Have you gone to any parties recently? Well, for a large number of St. Ursula, Northview, Southview, and St. John’s students, the answer is yes.
On August 15, many students from around the Sylvania area all got together for a party, not realizing the consequences of their actions.
The teens at the house party were not wearing masks or social distancing, both of which are mandated or recommended by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Various sources report seeing on social media the lack of precautions taken.
St. John’s Jesuit, which started school August 3 on what would be considered the green, was informed of the party and instantly reacted when the school found out the students weren’t following safety guidelines.
SJJ emailed the parents of all students at the school on Sunday saying that if any child was at the party they must stay home until August 25. This meant no school, no sports, or any extracurriculars. “A student that is found to be attending school and/or participating in the identified after-school activities and having been present at the gathering will face disciplinary consequences including potential dismissal from St. John’s Jesuit,” read the email sent to parents. The school later sent out an email saying, “if such reckless behavior happens again, the fall athletic season will be terminated.”
However, the backlash didn’t stop there. St. Ursula sent out a similar email to parents stating that the girls weren’t able to return until August 30 if they were at the Sylvania party.
All Northview athletic teams were notified of the large gathering and each sports team had to determine if any students attended. The football team so far has shut down for three days due to some of the players having attended the party. Other teams were able to figure out who went sooner and made it clear if an athlete did they weren’t to return to the sport until they have self quarantined for the appropriate amount of time.
Sylvania Schools sent out an email saying, “We kindly ask any Sylvania Schools students who attended this gathering to refrain from attending athletic practice and events for a period of ten days since the date of the gathering.”
“I think it’s disappointing that we’re given the opportunity to have our seasons through the pandemic and some people don’t take the threat of sickness seriously. It would be sad if they have to cancel seasons because of a party,” senior soccer player Ryan Tussing said.
It has been made clear that parties where precautions are ignored, will not be tolerated by any schools.
