Aurora Public Schools Requires All Student Athletes To Show Proof Of Vaccination Or Be Tested For COVID
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The Colorado High School fall sports season starts at the end of the month and Aurora Public Schools have come out with their vaccination policy for their student-athletes.
APS is requiring all student-athletes to show that they have been vaccinated or they will need to be tested for COVID-19 every two weeks while playing their sport. Before the season gets underway, student-athletes much show their COVID vaccination card to the school's athletic office or have a negative COVID test 48 hours before the start of the season.
APS announced the vaccination policy for students playing sports, but not for any other after-school policy, which caught the eye of Vista Peak Preparatory football head coach DaVaughn Thornton. He's concerned the new policy will discourage kids from playing sports.
"Some kids are not going to play because they and their families' decision is that we don't feel comfortable taking those tests," Thornton said.
"Being the only district that does it and for it only being athletics, you're going to lose some kids. So I understand the precautions and being safe but you're also going to lose some kids to something that should be an outlet."
Vista Peak opens the season on August 26th and coach Thornton highlighted how the testing could possibly affect a football team during the season.
"The system we have in place we'll find out probably midweek if someone tested positive and that will change your whole plan. So this is probably something that we have been dealing with for a year now. Adjusting on the fly," he said.
"At the end of the day, we have a weekly opponent, but we also have COVID-19 every two weeks."
Aurora Public Schools is hosting a drive-through vaccine clinic at their Back-to-School event at the Aurora Town Center on Saturday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
A head football coach in the Cherry Creek School District told CBS4's Justin Adams that he expects Cherry Creek School District to announce their own vaccination policy on August 16.
