other and talk in person. I realize how hard this is on everyone, but it's even harder when your child (or your spouse, or your mother) is ill, and there's nothing you can do about it. COVID is no joke, and even if you think your child will be just fine, how do you know they won't spread it? Please take a moment and value the health of everyone in your community---find a way to support your children safely, while keeping everyone else---especially those who MUST be in contact with the public---safe. Thank you.

I see both sides of this issue. Teens absolutely can practice safely outdoors and even compete in some sports with safety measures, but the school grounds are closed and willing coaches and kids are told they can't even do that. Some teams are practicing elsewhere, and others have nothing. Kids need the exercise and socialization, plus opportunities to grow developmentally, and are suffering. Some teams are even going out of state to games and tournaments because it's the only way to do anything.

At the same time, cases have been surging for a couple months now and hospitals are full. No one wants to increase caseloads and make family members, coaches or kids sick.

There has to be a middle ground, and so far the county and state haven't offered really anything.

At least let kids practice with masks and distance rules. Adults are swarming parks and beaches.