Harrisburg, Brandon Valley reveal plans for fan attendance

Harrisburg High School will be taking steps to limit fan attendance at its sporting events this fall. Athletes, cheerleaders and band members will be given a specific number of spectator passes based on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases within the high school.

The four-tiered plan was designed around the school district's building-level protocols matrix, according to activities director Jim Altenburg, who said the expectation and recommendation is that the passes will be used for family members only.

At each level, visiting teams will be offered the same number of tickets as Harrisburg. They are developing plans to enable social distancing among spectators.

As with everything, the plan is subject to change based on the situation and guidance from public health officials. 

Here are the four tiers (tickets will be allocated for cheerleaders and band members, as well).

• Green: No confirmed cases within the building. Six spectator passes per player household. All high school students are invited to attend. 
• Yellow: Confirmed positive case(s) within the building. Four spectator passes per player household, with limited student attendance (that cap has yet to be determined).
• Orange: Confirmed community spread within a class, pod or building, but the school is still open. Two spectator passes per player household, with limited student attendance. 
• Red: Significant community spread; school building closed. No fans. "If we get to that point, we anticipate that we would be in that shutdown mode like we were in the spring," Altenburg said.

These tiers will apply for both outdoor and indoor events, according to Altenburg, who said school/district administrators will be working directly with the South Dakota Department of Health to determine which tiers should be activated (unclear which level they will start the year at). Mask use by spectators will be strongly encouraged, but not required at this time.

Altenburg said they are planning for an on-time start for their sports and activities this fall.

HHS will host its first sporting events of the season on Aug. 14 with a girls tennis quadrangle (Huron, Vermillion, Lennox), followed by a soccer doubleheader against Washington.

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Sioux Falls School District, O'Gorman finalizing plans

The Sioux Falls School District and O'Gorman High are both working to finalize their spectator plan for the upcoming season.

It was announced earlier this week that there will not be any football doubleheaders at Howard Wood Field this season. Three of the four doubleheaders have been rescheduled.

Games start at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted

• Week 1 (Aug. 28): Washington vs. Aberdeen Central (Friday); Lincoln vs. Watertown (Saturday)
• Week 2 (Sept. 5): Washington vs. Harrisburg (Friday); Roosevelt vs. Lincoln (Saturday)
• Week 5 (Sept. 25): Washington vs. Stevens (Friday, 5 p.m.); Lincoln vs. Aberdeen Central (Saturday)
• Week 7 (Oct. 9): Roosevelt vs. Rapid City Central; Washington vs. Brandon Valley (yet to be updated)

RELATED: Masks, building maintenance, back-up plans: What to know about returning to school in Sioux Falls

Brandon Valley restricts attendance to families, students

The general public will not be allowed to attend Brandon Valley sporting events this fall according to the frequently asked questions portion of its return to learning plan. 

"The limiting of attendance provides our participants the best opportunity to complete their season and reduces the likelihood of community transmission," the site reads. "For the overall safety and well-being of our community, the general public will not be permitted to attend. However, events will be made available in digital format when possible."

Parents and high school students will be allowed to attend events, according to the website, but crowds will be limited.

BV activities director Randy Marso said plans will be finalized Monday.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.