The Jefferson City School District released its fan attendance policy for Jefferson City High School and Capital City High School fall sports and activities Tuesday.
The first week, Aug. 24-30, will start with 20 percent capacity for each sport except tennis, golf and cross country, which do not have an attendance limit because they don't usually have many spectators, Athletic Director Ehren Earleywine said. Fine arts activities at the Miller Center will also start with 20 percent capacity.
The policy could change throughout the semester based on county health mandates. The district decided to start with this percentage because the University of Missouri's football game attendance is at 20 percent capacity, and the Cole County Health Department said it was a safe and fair number, Earleywine said.
Earleywine said this percentage could increase next week depending on how it goes this weekend, and any increases will be approved by the Cole County Health Department.
You just don't know how it's going to look," he said. "We might come back Monday and say we can totally increase those numbers; we have tons of space."
The number could decrease if people start testing positive for COVID-19 at a high rate and it is traced back to those events, Earleywine said.
Head coaches will give player cards to each student, coach or staff member on the Missouri State High School Activities Association roster; the cards will be numbered 1-10. These cards can be given to anyone the student chooses and may change from game to game.
The number of cards allowed will depend on how many people are allowed in the facility for the event.
For example, the first week of football games will allow 20 percent capacity, so cards 1-4 may be used. If football regulations change due to county health guidelines and are increased to 50 percent attendance, cards 1-8 may be used, and cards 9-10 will not be allowed to attend, according to the district's policy.
A chart that lists the capacity, number of fans allowed, number of player cards and more for each sport and high school will be updated every day on each high school's activities homepage at jcschools.us/domain/3898. This also includes fine arts activities at the Miller Center.
The player cards will allow admittance, but card holders must still pay the admission fee unless they are a season ticket holder for football. Lost cards will not be replaced, according to the policy.
Player cards will also be given to the visiting team's administrator weekly. Every opponent's head coach must sign a document stating their players and coaches had temperature checks before boarding the bus and no one had a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, the policy states.
Students can sit 6 feet apart in the student section, but they must wear a face covering, according to the policy. Families can stand together but must stay 6 feet apart from other people. Masks are required when entering and exiting the facility and when leaving a seat, such as to go to the restroom or concessions. Concessions will only include pre-packaged items.
The district will release a plan for winter sports when the time comes, Earleywine said.