Trotwood-Madison votes to resume sports, other extracurriculars

Trotwood-Madison City Schools Superintendent Reva Cosby announced Thursday at a school board meeting that students will be allowed to participate in fall extracurricular activities beginning Saturday.

Parents will be required to complete a waiver allowing their children to participate in activities. Band and choir will begin following Labor Day.

Trotwood-Madison athletic director Frank Russo said the hope is that Trotwood would be able to play its first football game the weekend of Sept. 18-19, giving them time for three regular-season games before the OHSAA playoffs begin.

Last fall, Trotwood won the Division III state championship in football.

The district will notify parents and students about COVID-19 cases that are found in the district.

“Those things are going to happen. They’re happening everywhere but people are still bringing back their fall extracurriculars and so we want our students to have that opportunity as well,” Cosby said.

Parents and students rallied this week in the Trotwood High School parking lot to protest the changes to the fall sports schedule made by the Trotwood-Madison City Schools Board of Education.

“It’s very tough to turn on the TV on Friday and see everyone else participating and our kids aren’t getting that chance,” said head of the Trotwood Wee Rams, Aaron Lumpkin. Lumpkin created a petition that circulated through the community collecting 440 signatures calling to reinstate activities.

The decision came as part two of a two-phase reopening plan for students and faculty. “People are finding ways to make this happen,” Cosby said.

Online classes will continue throughout the first nine weeks but sensitive groups will be able to enter the school in small groups as part of phase one.

“Those who will benefit from OT, PT, speech therapy in person with embedded instruction from their teachers will be some of the first students,” Cosby said.

Jeremy Kelley contributed to this story.

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