Bill Text: MI SR0007 | 2021-2022 | 101st Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: A resolution to urge the Governor and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to lift the suspension on high school and youth sports and allow play to resume immediately.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 20-1)
Status: (Passed) 2021-01-28 - Adopted As Substituted (s-1) [SR0007 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2021-SR0007-Enrolled.html
AS ADOPTED BY SENATE, JANUARY 28, 2021
substitute for
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 7
Whereas, The COVID-19 Pandemic has upended nearly every aspect of the public and private lives of people in Michigan and across the world. The disruption of school closures in particular has had a devastating impact on students as they grapple with academic challenges and suffer from a lack of social and emotional benefits that traditional in-person schooling provides; and
Whereas, In response to the Pandemic, the Governor and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) have ordered various suspensions of both contact and non-contact high school and youth sports for different lengths of time. Most recently, MDHHS announced that winter sports, including competitive cheer, wrestling, and boys and girls basketball, will be suspended until February 21 – a full month after the previous suspension was set to expire; and
Whereas, While the order is intended to be in the best interests of the students, these types of prohibitions ignore other very serious harms that students are facing from the continued suspension of high school and youth sports. As a result of school closures, students are suffering from crippling isolation which is severely harming their mental health. According to a national survey of more than 3,000 high school and college students regarding coronavirus, 87 percent reported stress and anxiety, while 57 percent reported that their mental health had worsened. In addition, experts are concerned about potential increases in youth suicide and argue that it is critically important for teenagers to have regular contact with their peers. Allowing students to participate in high school and youth sports would help reduce social isolation and could significantly improve their mental health; and
Whereas, There is little data available that demonstrates why the continued suspension of high school and youth sports is necessary. According to the Executive Director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the negative rate for over 30,000 rapid COVID-19 tests conducted over the last three months with fall sports was 99.8 percent. Furthermore, without school sports, students will seek outside activities through club sports, which could potentially lead to a larger spread of the virus as students travel to various locations. In addition, other neighboring states have allowed their students to participate in winter sports for several weeks without any significant COVID-19 outbreaks; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That we urge the Governor and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to lift the suspension on high school and youth sports and allow play to resume immediately; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of Michigan and the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
