Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am pleased to inform you that St. Clair Catholic will begin to move forward with extracurricular sports for Grade 7 and 8 students. Final details regarding a schedule for try-outs, practices and games are still in development.

In the meantime, I am sure you are aware of an order announced last week by the Medical Officers of Health for Lambton County and Chatham-Kent, which has a direct impact on Grade 7 and 8 student athletes and coaches.  Under the order, effective October 31, 2021, all student athletes, age 12 years and older, and coaching staff, who participate in indoor extracurricular sports will be required to:

• 1 (a) –   Provide identification and proof of being fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19; or a valid medical exemption as of October 31, 2021.
• 1 (b) –   Provide identification and proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19; or a valid medical exemption as of November 30, 2021. 

This means Grade 7 and 8 students who wish to participate in indoor extracurricular school sports when play resumes must be able to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination according to the timelines outlined above.

A ‘medical exemption’ means an exemption confirmed by an individual who provides written documentation as per the Ministry of Health Proof of Vaccination Guidance.

For the purposes of the order “…organized sports means sport(s) and recreational activities including, but not limited to, sports leagues, organized pick-up sports, dance classes, gymnastics, and martial arts and swimming classes, or as otherwise described in the Ministry of Health’s Proof of Vaccination Guidance under the Reopening Ontario Act and also including extracurricular physical activity or recreational fitness events run, organized or hosted at a school.”

All spectators, age 12 and older, at indoor extracurricular sports activities in schools, are also required to be fully vaccinated.

For information regarding COVID-19 Vaccine clinics in Chatham-Kent click here and in Lambton, visit here.

Again, the vaccine mandate for student athletes and coaches comes at the direction of the Medical Officers of Health for Lambton Public Health and Chatham-Kent Public Health; not the St. Clair Catholic District School Board.  However, we are committed to enforcing the order, as required under law. 

We look forward to sharing more information regarding the resumption of extracurricular sports for Grade 7 and 8 students as plans are finalized. In the meantime, we thank you for your cooperation and support, as we continue to work with our public health partners to keep athletic programs in our schools safe for our student athletes, coaches and spectators.

Sincerely,

Chris Kehoe
Superintendent of Education