Senators trying to increase attendance limits at NC high school sporting events

RALEIGH, N.C. — Three North Carolina senators, including two from the Charlotte area, have introduced a bill trying to change the 100-person capacity limit at outdoor high school sporting event venues.

Senators Todd Johnson (R-Union), Vickie Sawyer (R-Iredell) and Danny Britt (R-Robeson) introduced Senate Bill 116 on Thursday.

Under Gov. Roy Cooper’s current executive orders, no more than 100 fans can watch high school athletes compete at large outdoor venues like football fields. The restriction “leaves parents unable to watch kids compete in large outdoor venues with ample social distancing,” according to the senators.

Sen. Johnson said outdoor facilities like football fields and stands are often large enough to accommodate many more people and still allow for ample social distancing. As an example, Johnson pointed to Cuthbertson High School in Union County. Its football stands can hold 2,976 people, but Cooper’s restriction only allows for 100 people, or 3% capacity.

The bill would change the 100-person limit to 40% of an outdoor facility’s capacity.

“Many parents have reached out to my office with the legitimate complaint that they can’t watch their children compete in outdoor sports even though many facilities can hold much more than 100 people and still abide by social distancing guidelines,” Johnson said. “The current 100-person limit is unreasonable and ignores the reality that many outdoor high school sports facilities are very large and can accommodate many more socially distanced fans.”

Some schools, like Carmel Christian in Matthews, have resorted to watch parties while basketball teams play on the court and the game is shown on a large screen for parents to watch in an auditorium -- with cheerleaders and all.

With more students in the classroom, some parents, like Meagen O’Connell, want more people allowed at outdoor high school games. Her son plays baseball and football (which starts next week) and her daughter plays basketball and soccer -- both at Weddington High School in Union County.

She said parents are missing valuable moments to see their students in action.

“Football, especially on Friday nights, there’s nothing like that electricity and that sense of community,” O’Connell told Channel 9.

She started a petition two weeks ago demanding more people be allowed at outdoor high school sporting events. That petition has already gotten more than 40,000 signatures.

“To have 40,000 is mind-blowing,” she told Channel 9 reporter Anthony Kustura. “We’re not going to stop fighting until that change is made.”

Legislators also sent Cooper a letter Thursday asking that he amend his executive order to accomplish the same goal as Senate Bill 116. They said amending the executive order would be a much quicker way to resolve the problem, but legislators will advance their bill if necessary.

“This isn’t just about sports -- I’m talking about for band, cheerleaders, all across the board,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, no one wants to get sick. People are going to take the proper precautions.”

“They (the student-athletes) have suffered a lot in the last 11 months and we have been there every step of the way of their entire life watching them play -- and we just want to watch them,” O’Connell said. “A small change will make a big impact across the state.”

The governor’s current executive order expires at the end of the month. He said his team is looking at the data to make this request a possibility as soon as next week.

CMS allows many HS sports, other extracurricular activities to resume

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