Otselic Valley Central School District

Questions continue about mask requirements for indoor basketball players at Otselic Valley, and some families and fans may not be aware that our protocols come from both the New York State Department of Health, and the professional association governing basketball officials. The N Y S G B O A specifically addressed their expectations for schools, and described what they require in order to oversee games. The correspondence below was sent to all sections on December 1, 2021, and the protocols were shared with student athletes at Otselic Valley. It has been brought to our attention that while the season has barely begun, there have been issues regarding the wearing of masks by players. In order to clarify what has been sent out before, note that as officials, we are not the mask police.                 Understand that the wearing of masks in schools was a directive from the N Y S Dept. of Health (N Y S D O H) released September 2nd. It is not a rule that we, as officials, should or are required to enforce.                 With that in mind, the NYSGBOA Executive Board recommends the following protocol - Upon arrival at your game site, find out who is the game administrator.Warm up - If you notice players warming up and not wearing their mask properly and one or both officials feel uncomfortable or have a legitimate health fear, they may inform the game administrator that they may not continue to officiate the contest unless the situation is corrected.Game - During the game you notice that one or more players are not wearing their masks properly and one or both officials feel uncomfortable or have a legitimate health fear, they may inform the game administrator that they may not continue to officiate the contest unless the situation is corrected.Officials should not speak to players or coaches (unless they are the game administrator) if masks are being worn improperly.If Officials have any concerns regarding mask wearing during a particular contest they should inform their assignor or Chapter President who will relay the concerns to the school and/or Section Executive Director.Officials should only address the issue if they feel uncomfortable or have a health concern.                 It is our hope that schools will cooperate with the NYS DOH directive.  If necessary, this email may be shared with the respective schools your board officiates.                Thank you for your continued effort to officiate contests during what is yet another difficult time due to the COVID virus. We hope you and your families remain healthy. Rob LishanskyNYSGBOA PresidentWe appreciate your support of our student athletes' mask compliance so we can continue to play as much as possible. Like you, we look forward to the day when things can get back to normal.