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Date: 9/22/2021
CHICOPEE – Discussion revolved around recent declines in participation for youth athletics during the Chicopee School Committee meeting on Sept 15.
The meeting opened with remarks from Mayor John Vieau, who shared updates about COVID-19. Vieau explained that Chicopee is experiencing a slight increase in cases, particularly in the young adult population and unvaccinated households. At the time of the meeting, the mayor revealed that there were 258 active cases. “We wish everyone well in their recovery…please have your 12-to-18-year-old children vaccinated,” said Vieau.
To help curb the increase, Vieau stressed the availability of vaccines. Along with offering them at pharmacies, local grocery stores and schools, the mayor shared that vaccines will be available for any Chicopee resident at the River Mills Senior Center on Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – with follow-up shots occurring on Oct 14. Vieau also shared that the town’s COVID-19 testing site re-opened at River Mills starting on Sept 20.
Afterward, Superintendent Lynn Clark gave an update about Chicopee schools. She revealed that attendance and enrollment for the schools is higher than last year, but the increase in student drop-offs has caused a backlog in traffic. “We hear you loud and clear that something has to be done…we will continue to look at the traffic flow,” said Clark. The superintendent also shared that masking updates will be discussed during the School Committee’s Oct. 6 meeting.
The committee then discussed the steep declines in youth athletics. The issue was referred by Ward 9 representative Mary Elizabeth Pniak-Costello, who explained her intentions to help build youth sports in lower grades with the help of Chicopee Coordinator of Athletics Sean Mackin. “We can have a youth sports program that is competitive, that attracts young people to play sports and [keeps] people interested to play sports in high school,” said Pniak-Costello.
Mackin said he views the developing decline as a multi-faceted issue. Among common factors, he shared that the impacts of the pandemic, an increase in working students and the professionalization of youth sports have played a large impact. The latter issue refers to youths opting away from park and recreation programs to participate in different sport clubs. “There are a lot of different things involved in making youth systems better…it’s not just a simple fix,” said Mackin.
One concept Pniak-Costello and Mackin discussed was the formation of a task force. Pniak-Costello motioned for a task force that would include Mackin, a School Committee member, a representative from parks and recreation and parents. Ward 6 School Committee member Susan Lopes recommended including students in the task force, an idea that Pniak-Costello agreed with.
The issue was then discussed by Vieau, who explained the importance of including coaches and each sports program in the task force due to their day-to-day involvement. He also shared concerns with the proposed task force not being inclusive enough. “I’m not sure if just a generic task force about programs is going to be a solution because it’s a lot of work,” said Vieau. Even with his concerns, the mayor viewed the program as a great start to addressing the ongoing decline. The motion was ultimately approved by the School Committee.
The Chicopee School Committee will meet again on Oct 6.