MIAA confirms several measures for spring season, physicals remain sticking point

The plan hasn’t changed for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, as the organization’s Board of Directors met again on Monday and voted to confirm several recommendations from the Tournament Management Committee (TMC) in hopes of playing some semblance of a spring high school sports season.

While the MIAA voted in several measures that had previously been reported, a main sticking point in Monday’s teleconference meeting involved student-athlete physicals. Rule 56.1 of the MIAA Handbook states that “all students must pass a physical examination prior to participation in high school athletics. A physical exam covers the student for 13 months from the exam date. A student’s eligibility will terminate once a physical has reached the 13-month limit.”

The MIAA had previously sought alternatives to the rule, noting the difficulty many student-athletes would have in obtaining a physical before a potential May 4 opening date (the tentative start to practices). Communicating with the Department of Public Health, it was determined that the MIAA does not have the jurisdiction to waive that requirement and as of now, the rule will remain.

Unanimous votes by the BOD highlighted Monday’s meeting. The MIAA decided to:

■Just hold sectional tournaments (i.e. Western Mass. tourmaments) this spring with no state tournaments to follow. “I think that we’re trying to salvage as much as we can and this probably makes the most sense in my book,” said Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Athletic Diretor Thomas Arria.

■The cutoff date for the regular season is set for June 12, with postseason seeds to be released on June 13. Postseasons would run until June 27.

■Cancel Super 8 tournament for baseball

■Set track and field cutoff date at June 21, with sectional meets set for June 27 and 28. Pentathlon is June 25.

■Confirm that tennis individual tournaments will not be played, only team tournaments.

The next BOD meeting is currently scheduled for May 5, though that may change as there was a recommendation to schedule a meeting before the end of the month in case there is a change in the school schedule from the governor’s office.

Last week, Maine became the first New England state to officially cancel its spring high school sports season. Several other states across the country have also canceled, including California.