AURORA, Colo. — Practice makes perfect, but when the season starts this fall, student-athletes won’t be able to practice or play without a vaccine or a COVID-19 test.
"Forcing it, I think, it’s a little bit excessive," said Roy Shany, father of three boys in Aurora Public Schools.
While he thinks it may be excessive, he still supports the Aurora Public Schools decision that came down this week giving student-athletes the option of getting vaccinated before the season begins or getting a COVID-19 test every two weeks.
"It makes sense to get them vaccinated but personally I’m not sure everybody will get vaccinated or want their kids vaccinated," said Shany.
Aurora Public Schools did not return our request for an interview. A letter to parents cited “close proximity” with other athletes while breathing heavily, heightens the risk to unvaccinated athletes.
Shany’s oldest son, Tyler, is entering his senior year.
"When this all started I kind of lost the second half of my sophomore year and pretty much my junior year was taken away from me. I went remote. I didn’t decide to go in," said Tyler Shany.
He got the vaccine so he could go back to school. He thinks all his fellow students should be given the option of the vaccine but recognizes it’s not necessarily up to the student.
"Parents do have a big say in what kids should do. You have to have a parent signature to get vaccinated, so I have a feeling that if the parents don’t want them to get the vaccine that’s going to be a conflict with the whole sports program," said Tyler Shany.
For those students who are not vaccinated, parents are responsible for scheduling the tests for their kids. APS is not requiring student-athletes to wear masks while playing.
CHSAA tells Denver7 it is going by state guidelines, leaving it up to the districts to decide how to handle their safety protocols. They had no further comment.
