Vacaville Christian High sanctioned for playing football during pandemic
The school was one of four to be hit with sanctions by the California Interscholastic Federation for ignoring state orders during the peak of the COVID-19 health crisis.
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
The California Interscholastic Federation imposed a three-year probationary term against Vacaville Christian High School for allowing football games to proceed despite state orders and guidance during the coronavirus health pandemic earlier this year.
The announcement was made by the CIF in a press release that revealed similar — and, in some cases, stronger — actions against three other schools in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley region.
Ripon Christian High School and Stone Ridge Christian High School were put on formal probation and are ineligible to participate in any football playoffs this upcoming season. Capital Christian High School in Sacramento was told it was ineligible to participate in any playoff games for the next two seasons and was on probation for three seasons.
The penalty imposed against Vacaville Christian High School did not mention if the school was eligible to participate in playoff games, nor did it dictate the terms of the school’s probationary period.
CIF-participating schools were told they could not participate in a so-called “spring club” that was formed after various schools — most of them private — were concerned that local and state health guidance would prevent them from holding events.
"While it is understood that the postponement of interscholastic athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic was frustrating and had an adverse impact on all of our member schools and student athletes, the fact is that the shutdown was a public safety issue," Commissioner Mike Garrison said in a statement.
During an interview with a newspaper in Sacramento, Garrison said the sanctions were “the last thing we want to do — and we never want to do this,” but defended the move, saying the CIF expected its member schools “to follow the rules.”
“We expect all of our schools to follow the rules, and we have attempted to be as proactive as possible in getting that message out, but unfortunately there were a few schools who ignored the rules and my guidance,” he said.
Vacaville Christian High School and the other three affected schools have the opportunity to appeal their sanctions. It was not clear as of Thursday evening if Vacaville Christian High School intended to do so.
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